Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1869-04-23
OTHER "GIHLS or THE PERI
DID,,

am inclined to believe that there are a
great many kinds of women, both in Eng
land and America. This idea seems to be
lost sight of by the writers of both nations,
who have lately undertaken to describe the
feminine element, under such titles as "The
Girl of the PERIOD" or "Tho Woman of the
Time; presenting to our view monstrosi-
ties, which no doubt exist, but which are
no more to DO taken as specimens of the
whole, than is the "Bearded Woman" or
the Mammoth Fat Girl"
New York, ior instance, is not wholly
given over to the feminine devil. Angels
walk our streets, discernible to eyes that
wish to see. Noble, thoughtful, earnest
women sick of shams and pretence; striv
ing each, so far as in her lies, to abate both,
and to diminish the amount of physical
into the country for few-weeks' summer
holiday, that I do not find large hearted,
large Drained women, slowed away among
the green hills, in little cottages, which are
glorified, inside and out by their presence !;
women who, amid the press of house and
garden work, find time for mental culture ;
whose little book shelves hold well-read
copies ofour best authors. Women-sound
physically, mentally and morally; women,
whom the Man of the. Period, who most
surely exists, has never found. Now and
then, some man, fit to be her mate, in his
rambos in the sweet summer time, is
struck as 1 am by thesegems hidden amid
the green hills, and appropriates them as
his own. But for tho most part, the more
sensible man is, the bigger the fool he
marries. This is especially true of biogra-
piers
What wrong, then to the great army of
sensible earnest women in either country
to pick out butterfly as the national type.
Because a few mon in New York and Lon
don and Paris wear corsets, and dye their
whiskers and hair, and pad out their hol-
low cheeks and shrunken calves, 1t does
not follow that Victor Hugo, and John
Bright, and the great army of brave men
who won our late victory, are all popinjays.
| For every female fool I will find you a
male mate. So when the inventory of the
former is taken, the roll-call of the latter
| might rs well be voiced. Are women so
"fond of gossip?' Pray, what is the staple
of aitcr-dinner conversation when the wine
comes on and the women go off? Do
women "lavish money on personal adorn-
mcnt ?" How many men are there who
would be willing to tell on what, and on
whom, their money was worse than lavish
ed? Do women "leave their nursery alto
gether to hirelings?' How many cores
ponding men are there, whose own chill
dren under their own roofs, are almost
entire strangers to their club-frequenting
fathers? And yet, what good, noble men
are to be seen for the looking Faithful to
their trusts, faithful to themselves, UNI
moved by the waves of folly and sin that
dash around them, as is the rock of Glib
raltar.
l claim that justice be done by these
writers on both sides of the water, to both
sexes. Fools, like the poor, we shall have
always with U.S. but, thank God, the Just
man and the "just" woman ''still live to
redeem the race. Men worthy to be faith
ers, and large-brained women, who do not
even in this degenerated day, disdain to
look well after their own households.
Fanny Fern.