Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-01-05


sent us the following communication de-
Tending her countrywomen, in reply to
an article we copied from an exchange
few days since:
MEssRs. EDIToRs: What wretched
wives French women makc!" Upon
reading recent number Of your paper
l noticed an article under the above
heading, which / hope to prove to the
reading public, through your columns, to
be false. Do you really think sol /
doubt much whether you ever met a
French lady. Have you ever seen one
who would loll about half the day with
some fictitious novel in her hands; and
the other half going from neighbor to
neighbor, telling what she has seen and
heard here and there, leaving her house
hold to the care of servants, as American
women doi Mol They lessen their
husbands hardships land not as you say,
increase them) by toiling with them viii.
lingly, however unpleasant the work may
be. They do not wish to be "adored as
angels" or petted, because they keep
buttons on shirts. They are women Of
good breeding, as the world knows, and
do not require to be dealt with as Amer
lean babies ofnineteen or twenty, because
they are doing their duty. You sneer.
and think them hardly capable and
willing to sew a button on q shirt, and
/ add what you intended-darn socks
but this is even more than you ever knew
an American lady to do. You speak
truly when you say, 7" there are no women
in the world more agreeable to strangers
in drawing-room than French women "
Why? Because they are not ever think.
ing of themselves only, and their own
pleasure, but as well of those around
them. As you say, their aim is to make
the hours devoted to company pass as
pleasantly as possible, and be agreeable
to every one. Is it not right? Would
you not prefer to be in the company Of
such lady. than one who would pass you
by unnoticed, because she is with some
one handsomer than yourself2 In COM
pany with the old or young, rich or poor,
handsome or ugly, they are the same
pleasant, kind and polite. In
France, children are sent to school
at an early age, and remain there
until fully accomplished. Then, when
entering into society they are ca.
pable of conversing with any one, and
with that ease and grace peculiar only
to French women. Their accomplish
ments and natural intellect render their
conversation entertaining At the age
of twelve they are not permitted to re-
main from school and run the streets
carrying billetdeux" TO news boys, as
your American children are. Neither do
they wish 10. In America, children OF
twelve are g looking out for a husband,
and when, at the expiration of two or
three years, they have been fortunate in
their search, they boast Of going to mar
ry ten thousand a year. How much
wiser French women are, TO keep their
children at school until their judy
mept becomes ripened, and not leave
them to follow their own evil inclina-
tons; for every being, Of every nation,
is inclined to evil. The unmarried
French women can and do go to public
gs5siens. They read what they please,
and have as much, and even more, free
dom in every respect, than your unmar-
risd American women. Then why should
they marry ITO enjoy mOtherless wild
cw's freedom 2" You err in this They
marry solely for love, and are only too
happy when blessed with lie that biads
them still closer thar the nuptial one.
There are no women truer to the mar
rage VOWS than the French women. No
lose .Tsore lasting and powerful than
theirs. Satan himself could not induce
them to break their marriage vow Of
fidelity made at the ALTAR; so sacred do
they look upon IT, Speak no more Of
French women on this subject, FOR IL all
your American women could follow the
example of our French women, there
would not be as many poor creatures in
this country who are not capable Of look
ing xnn In The face, others that know not
their names, and he who
marries a French woman may thank