The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-02-07
Written for The N. o. Sunday crescsntI ~ -.
ExPREssLY FOB THE YOUNG La
DIES.


How many Of the young ladies who may honor
me with reading Of this article which have
taken the pains to prepare especially for them,
can challenge the assertion ! am about TO makel
In going through one thousand Of the young Ia
dies out in society who say they have finished their
education, and are pretty well read, not fifty can
be found who have closely read, much less studied
the standard works Of English literature.
l did not know myself how completely ignorant
OF the classical works the generality Of ladies
were until my attention was called to the fact BY
misanthropic gentleman who ever finds much to
censure and little to praise in women; and even
then his well known misogyny made me doubtful
Of the truth of the remark until he bantered me
to let him test 1t In my presence, and he actually
did the penance of going into society for six even
ings with me TO prove his correctness. And oh !!
young ladies' you were found terribly light in the
balance.
was astonished at the universal ignorance ex
isting of the real beauties Of English writers Of
sterling worth. IT'S true some Of the young Ia.
dies who. dazzed by the pedantry displayed in
Beulah and Mscaris, had adopted the role Of
blues. quoted Emerson, Carlyle or Kent but 1t
was with about as much real knowledge Of what
they were saying as parrot has in repeating the
lesson taught.
There wss one young lady in particular who had
been mentioned Ia me as being remarkably well
read and possessing fine intellect well cultured;
but we found that her Accomplishments consisted
in reading German, speaking French, singing
little In Italian and playing prettily on the piano.
Her reading was really NIL. Her knowledge Of
Shakespeare, the master delineator Of human
character was confined TO such of his plays as she
had seen acted, as they are now put on the stage,
and some Of the love scenes in Romeo and ia.
let" Milton, Cowper, Spencer, Dryden and a
host of others were all sealed books TO her, and
might as well have been written in some unknown
tongue. byron and Moore che could quote very
sffectipgly, especially the love passages. Goethe
and Schiller che had looked into, but that was all.
Tho found her well mp in Dumas, Sue, George
Sand, Victor Hugo Reynolds, Mrs. Southworth,
Ouida, etc., she knew nothing OF the exquisite
word pictures OF Irving. the delicate pencilings of
Browning or Scott's vivid creations.
was told that young lady who had graduated
at celebrated school and was considered unusual
ly well read, and made quite a display of her
knowledge, such as II was did not know that
Scott's novels and the Waverly Novels were one
and the same, and that she twice quoted passages
from Holy Writ and ascribed them to an Eng
lsh writer. Had ii not been for the sarcastic COM
nents Of my friend, l should have been amused.
tho vexed, at the conversations heard around
ne, tho Pm afraid shall never hear the last OF ID
from him. II two girls were thrown together, II
was about Miss So-snd Sos dress, or Artstions.
VI ASSlpioOoi compliments VI cdCu OtAcE ufcsc
IL TWO matrons, twas servants or the last scandal
" not TO BIS repeated as coming from me, you
know" Although there was a vast quantity of
nonsense and precious little besides in the whole
amount.
Now. young ladies, II do not advise any of you 70
set up for blues, but let me whisper this 10 your
ear: A well cultivated mind, stored with the
riches CT the writers who have adorned English
Literature, and that mind governed by jndg-
ment. tempered by amiability and lightened up
by Wit snd fancy, will make you attractive and
fascinating long after youth or even beauty has
fed, and you can gather around you men OF
sterling worth, who viii seek you in preference
to the gaudy butterflies OF fashion. You will
be IKE the violet or rose, attracting not so
much by your looks as by the fragrance you
impbrt to those who seek you, and which lin
gers after your freshness and beauty have faded
They, Ike the poppy or dahlis, when their
brightness has persisted, have nothing left, and
are poor, wilted bes1ties soon forgotten
pretty face may draw, but II there is no intel.
lect to assist the pretty face, 1t will not long
hold captive any man worth the keeping. Take
one hour day from your fashionable follies
and pursue systematic course Of reading, study
Shakespeare, Milton, Coleridge. Campbell Gold.
smith, Bailey, Browning, Wordsworth Pope, Ad.
Olsen, Burke, Young and Grey, and you will soon
find pleasure in their reading that will more
and you win be rendered capable OF entertaining
any one with whom you may be thrown into con.
tact.
For your comfort, young ladies', would say
that FL great number Of young gentlemen |
who can keep you 10 countenance in your igno. |
rance. Very truly, your friend, CLAIRE.
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