The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1870-05-10
AMERICAN GIRLS.
Described by One of their Sex.

| American young girls in their teens all owe
the country, are distinguished by certain gener
al characteristics, which though superficial
give some index to national character. Nobody
has ever called them stupid. Their bright eyes
rather attenuated features, and undue develop
ment of the nervous system, all attest their
mental precocity. The growing girl is tor
mented by the wish to dress better. and to be
prettier and more popular with the boys than
any of the other girls of her circle.
| Such are the aspirations which come between
her and the pages of her French gram mar and
the perplexites of piano practcing. But she
knows that French and the piano are to be, in
some dim way, adjuncts of that conquering ca
reer which she believes that the future holds
out to her ; and she forces her unwilling
mind to take in just enough of these and other
kindred tasks to enable her to pass muster cred
itably. This is not hard because she is nat>
urally quick, if not deep. For the rest, her
time is divided bet ween ameteur flirtations, an
xiety about the smallness of her waist, tho
length, color and wavineSs Of her hair. the cul-
tivation of her complexion, ardent aspirations.
after expensive jewel:y, writing sentimental
letters to school friends, and resolving the
problem Of getting her foot-naturally small
and delicate, as rule-int a shoe one or two
sizes too small for it, according to her capacity
for physical torture. One thing l had almost
forgotten to enumerate. Considering the null
an immense amount Of light reading. Nothing
in the sensational line comes amiss to her,
from the daily paper to the last new novel. She
is not afraid Of anybody nor of any thing. Her
complaicency and selEpossession unalter~
able. She has an aplomb which An English
woman does not acquire till she is forty. Diff
6dence in the society of her elders is unknown
to her. She is always sticking in her word
upon every subject that comes up in coIversa>
tion-whether it be the origin of the Pyramids,
the age of the Sphynx, the pre-Adamite struc-
ture, the authenticity of the man in the moon,
the present state Of Europe, operations in Wall
street, the whole duty Of man, the Suez Canal
or Mrs. Wigglss last hop. And each and
all OF these subjects, and great many others
too numerous TO mention, she has an opinion
of her OWE, which she is sure is better than
that of body else.
When this irrepressible girl gets little old.
er, and begins to Investigate the subject of her
rights and wrongs. what can you expect
When she gets to thinking about these matters,
you may prepare yourself to hear from her.
Curiously enough up to the epoch when she
tegins to take an interest in the matter Of her
rights and wrongs, she invariably regards man
as her humble servant, who is to be on hand to
escort her to operas and concerts, ask her to
waltz, or make one at croquet, pick up her
handkerchief, carry her bundles, keep a seat for
her in the cars, and give it up enthusiastically
the moment she makes her appearance, allow
her to irt with him till she is tired of flirting.
and then offer her a home as luxurious as his
circumstances will permit, and allow her to do
pretty much as she pleases ever afterward
All at once she awakens to the conviction that
the aforesaid man is a tyrant. and that she is
his slave. Remember that am not talking of
the one>in- a hundred sort of young woman
who is really superior. and who, though pro-
gressive, has right ideas the woman ques-
tion-but of the common run. l am very sor-
ry to say that the ordinary young woman
doesn't awaken to the conviction that man is q
tyrant, and that she is his slave, until she has
had "a disappointment or is tired of flirting, or
until pickles and pies tight corsets and tight
boots, heavy chignons and thin clothing. want
of sufficient physical exercise, and want of
sufficient of wholesome mental labor have made
her misanthropic, or dyspeptic, or nervous.
Il Howard Glyndon.