Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1868-12-24
Oum AMERICAN GlRLs.
A. seen Through scotch Eyes--.
palencss. Pic. and Mef1phys.
ics Among the Girls In Csnnec.
agcuf Whitley.
From Daniel Mscrse'. Notes on Amsric.

| From Daniel Nscrae's Note. on America.
The palsness in tie American airls, tho
often beautiful, is too universal an eye
frem the old country begins 10 long for
rosy cheek. Lowell SAID that eoler was
thing ~ climate, AM that | shoud find
plenty Of rosy cheeks among the mountains
Of Maine, where there is more moisture in
ths air |, may bs SO; never got to her
Marie mountains 10 see But a. far ~ my
observation went, never saw any on either
mountain or valley in any part sfNsw Eng
iaud. My private impression, making eli
allowance fer the influence Of dry sir. that
the peculiar palsnsss Of the New England
girls connects itself with too much meta
physics, hot bread and pie.
have sirsng convictions on the subject
Of pie. Net to speak Of mere palsness, |
dent see how the Americans can reconcile
1t with their notions Of what 10 due 70 the
laws Of nature 10 live to the age they Do,
considering the smount OF pie they eat and
the rapi MY with which they o.. IL. don't
remember that | ever sat down to dinner
IN America, even in peer mans house,
without finding pie Of some kind. often OF
scyersl kinds. on the table, aud without
finding that every holy par,ook Of it, down
to the microscopic lady OF gentleman whom
We should call the baby. Pie is indispens
able. lake anything away, but leave pie
Americans can stand the prohibition oil al
intoxicating drinks, but attempt to prehib-
it PIE and you would plunge America into
evolution in day.
Then metaphysics 10 enc family which
| visited in the Connec:icut Valley, tive of
the girls were deep in the study Of algebra
and metaphysics, a. . voluntary exercise,
and shut themselves up fer three hours .
day With Celsnso. and Sir William Hamil-
zen and Kent. THIS was, perhaps, s1csp-
tiopai, but the New England brain 10 very
busy. II develops very seon and very fast.
and begins at an s1cssdingly early age to
exercise itself With the abstrussr studies.
Parents and teachers often ted me that
their difficulty, With the girls especially.
vas not 70 get them urged On, but 70 70.
them held back. In one young ladies'
seminary which visited they we're held
back With the following light studies, in
addition to oil the ordinary branches: vig>
ii and Horace. Latin prsss competition,
anatomy and hygiene. neral phil osophy,
mental philosophy and quslra.ic equations.
IL this add pie and hot bread, and what
could ysu sxpest but palsnsss, even among
the mountains Of Maine?
Palensss and pie notwithstanding, the
American girls are very delightful. And
in one point they fairly surpass the nslori-
~ Of EnElish grls-thsy are all educated
and we'll informed. 1t 70 . painful, but, |
fear. . too incentrovertible fact, that most
Of the girls on this side are very ignorant
on general subjects. l dent blame them
| blame the ~ stem Of education. Some
girls are fascinating. whether they are sd
ucatsd or not but to be left alene. as one
Sometimes 10, with girl who knows moth
ing, in rosm with 20 piano. 10 exceeding
J smbarrsssing-a the weather has
besn exhausted. There is never the same
difficulty with American girls The al
mirape educational system CT New England
covering the whole area Of society, has
given them sduc.,lon, whether they he
psor CT rich. has furnished them with .
great dsai Of general Information, and has
suicaened their desire foi mere.
An Amsriosn girl VIII talk witt you
about any thing, aad feel (or what has the
same effect, seem to fsel,) interest in I.
Iheir tendency is, perhaps. % talk too
much, aud TO talk beyond their knswisig..
With the clever tor as they woull say
themselves, tho "smsrter,") OF them, II
seemed 10 tne 10 make no parceptibls differ
encs whether thcy knew anything Of the
SUI eel they talked about or not. Men
tionIng this feature Of American character
to Boston gentleman, he said: at is true,
was struck in England with the silence Of
tie people when ,hsy had nothing to say.
One time. travelling in the same carriage
with nstlsmau, l asked his opinion Of the
ballot. He replied, have not csnsdsred
the subject yet You might travel all
over America. said my friend, and never
hear . man cay that But tho American
girls know a little Of everything, ard their
general intelligence AMI vivncity make
them very delightful companions.
had an idea hefers going out that the
New England ladies' spen. time over intel
lsctusl pursuits to the negae. Of household
dntiss. did net Cad it so. Comparing
ca vith clsss, they are quite az good
hoasskecoors M have seen anywhere
They lad need De, foI seryic. at present il
In avery wtetchsd condition in America
- mu Il so tt., middle class families in
tie couhtry often dispense with servants
altogether. Tbs young ladies' can make
beds, as well as demonstrate propositions,
aud their mental philosophy, whatever it
amounts TO, never inteffsrss with the per
ieciisn OF the pies. samuel Johnson used
to say that inan would rather that his
wife should be able to cook a good dinner
than read Greek But he does not seen to
have ANTICIPATED a time when woman
could learn to de both.