Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-12-10
The Mystery Of Young French Girls.

In saying that the French are fond OF
good conversation, an exception must be
made. French girls, whom Mr.. Ruskin,
perhaps not uDjustly, defined as the
sweetest.tempered living creatures in the
world, might also be characterized as the
most silent A French maiden, properly
brought up, is miracle Of modes,y; her
dress, her manners, are the extreme of
an ideal simplicity. Admirers crowd re.
spectfully about her. and she never seems
TO suppose il possible that she can excite
any admiration; il utterly neglected, she
seems just as happy in her own quiet
way nobody can tell of what she is
thinking Always calm, contented, pla.
cid, and yet lifted so far above us by
never condescending to seek our homage,
she wins it as her natural right. Men
talk to each other in her tranquil pre-
sence with an uneasy feeling that she is
criticising them inwardly. She is that
/ l- Mystery of mysteries,
Family smiling Adeline."
/ She is clear, and yet inscrutable, like
the blue depths OF Swiss lake in a
calm. This is the secret of her mex.
haustible interest Who knows whether
she is shallow or deep2 Sometimes one
fancies there are faint CLEANS Of subdued
sarcasm in her gentle eyes. She seems
a serene intelligence dwelling apart
from the world.
Is she in thought as absolutely inno-
cent as she looks2 OF course, charitable
Englishwomen, calling themselves
Christians, say she is a sham, and that
they would not let their daughters be
educated in her company. II is easy to
gain credit for penetration by SANDER
ing simple girls who are foreigners; but
every one who knows respectable French
society, knows very well that there is no
foundation whatever for slander of that
kind.
The young French girl in the higher
classes is, unfortunately for her, only too
innocent Tor this world, of which she is
almost as ignorant as a newborn baby.
Some day her papa will say to her; My
daughter, thou art going to be married,
and she, in simple filial obedience, will
yield herself up to the chosen son.in law.
There is something sad and touching IN
that simple history, so often repeated.
Whether French parents will ever have
higher ideal for their daughters than
mere purity, and simplicity, and igno-
rance, it is difficult to say; but at present,
although some girls are bred as English
ones, knowing good and evil, it is always
a great disadvantage to them in France,
though rational Englishman would
probably like them all the better for il.
As to morality, think there can be no
doubt that France, on the whole, is a
more immoral country than England; F;
but it is an interesting fact that French
mothers dread sending their boys to
London, for fear of the dear innocent
youths being contaminated by your bad
example The more ignorant French,
too, have a horror of the shocking con-
duct of English girls, whom they look
upon as lost to all sense of decency and
propriety. Our institution of divorce,
though really intended to work in the
interests of morality ITSELF is looked
upon by all well bred French women as
wrong and immoral; and
they say it is hypocritical to affect to
consider marriage divine and eternal,
when, by our divorce court we have vir
tually reduced it to connection binding
only during good behavior ! think an
observer would come to
the conclusion that between young
and young Frenchmen there
is really very little difference, but that
lin spite ofour divorce) scandal marriage
is less generally respected by our neigh
bors than by us. That is about a fair
statement of the case.