The Portland daily press., 1872-05-03
Terms $500 PER ANNUM, IN ADvAN cF.

SPECIMEN AMERICAN GIRL.-She is
ABOUT niteen. Her hair, which is rather
aounil:ht, aii:, coarse and of tawny hue, and
ner sAin, as regards color and texture, might
be described by the same adiectiyes. The
hair is either crimped and flung 10 the winds.
or braided and coiled, and tossed over pads
and foundations, quite outrivaline her elder
sister and mother in stunning effect. Her
complexion Is already ruined, through free
and long continued diet of candles, condi-
ments, and high seasoned food, aided and
abetted by such external appliances as sew
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS bath of impure air,
heated to eighty or ninety degrees Fahrenheit
witha plentiful use of powder, which she
commenced to rub on her own and her dolls
face simultaneously. Altogether she has
reached the regulation standard of leathery
looking skin, that even now nearly defies
powder, and before she is twenty will demand
enamel. Her feet have been crammed into
boots from one to two sizes smaller than
themselves, and the heels propped on stilts
until, whatever her feet may be, her ankles
need not be mentioned, and her gait has at
tanned perfection m the wabbling motion at
present so much approved. Her dress, In
the matter technically known as style, out
Herods Herod, and in that respect it affords
her great satisfaction. As regards politeness
and department, her notion of the first is con-
densed into saying yes, nam, and no, nam;
in natural history; her air of lofty indepen-
dence and unconscious self-assertion being
something unknown in any other quarter OF
the glsbe, The word reverence Is not in her
vocabulary she patronizes her elders, quite
graciously assuring them, as she glances ask
ance at her own image in some adjacent mir
ror, that she likes them ever so much. As
for her 'spoppaw' and 'mommaw,'' as she
calls them, she has conception that they are
Just useful appendages of hers; that they are
to be occasionally caressed, and very often ca
joled but by no means INDUCED with too
much of their own way, particularly in refer
ence to herself In firtations and adven-
lures she is already an adept. In converse
ton, If you take away two subjects, viz: her
own amatory affirs and her own dress; then
sift from the remainder the words ''guess,"
"reckon," and "oh, isn't it lovelyp' you will
find this second residuum too thin to be per-
ceptible.
Probably she is school girl, with long
list of studies. OF these, she gets as much in
to her memory as can be put there by patient,
hard labor on the part of the teachers and
what mechanical cramming she can effect on
her own part but she never allows her stud
les to occupy her mind; that is pre-occupied
by beaux and finery. Besides, she knows
how to get credit without work in the line of
lessons, for If teacher endeavors to make
her think upon the subject in hand, or refuses
to give her the credit She demands, she has
only to say within hearing of the unfortunate,
''Hah! such one had better mind; 1 can
have any teacher 1 like! Ny mommaw will
believe me before any one else," and this
thumb-screw will bring the poor bread-winner
| into due submission. She is rather fond of
reading, and her selection of reading matter
| deserves some consideration. Ii you observe,
you will discover that the few books she
reads are highly spiced with sensation, but
her fayorite pastime is the newspaper.
She would not thank you, however, for q
paper Of the better sort; she does not read
the politics, or short, clever essays or reviews
of literature; she thinks these ''horrid dull -
but she seizes-well we won't mention names
there are too many such papers-she seizes
one to her mind and greedily devours all the
filthy details of crime and horror, looks up
andsponders on the equivocal advertisements,
and dwells with especial enjoyment on the
personals, wondering when she shall have the
honor to figure there as the young lady with
blond hair, etc., etc., who smiled on gentle
man-Oh! God have pity on our American
youth of both sexesl Then she is given to
taking walks, this Miss of 10; but alas hel
promenades are chosen from consideration oi
merit similar to those which direct her choics
of reading matter. She hates walking wher'
she cannot see and be seen. She likes watering
places; but she detests the country. She
seldom laughs, and if she does, it is moi
natural, pleasant laugh. She never frolics o.
gambols, with wild exuberant life of the
young animal-that would be odious in hel
estimation, and far too childish for her. Wa.
she ever child, this hot-house production o
humanity? That is the question. 1t is
matter of thankfulness that there are, in ou
land, young girls whom this shoe does not fit
They need not put it on; but there are, also
many Cinderellas, who have no occasion 70
pairing of heels and toes: the slipper fits
: exactly.-Ne,c York Mail.