Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1868-11-04
Our American Girls.
As Seen Through Scotch Eyes-PaIe-
hess, PIE. and Metaphysics Among
the Girls III the Connecticut Valley.
From Daniel Macraes Notes on America.

= 5,
though often beautiful, is too univer-
sal an eve from the old country be-
gins to long for rosy cheek Low
ell said that color was thing of eli
mate, and that | should find plenty of
rosy cheeks among the mountains of
Maine, where there is more moisture
in the air. 1t may be so, | never
got to her Maine mountains to see.
But as far as my observation went, |
never saw any either on mountain or
valley III any part of New England.
Ny private impression is, making all
allowance for the influence Of dry air.
that the peculiar paleness of the New
England girls connects itself with too
much metaphysics, hot bread, and pie
| have strong convictions on this
subject of pie. Not to speak of mere
paleness, ! don't see how the Amer
leans reconcile it with their notions
of what is due to the laws of ma
ture, to live to the age they do, con
sldering the amount Of pie they eat,
and the rapidity with which they eat
it. | don't remember that | ever sat
down to dinner IN America, even in
poor mans house, without finding
pie of some kInd-often of several
kinds-on the table and without
finding that everybody partook Of it,
down to the microscopic lady or gen
tleman whom we should cali the baby
Pie is Indispensable Take anything
away, but leave pie. Americans can
stand the prohibition of all intoxica-
ting drinks, but attempt to prohibit
pie, and you plunge America into
revolution in a day.
Then metaphysics! In one family
which | visited in the Connecticut
valley, two of the girls were deep in
the study of algebra and metaphysics,
as a voluntary exercise, and shut
themselves up for three hours a day
with Colenso, and Sir VIM. Hamilton
and Kant Thi. was perhaps excep-
tional, but the New England brain
is very busy. 1t develops very soon
and very fast, and begins at an ex-
credingly early age to exercise itself
with the abstruser studies. Parents
and teachers often told me that their
difficulty with the girls especial tiy,
was not to get them urged on, but to
get them held back. In one young
ladies seminary which | visited, they
were held back with the following
light studies, in addition to all the or
dinary branches: Virgil and Horace,
Latin prose composition, anatomy and
hygiene, moral philosophy, mental
philosophy, and quadratic equations.
To this add pie and hot bread, and
what could YOU expect but palenes,
even among the mountains of Maine! -!
PaIeness and pie Notwithstanding,
the American girls are very delight
/ full. And in one point they fairly
surpass the majority of English girls
/ they are all educated and we'll IN
/ formed 1t is a painful, but l fear
/ too incontrovertible fact, that most
/ of the girls on this side are very lg-
norant on general subjects. L don t
! blame them | blame the system OF
education. Some girls are fasCina-
ung, whether they are educated or
not; but to be left alone, as one some
times IS, with a girl who knows
nothing. in a room with no piano, Is
exceedingly embarrassing--atter the
wea ther has been exhausted. There
1 is never the same difficulty with
American girls. The admirable ed,
ucat1onal system of New England,
covering the whole area of society
has given them education, whether
they be poor or rich; has furnished
them with great deal of general in
formation. and has quickened their de-
sire for more An American girl Will
talk with YOU about anything, and
feel Tor what has the same effect seem
to feen interest in it. Their tenden-
cy is perhaps to talk too much and
to talk beyond their knowledge
With the cleverer Tor as they would
say themselves, the smarter, OF
them, 1t seemed to me sometimes &c
make no perceptible difference wheth
er they knew anything of the subject
they talked about or not. Mention
ing this feature of American charac
ter TO a Boston gentleman, he said
" II is true. | was struck IN England
with the silence Of the people wher