Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-02-15
American wozEN.
A Criticism uP"H Taen rrenl aH Eng
Isshmau.
Extract from. .an Article in alaelswoods lEdin-

, burRl4 Nass.l.ue for Jsuu..Ty.l
No EuropeOu who has travelled mHcl
OF resided l0rg IN America, ever fails [
1 notice that shyHess is not the sp-ci,
. characteristic of the fair sex. e-peciall
iu the northern ana western sfatei
There are, of course, many lovely eNceI
tions, but the majority OF the America
women, young and old, consider them
selves as well able 10 fight the gfea
battles Of life Is the stronger sex The
are doubtless good daughters, good Wiye.
and good mothers; but there is a maui
ness about their demeanOr, q self-cOnfi
dence of action and behavior which ar
. not pleasant 10 tie eye OF a strange
accustomed to the softer specimens G
female humanity in Che old world.
A woman who suTinGs from no mani
gaze-who can return stare for stare
word for word, or, iu ease of urgency
the blow physical for The blow moral
who, il deceived IN her affections cal
administer the personal chasJis=ment @
the c0W-hiie on TIE back OF her be
tFaygr, un uil'ct summary vcugeanc
with her revolver, is not exactly the kim
of person, Notwithstanding all the goo,
qualities which she may possess, tina
one would like to set NJ as q guide an,
model Of her sex. Even the American
| sre beginning 10 confess that these veTl
] strong minded women are much too ma
mgruES among them, and that tie se1
has been t.ltt soil pca spoiled 10y an
/ reasonable Difference aud excessive adu
lati0n In the southern states tbt
women are more European In thei
manners. The country has not beeI
oyerrun by the reluSe-Uf the old world
and the new white immigrants via,
/ have cast their Tot in these regions hav,
coHformed to the social ollservances O
the dominant class, aud rejected all "a,
1 pert isns and crazy theories that iinl
such favor among tue yeas.y masses @
/ the north.
The south is emineutly conservative
and even the Institution of slavely, whii,
! it lasted, Lc.nrG TO maintain, not Oui1
the subordiuaiiOn Of the iuC OF to th,
/ superior race, but of the weaker sex 6,
the stronger lmbuei with the cid Eu
/ rOpeau notions on the relative positions
Of men and women, the southern iadie'
/ give themselves up masculine airs, and
| as In England, quietly take The ~eCoE.
! place in the household, which they con.
| vert into the first by their gentieuass auC
! affection. lu the north, the women o
] the great cities who are met with
/ at the hotels and boarding houses, iJ
/ the railway carriages and steamboats,
! st all places Of public resurt-the women
J who are well 90 do iu the world, and can
! afford 10 amu-e themselves and spend
money, mas excite the admiration of al
/ JehOlders, nut il lhvy 10, IL j. for the
/ chararteristicOf the suuhow or aud peony,
| rather than for those of the violet or mi
musa. The woman OF this type does NOT
| invite your Difference bytA0se mute aI-
| pcals which are Irresistible ~ other c0un-
| tries. She commands 10 rs sovereign
| does tke loyalty ~ ihe subject. She viii
not allow yuu 60 perform au act of cour-
| tesy 10y you OVID Tree will. She eNacts q
Z from yuu a- her right, for WBir. she owes
sou neither gratitude nor ackno~ie.ig
ment. She does not need your help; she
| helps herself.
II YOU csn 20 out into the public thor
oUehlare alone and unattended, SO can
She. And mot only the married, hat tht
/ single ladies exercise the same lihaIty
/ The unmarried girl GI nineteen or TWEEN
/ ty, living With her father and mother,
/ hss rs much freedom OF lec0mOti9u
| c0mpauiuuship and amusement as heI
/ brother Of the same age she accepts
invitations aul pays visits au her O6, d
/ account, and does not thIuk u az ali
/ necessary b. ask permission 0l her eiuers,
/ Sometimes she has the privilege OF Tie
| latCh-key IL she stays out late at tbe the
! ater. Still ufteueT size has the privilege,
I If size chooses 10 exercise Il, OF her own
private box % pigenl-uO!e at the post
/ Oince OF the town WGeie she resides,
where she can have her Letters ad-
dressed, and whittier by a " Ladies En-
: trance where no pr8:ane male can iD-
Z trudF, size uau saaOgl hen she pieases
and unlock htI b0S from the upJsluei aud
I take away her letters without olserya-
/ ton. The mechanics. bankers and law
/ yeTs Of Tie town, 'or "a siaaii annual pay
meut have their private letter boxes,
/ and why should not sAeF
To youug women at the susceptible
age, only half educated and whose
I lavnrite reading the trashy novels That
are reprinted FROM she English penny
gapers, or that appear for the first time
Ia American periodicals OF the same
! ehaTbctaT-n0vels iu which there cau-
not be too much love, of sodue-
ton, or biEamy, or murder, for the
prevalent taste Of a cias5-ibe post o.
/ fee system oflers a facility Tor claudes
/ tine c8TTesp spondeuEe, which Ho uaspecta-
I bic father or mother on the European
I side Of the Atlantic would think of with
our young women q similar privilege.
I The young unmarried girls uf Europe,
living with their parents, can, If they
! earnestly set about IL, carry uu secret
/ correspondence with persons OF tAe Other
/ sex, but they cannot do ID easily. They
I must take The ueiEhuOrag pastry cock
! or -tatioueT into their confidence, but iu
/ America the confidence OF $40 third
/ party il necessary. ifa boy can receive
I "a letter, why mot girl . The dcAtos i-
! of no sex and young and old, men and
I women, fathers mothers. aud-chiitren-
I are all mashed ana urazud iu one mortar
/ IL republican equality.
The "gallantry," 80 called. Of the men
| is consequence Of tie fashion rather
/ than prompting Df :ap heart, and hGs
/ 500 uveTshut its mark as 90 become more
| offensive than agreeable tp sensible wo-
! men. Being 30 universal, the great mass
! 81 women have either come tu Trims
nothing u, 10, or io presume upon il tD ou
! extent not exactly consistent vitb Wo'
| manly duuurUm. II a man travels hy
street car or hy railway, and has cons
fart8bly taken bis seat, intending TO re-
tain ii for the wiIale of rOe journey, ht
only occupies ID upon the -UiigTaUce U
j
uo law against the CvcIcruWdiug O
| public vehicles and, II there be suli s
law, ii is never enforced. 10 any mum
Der Of women, young uF Old. well dresset
or ill dressed, ladies ur sruhous, euteI
after the seals are all filled, it &, eNpecteJ
that men shall vacate their places 10 ac
commodate them. although the new
c0mers might just as wei wait 3uOthe
| chance u the next as oOtrude themselye
/ into that particular vehicle. IL no on,
offers to rise, the lady" goes boldly ul
10 the unhappy wight in possession, aut
informs him without pariphrasC that slli
l wants his seat. n lie obeys the com
mand, she cOoliy takes his place, with
out, ia uiUe cases out uf ten, thinking J
necessary, even by a look, 20 let hin
know that she is grateful for the ecourtesy
II a Traveller going perhaps, from New
York 90 Chicago, q distance Of 100 miles
have occasion % leave The car 20 Obtain
rCireshmeut, aud bas deposited his coat
travelling rug can book, or ueWsuape
on tine seat, 10 obtain possession, it ]
possible that Ou bis return be will lird al
those articles scattered uuon the noor
amid the saliva uf the tobacco cheyers
and a woman installed ip the place. Re-
dress is impussiUle-re me9strancs is use
l less. Iuoiic opinion ana what is cull lei
galiautry," side with the aggressor, an,
be Of the weaker sex has nothing for
but TO put up bis duds, % in dudgeon o
not a. tie state OF his temper may De
eide, aud look ont for other accoranioda
ton. A newly-arTiyed German or IrisI
girl, who, in her own country, woul
have been glad 10 have cleaned a gentle
mans boots for a siXpence, speedily ape
the manners that prevail in the land &
her adoption, and will insist upon q
much difference as II she were a ducbes.
She will 60 up 20 q gentleman, old epopg.
I to be her grandfather, andsyerhsps rie
enough TO employ q scure of such as sh
4 in the work Of his household, and oroa
. bin 10 vacate seat for her aecommoda
iiOn. Ii is not % be imagined however
that the men Of America 30 not som,
times chaie under this oppression, {