Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1867-11-30
TALES AND SKETCHES.
PLAIN GIRLS.

1t is beyond all question the tendency of
modern society to regard marriage as the
great end and justification of a woman's life.
This is perhaps the single point on which
practical and romantic people, who differ in
so many things, invariably agree. Poets,
novelists, natural philosophers, fashionable
and questionable mothers, meet one another
on the broad common ground of approving
universal matrlmony and women from
their earliest years are dedicated to the cul-
tivation of those feminine accomplishments
which are supposed either to be most seduc
tive before marriage in u drawing room, or
most valuable after marriage in the kitchen
and housekecpers room. 1t is admitted to
be a sort of half necessity in any interesting
work of fiction that its plots, its adventures,
and its catastrophies should all lead up to
the marriage o! the principal young lady.
Sometimes, rs in the case of the celebrated
Lilly Dale, the public toleratcs bold cxcep.
ton 10 the ordinary rule, on account Of the
extreme piquancy Of the thing but no wise
novelist ventures hubituaily to disregard
the prevalent opinion that the heroine's
mission is to become 4 wife before the end
of the third volume. The one ideal, accord
ngly, which romance has TO offer woman is
marriage; and most novels thus make life
end with what really is only its threshold
and beginning. The Bible no doubt says
that it is not good for man to live alone.
What the Bible says OF man, public opinion
as unheSitatingly asserts of woman and u
text that it is not good COR woman to live
alone either though not cunonical, is silent.
ly added by all domestic commentators to
the Scriptural original. Those who pretend
to be best acquainted with the order of na-
ture and the mysterious designs of Provi-
deuCe assure us with confidence that all this
is rs ii should be that woman is not meant
to grow and flourish singly, but to hang on
man, anG to depend on him, like the vine
upon the elm. If we remember right NJ.
Comete entertains opinions which really
come to pretty much the same thing. Wo-
man is to be maintained in ease and luxury
by the rougher male animal, it being her
duty in return to keep his spiritual nature
( up to the mark, to quicken and 20 purify
/ his affections, to be a sort of drawing room
/ religion in the middle of everyday life, to
serve as an object of devotion to the reli
| gious Comtist, and to lead him through love
of herself UP to the love of humanity IN the
abstract. One difficulty presented 10y this
matrimonial view of wuman's destiny Is to
/ know what, under the present conditions
which society finds itself placed, Is to become
| of plain girls. Their mission is IA subject
which no philosopher as yet has adequately
handled. If marriage is the object of all
feminine endeayors and ambitions, 1t GER
tainly seems rather hard that Providence
should have condemned plain girls to start
in the race at such an obvious disadvantage.
Even under M. Comte's system, which pro-
vides for almost everything, and which, in
its far sightedness aud thoughtfulness for
our good, appears almost more benevolent
than Providence, it would seem as if hardly
sufficient provision had been made for them
1t must be difficult for any one except :
really advanced Comtist to give himself NJ
to the worship of a thoroughly plain girl
Filial instinct might enable us to WORSHIP
her as mother, but even the nublest desire
tn serve humanity would scarcely be enough
10 keep husband or lover up to his dali.
deyotions in the case of plain girl witt
sandy hair and lreckled complexion. Thl
boldest effort to rectily the inequalities o
the position of plain girls, has been made o
late years by courageous school of female
writers of fiction. Everything has been don
> that could be done to persuade mankinI
shat plain girls are in reality by far the N os
attractive of the lot. The clever authores
of "Jane Eyre" nearly succeeded in the fol-
lorn attempt for few years; and plain girls
). with volumes of intellect speaking through
their deep eyes and from their massive fore
heads, seemed for while, on paper at leas
d to be carrying everything before them.
l. The only difficulty was to get the NAL
= sex to follow out in practice what they s
completely admired in Miss Bronte's thre,
volume novels. Unhappily, the male Sc,
being very imperfect and frail, could not |
brought to do it. They recognized IL
Z beauty of the conception about plain girl
- they were very glad to see them married q
in scores to heroic village doctors, and the