The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1869-06-20
French Mothers and Daughters.

English speaking nations are in the habit of
disparaging French domestic life, and particu-
larly it regards rearing the females of
the family. The French, in their turn, are not
slow in pointing ont the weak spots in the
Anglo Saxon and Angl American management.
Nothing startled De Toqueville, while
travelling among us, as the free latitude per
mitted to females in the United States. A
writer in 11pplet0n's journal of last week has
something to say this subject under the
above caption, from which we take the
following: -
The devotion of the French mother to her
! children is very great, and her household
| duties absorb most of her time, while nowhere
can be seen greater displays of devoted
affection and demonstrative fondness than-in u
! wcll-ordered French household. Frequently,
even after the marriage of the younger mem
bers the united families continue to live under
the same roof, and the pleasing spectacle is
often exhibited of three generations sitting
at eaH4e beard, and dwelling together nnder
the patriarchal control of the aged grand
parents. The separation of families, almost
universal us,- where the new scions arc
trinsplanted to the West, and the parents are
left solitary in old age, while their offspring
are peOpling new regions far from the old
homestead, is not so common in France, and the
tendency is to cluster together, not to scatter,
Thus the, parental influence is felt and ex=
erted throughout life, the experience and
wisdom of age are tempering the headlong
Il ardOr of youth ana the maturer plans OF man
hood, for the foundation of all society is in the
family. and the stronger that tie, the healthier
| and the happier viii be the society built upon
it. In all society, woman gives 1T the tone
, | either as mother, wife, or head OF household
, and the training she receives determines the
measure of her influence, and the good or evil
: effects it produces The training of the French
girl is exceptionally good for this purpose, and
her purity of mind and freshness of feeling
preserved by the system, which is sneered al
/ by those who do not comprehend it. The
parental supervision of the boys is very strict
Int that over the girls is stricter STILL and they
; are treated as children up to the period OF
assuming the obligations of the heads of house
f holds themselves, and guarded as carefully
) from all contact with the other sex as, under 8
! different system, in the East. The mind ant
Q. heart ofa young French girl, tenderly nurtured
are like q virgin page of paper on which ne
impression had yet been made-lnnocent o
3 teyil thoughts or deeds and unhackneyed by
premature experiences. The Will OF the paren
I has ever been the childs law; and that PERM
{ cious make-believe loye-maklng styled Ilrta
: tion'-in which young America manages 1reeil
on entering her teens-the French girl woulC
! shrink from as immodest and shameless. "Tht
5 French grip is taken early into society, bn
) ALWAYS under her mothers wing and stTic
? supervision; and Her shrinking lncdesty ant
] timidity of manner purprises the American o
{ Enplislman, accustomed to the frank fearless
5 ness of his fair young compatriots, who agre
with the poet Burns that
"a mans o man for a that"
I hand by no means an alarming creature: " In
IGirl of the PERIOD as dissected i'll the Sdttrdd
! | Rerie,r and echoes from the clubs--who DOUBT
l. lees exists on that side of the channel, an
/ whose fmitators with the aid of strong glasses
we can detect on tho Fifth avenue an
/ broadway even here-is unknown IN Franco
who may export her native follies, but neve
, imports even one from abroad, not bclhg a
/ initiative country in suSh matters
z . = 4