The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-04-20
American Girls as Street Flirts.

The freedom enjoyed by our young
women is perfect marvel to foreigners.
They are entirely incapable of under
standing how it accords with safety and
the preservation of good morals. The
flirting which is carried on between
strangers in omnibuses, horse-cars, and
on ferry-boats, is so open and patent
they cannot help seeing it. 1t may be,
doubtless, in many cases, innocent
enough, only engaged in for q bit of
fun, to while away the passing moment,
but 1t presents a series of phenomena
lncomprehensible to the transatlantic
brain. An English lady, in this dazed
and bewildered condition once said to
us cit would never do to trust English
girls with the independence American
young women enjoy. They are made
differently, and the worst possible con-
sequences would ensue. 1 am surprised
that your girls can behave as 1 see them
without the loss of caste and character"
The implied compliment was not unde-
served. American girls possess an al
most incongruous mixture of daring in
nocence and the ability to protect them
selves; though they often commit
breaches of propriety and good taste,
they know where to draw the line. and
can, as general thing, be trusted
Many of our girls here in New York
are idle and fond of excitement-in high
health, with plenty of money to spend,
and utterly free from care. The lounger
up and down Fifth avenue of a sunny
afternoon may meet them in shoals and
squads, decked out in their finery, full
of chatter and glee. There are also
specimens of the young genus homo who
appear to have been born for the sole
purpose of squeezing themselves into
the tightest OF tailor's wares, and afford
ing feeble excuse for the display of
coxcombry. These creatures, many of
them, promenade the avenue at all hours
of the day; few have achieved great
ness, and are as familiar to the dwellers
of the street as the Worth monument
They have at command all the tricks
and devices by which q low grade of &C
quaintance can be established with the
demoiselles who hutter along the pave
ment. There is an acquaintance of the
eyes and handkerchief. Silly, feeble
minded impertlnences are practised,
which, if witnessed by the paternal rela-
tive of the saucy rather fast young Miss,
who, if she does not invite at least per-
mits them, would doubtless be instru-
mental in drawing down the chastise-
ment of kick on the young male idiot
who has been indulging in this silly
sport. This is very absurd and ridicu-
lous boy and girl play. 1t belongs to
the vealy period. We are not consider
ing now despicable class of sharks who
swarm in great cities and molest decor
GUS matrons, and are dangerous to un-
protected young girls. We are dealing
with the youthful improprieties which
practised openly, and without any at
tempt at concealment, impart to our
English cousins such shiver of the
nerves. y X Il It is a pity to own it,
but our city girls are deplorably un-
cultured. The march of the world has
left them one side; it has got to take
them up and break them, as it were.
With the best material, the most prom
ising, crude qualities, they are, as yet,
incapable of framing or practising a
code of manners which shall develop the
inherent dignity, sweetness, and ur-
banity of our womanhood.-RerOlutiOn.