The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-11-01
CHIPEROSS.
Whom They aro Handy aud When In
the Way.
from the Pail Mall Gazcttc.l

inUS OF the hardest WoTNtu vi N"J's's
subjects within the fDnr seas-worarrs, too.
whose labor Is less profit than vcNatinn, for,
Ike Ille fishermen Of old, they are those who
toll all night and too oflcn take nothing.
Perhaps no one is to be pi!icd more than
those wrclcdcd slaves called chnpclOns; AMI
certainly 40 slavery Is more Imperative or less
personally productive than theirs. The park
In the morning.; fe,rs, visits, ut homes In the
afternoon; dinners in the evening that
they usually object To dinners, these being III
deed the entertainments of their own ORDER.
and specially adapted 10 their condition; Daiis
at might, after the opera maybe, anu lha!pe
two or u nght--vcriy the life Of II clnrcroh i
ono of unmliya:cd severity. AMI calls Tor the
decpcst c0minisseratOn from those VINO nave
hearts whcrewiih to feel inc SORROWS SO o' n ,,n",,
going about the London drtwlnS-rooWs that
next season II 20 src the institution OF chapc-
roEs done away with altogether, ana society
NJ the wcat End 30 far hmcricaniZcu that our
Young latiies arc 10 60 TO Tails Dy themselves,
with no other carG-!ascr than brother per-
haps, or delightful male cousin convenient
TO the occasion. Doubtless such all arrange
mcnt would simplify matters greatly; II would
certainly alleviate the sli!tcrinss of the chape-
rons, while the young ladies anu Their part
ners would find nothing left them 10 uesifc;
Whetlor Is would work well In the eyes OF
those who hold the doctrine OF the :sltldlncsS OF
youth, and who therefore think the Stlaiidahr
ship Of the y0un. one of the primary dulles oi
maturity, Is another matter, but II we come II
llking-pUllins the young ladies and tlAr male
cousins nnlJ--wo should surely poll large
majority In favor 0f the abolition OF class
which freti more than it preserves, ANA which
has come to bc too Eiuch Of symbol only,
though retaining a!l the pains ana penalties oil
Yiinl rcality.
The duties of :: ciiaperon are manifold, aud,
OH the surface of things. contradictory To q
bcwilderlng extent. She las to attract anti Ia
guard, to allure and 70 restrain, 10 throw the
line dcxtcrol,sly and with intent, but 10 pre-
vent too much Independent fluttcrinG Oh III,
part OF The bait, and fop In,;ch nibbling on the
part OF the Ash angicd for; and yet, without
ilittcring and Without nibhl!ng how can she
yet valid bite? She has to take her wares TO
market; but she ha, 70 surround them with
artfill conlrivancrs Of dcfcHcc-wOrll, willie
settling them forth as nttrncivcly ns may be;
she has to work hard To destroy the health,
purity and freshness on which sho bases her
best hopes; and she has to Toll for her own
undoing, and 10 labor for no reward. This is
tho ethical view Of y chapcron's life. Tho
PRACTICAL or real condition, i3 even harder To
understand; anti how the institution over grew
into whatit has now become, and OIL what
principle IL Is founded, are mysteries scarcely
to bc explained. in France u claper0n Is i'm
absolute power, With strictly defined duties
and sharply marked responsibilities. She
holds her charge I'D very flslil vessel indeed,
whom she has not only To Keep from evil In
fuences rroIA the outsdc but whose Inherent
weakness and propensity to G,ll into mischief
voluntarily and OH her own account layo 10 lie
pcrpciuay guarded against; tho co:.tral point
of all French morals being The innate dcprlvity
of human nature, ana more especially the In
nato deprWity OF the young. Consequently
men know what they have to expect WHOM
they encounter an inJenuc taken abroad into
the world under the eyes Of her chapcron or
her mother. They know that when they lead
her out to dance they must keep within car
shot OF her chaIeron, and he careful not 10
speak to her Mt all when The eNigcncics OF the
figure hlro removed them from hearn.s dis
lance. They know that they mast bring her
back 10 na,ndn the instant the dance Is ended,
and deposit her with q formal bon s"Ie under
the protecting shadow waiting; To cnrclOp her.
ttl,,v f,ulf1 b,, n I-n
acted In manner both maihonntte ana repre-
hensiolc If they said or did anything whatso-
ever that might touch her feelings or urousc
her intelligence. And knowing all ihia, they.
treat their pretty ialsnuc with thu -ssS:iifc Kind
OF care with which iilyy would handle a fragile
WAX doll G:s"h nudge OF her real nature, if they
1m1S' aT sKc Il ny, 81 ai, "a they best can by the
bearing, and the Imi,l tones OF ner voice,
Wnen W they hear them, which ia not always
bG,,u bor ~ al ,nis ~ hoih for the inJcnue md
AS the logical conclusion OF certain forcgonc
premises. Givcn fr2il youth, much in
ennea to nanshilncss, and having to be
circumstance, By tho care and restlic-
tion nna unseaslng vigilance Of tho na-
tllrs whom experience has made wise. not
to say suspicion, and dlslrustful. ;:ad We can
understand lhs French system, though wo
may not agree with 1t. Given, Oh the other
hand, the American idea that the earth and all
The fullncss thereof Is made for the Young only,
soon as they leave the school-room, is to shelvc
the Old folks and 80 ahead without delay
given the national belief In the power Of ali the
young people 10 guide themselves Alright quite
a3 wei and great deal better than their
eldcrn can guide then,-and we can under
stand why ciaprrons arc discarded over the
water; and why the theory Of t&e!r Necessity
Is secuted as an insult to the free and en-
lightcncd Juveniles who maintain that no
dangers exist among themselves as vi I'M
checked body. for which advice is needed or
guardianship required. So il may be. i.cayen
forbid that we Should Judge; and miracles
being not impossible; transatlantic nature
may DO different fro;u European humanity,
and the fro of youth moy (who knOws?) be
the home Of the setting sun. Nevertheless, 1t
does seem to us somewhat strange 10 hear of
splendid balls whore crowds of martly-lir2ss-
ed ana quite respectable young women have
not the ghost OF claperon ainon., them; of
slcighinS parties in the brisk winter moon
light, with never u wary father or cautious
mother to guard llic lambs from the wolves;
Of torchlight skating on the crowded "rinks,' y
With no prudent guardian to steady tho tolter-
ing, footsteps inoapcrcncc, and provide
against tho dangers of q fall on such
slippcry ground. TO q French mother, to
whom oycn our much more restricted
or Providence such ways i. and manners
are OF course andthcmo maranatha, and
not TO be accepted ~ possible with innoccrcy;
ana many arc the cqulvocal positions in which
4 afree-spoken frce-actlng American girl places
herself, aud much aud grave the nIs,inder-
standing to which she subjects herself. ill in
the nalvest manner possible, when first she
enters French society, and learns to her aston
lshment that young girls arc supposed TO be
given over hopclessly Into tho power OF tho
Evii One nniess they have u chapcron always
Mt their elbow to pluck them back by main
ioroo. But to us this Is an amount of liberty
By no means desirable; and moro than one Bel
graVian mother has heard with dl may wills
pers OF the coming revolt, when our English
young ladies' intend to adopt the American flag,
DO their own generals and cutcnants and
cashier NIL their chnperons as so many worn
ont dummies OF no use whatever.
Now, IL seems to liz that this Is revolt oilitc
without cause. Heaven knows that IL Is not
much TINT chapcrons do now-a-dayB 10 rcstrain
the independent action of the Young, or TO in
terferc With their liberty. Very few place any
limits to tho amount OF pleasure lnduiged Ii,
during the season; and quite us much flirting
as Is NnOd for The snlll of man Or trnnnnn ic nf