Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-03-29
I.AmEnIcass WOMEN AsBoAD.


/ Undoubtedly economy is q leading mo
tive in taking so many American woner
| abroad, for habits there are much less
expensive than here, the same articles Of
dress costing much less, and far less
| quantity of them being required. The
expenses of young girls there are next &c
nothing, for schoolgirl in Europe has
neat clothing, but nothing of what we call
dress. met an elegant New York moth
er in Paris, who had just got three OF
four pretty daughters to boarding school
there, with no articles in the wardrobe
more snowy than the plain black gowns
of the regulation pattern. Surely a
great change from our New York fash
ions, which brings all the treasures
of the dressInaker, milliner, and
sometimes even of the jeweler to
bear upon the pet girl of fourteen or ff-
teen years, who is forced to bloom out
into the precocious woman when she should
be in the bud Of her childhood. Not
only is dress thus less expensive abroad,
but as said in a previous article, the
whole method of living is simpler. The
choice here a: home is between an expen-
sive house and hotel or costly boarding
house. 1t is difficult, almost impossible,
to procure heres for Al moderate price,
comfortable apartments free from nuisan-
ces and with proper privacy The mo-
ment we go into cheap quarters, we find
that the nasty goes with the cheap, and
we are lucky if dirt is our only bad neigh
Dor. In Dresden, Florence, or Paris
nay, even in Rome-we can find good
rooms generally for small sum, where
we can live and see our friends as
readily and independently as if we
owned the whole block. called on
two American ladies in Rene, in No
yember, far up in the old palace, and
found them as much at home as once in
their own fathers house on the Connect
cut. They had their servant to look after
their table, and they could have carriage
at any time at the door to take them to a
concert, or gallery, or chant, or to the
Campagna when they chose, without be-
ing troubled by any body else in the house.
Here with us those ladies would be held
responsible for the whole establishment,
and their character and fortune would be
mixed up with the whole neighborhood.
Such instances explain the fact that so
many women go abroad to find frugal liy-
ing and refined associations at once. There
is generally, of course, some man of
character to advise them, yeta good banker
seems to be sufficient protection, and it
seemed to me that some of our most &C
eOmplished women had learned to take
care of themselves altogether.
Discomfort AT HOME.
Many other motives may enter into the
matter and draw our women to Europe.
They are curious to see new forms of ma
ture, art and society, or they are in deli
cate health, and seek the benefits of a
foreign climate, or they are discontinued
and impatient to try the effect of new
scenes and excitements. There is, more
over, something in European life that es-
pecIally meets and ministers to a certain
delicacy of taste and feeling that is quite
characteristic of our most accomplished
and susceptible women. Here with us
business carries the day, and society
smells too much of the shop. Many of
our worthy men have next to no thought
or conversation beyond the dollar, and
they are far below their wives and daugh-
tiers in taste and culture. We have indeed
great aptitude for the beautiful arts, but
little experience of them, and little of
that finest art that discovers and appre-
ciates social graces and harmonies, and
the exquisite traits of feminine beauty
and style that gives society its charm.
Probably there is here as much of the home
To- hot 4hf fo hor
due place in the household as anywhere
on earth, and this is after all the great
thing; yet something more is wanted, that
does not abound with us, and life tends
socially too much 20 be prosaic and utili-
tartan. 1t may be partly vanity, but not
wholly that, which sends abroad so many
fair and accomplished women, both mar
ried and single. There is that in their
look and tone that seems to say virtually
something like this: 'fWe are not at
home here, in our own country; we are
daughters of more genial cline and more
gentle tastes; we are not appreciated here,
and there is great deal in us that does
not come out under this cold sky and rude
society; we are off to Europe to try our
lot there, to see what the arts and nature
there are, and to take notes of the wO-
men, and perhaps of the men," So, many
go away sadly, and sometimes more sadly
return, for this earthly life of ours is not
all Paradise, and we may as well make up
our minds that there is a great deal to suf-
fer everywhere.
HOUSEKEEPING ABROAD.
I confess. however. that our American
women in Europe appeared to me on the
whole cheerful-especially those at house
keeping with their families-and perhaps
for very commonplace reason. The
plague of servants is comparatively q
mild malady on the Continent, and our
friends seem to be able to command such
services as they want. Probably the DEM
Ocratic spirit that has done so much to IN
settle European society and break up the
old feudal ties between masters and ser
wants has thus far helped our American
families abroad, by transferring to theil
hands and ready pay the service that used
to wait mainly upon titled personages.
Money with moderate refinement is now
becoming aristOcracy, and servants are tC
be had in Europe for fair pay. Ladies
have told me that words cannot exaggeratC
the comforts of having servants who are
thoroughly trained to their work and dis
posed to do it well, and with q wholesome
| sense of the fact that others are ready tC
| fill their places. Here in America it i:
not so, and sometimes seven dinners il
one week are spoiled by as many cook
| in turn, who agree as much in eXorbitan
| demands for wages as they differ in th'
rare variety OF their waste and wicked
ness. French people, indeed, complain
| of the present race of mercenary servants
| and of the decline of the old feudal rev
crence, very much as our Southern neigh
| bors complain of their changed house
hold service. They say that it is not SAT-
for the parlor to listen to what is said il
the kitchen, and that there is always dis
content with wages, and sharp criticism
of the manners and temper of the house
hold dignitaries. Bat they also say tina
some of the old nuisanccs have vanished
that the roguish valet and the intriguin
lady's maid have ceased to be character
of French society, and their places hav
been taken by less romantic and less dan
gerous servitoTs.
ANNOYANCES ABROAD.
OF course there are many and serlou
drawbacks to American life abroad, an
pleasure is too often won at the cost
character. There is danger of losing til
proper household and national tone, an
bringing up children in objectionabl
ideas. The foundation of family peac
and dignity is religious principle; and
is not easy to keep the true religious splr
| in the midst of institutions so strange