The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-11-04
TIMoN.

From Daniel slacr,e's Notes on America.

From Daniel ilacr ,c's Notes on America.
The palcness in the American girls,
though often beautiful, is too universal an
eve from the old country begins to long for
q rosy cheek Lowell said that color was
a thing Of climate, and that | should find
plenty Of rosy checks among the mountains
of Maine, where there is more moisture in
the air. Il may be so; | never got TO her
Maine mountains 10 see. But as far as my
observation went, | never saw any either
en- mountain or valley in any part Of New
England. My private impression is, max
inC 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, ard pie. have
strong convictions on this subject of pie.
Not to speak Of mere palencss, | don't sec
how the Americans can reconcile it with
their notions Of what is due TO the laws
Of nature, to live TO the age they do, con-
sidering the amount Of pie they eat, and
the rapidity with which they eat it. |
don't remember that ever sat down to n
dinner in America, even in poor mans
house, without finding pic of some kind
often of several kinds-on the table; and
without finding that everybody partook Of
H..
man whom we should call the baby. Pie
is Indispensable. Take anything away, but
leave pie. Americans can stand the pro-
hibi,ion of all intoxicating drinks, but at
tempt to prohibit pie and you will plunge
America into revolution in 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 voluntary exercise,
and shut themselves up for three hours a
day with Colenso and Sir William Hamilton
and Kant. This was, perhaps, exceptional,
but the N3w England brain is very busy.
II developes very soon and very fast, and
begins at an exceedingly early age to exer-
else itself with the abstruser studies. Pa
rents and teachers often tell me that theil
difficulty, with the girls especially, was not
to get them urged on, but to get them held
back. In one young ladies' seminary
where visited they were held back with
the following light studies, in addition tt
all the ordinary light 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 palencss, even among the
mountains of Maine?
Paleness and pie Notwithstanding, the
e American girls are very delightful. And in
one point they fairly surpass the majority
of English girls-they are all educated and
well-informed. 1t is painful, but fear a
too incontrovertible, fact that most Of the
girls on this side are very ignorant on gene
raj subjects. don't blame them; | blame
the system Of education. Some girls are
fascinating, whether they are educated OF
not but to be left alone, as one sometimes
is, with a girl who knows nothing, in 0
room with no piano, is exceedingly en-.
barrassing-after the weather has been
exhausted. There is never the same diff
fculty with American girls. The admira.
Bile educational system Of New England
covering the whole area Of society, has given
them education, whether they be poor OF
rich; has furnished them with q great
deal of general information, and has quick
ened their desire for more. An American
girl will talk with you about anything
and feel Tor what has the same effect, seen
10 feel) interest in it. Their tendency is
perhaps, to talk too much, and to talk be
You'd their knowledge. With the cleyerel
Tor as they would cay themselves, the
"smater y Of them it seems to me some.
times to make 10 perceptible difference
whether they knew anything of the subject
they talked about or not. Mentioning this
feature Of American character to Boston
gentleman, he said: cit is true / was
struck in England with the silence Of the
people when they had nothing to say. One
tune, travelling in the same carriage with 6
notb,iemann, | asked him his opinion of tn.
ballot. lie replied, have not considered
that subject yet You might travel al
over America" said my friend, sand neve,
hear o man say that" But the America,
girls generally know little Of everything