The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-11-05
The New York Woman-.A Word Ii
EXtenuatiOR,


The New York Woman..A Word Ii
ExtenuatioR.
The following from DR.. Holland'l
"7opttS ofMs Tine" in the October mum
Der comes to us through the post office
with request In lady's hand for pub
LEGATION. We cheerlully comply.
"What kind Of abeing IL the tpyica
New York WomanH Our neighbors
across the water evidently regard her al
something very different from the typica
Englishwoman; and they from their judg
ments moi 80 much by what they know
Of tho New York Woman at home, as bJ
what they see OF her abroad. They find
her extravagant in her tastes, something
more than self.aSSured In her bearing
cloud" In her dress, and superficial In heI
education and accomplishments she
has any. Now we do not admit that q
woman who can be thus characterized ID
the type Of New York womanhood. The
world does not hold better women, OF
better educated women, or better manner
ed women, than are 10 be found In great
numbers In this much DETAINED city; bul
the Engltshman docs not sec them, fol
they jealousy guard their society when he
comes here, and when they travel they
are unObtrusive and do not attract his at.
tention. The average travelling English.
man In Now York knows Just as little Of
the best society Of New York as the aver.
age travelling American does Of the best
society Of London.
Yet the Englishman has an apology in
what he sees, and, perhaps, in all that he
sees, for the severity OF his Judgement
There Is type Of womanhood In New
York-and It has, alas lar too many
repreSentatives-of which every Ameri
can, everywhere, has reason to be asham'
ed. The same type can be found in all
the large cities Of the country, but It ex
lists in It's perfection here. 1t lives in no.
tells and boarding houses; 1t travels, Il
haunts the fashionable watering places; il
Is prominent at the opera and the ball; II
short, 1t Is wherever 1t can show itsel
and It's clothes. It rejoices over notice
OF itself In the Rveain0 Chdtterb0z, or the
Reekley Ai& and Water, as among the
proudest and most grateful Of his socia'
achievements. Its grand first question Is
"Wherewithal shall l be clothed9" anC
when that Is answered as well as It can
be, the next Is: allow and where can
show my clothes so ae 10 attract the mos
men, distress the greatest number Of wo
men, and make the most stunning socia'
sensation 2" We have no fear Of exsg
geratlng IN this Characterization. W.
have seen some these women at home anG
away; and their presumption, boldneSs
vanity, idlenesS. display, and lack Of al
noble and womanly aims are disgrace
to tho city which produces them, and the
country after whose name they call them
selves.
OF course there Is a sufficient cause iol
the production Of this type Of women, anC
1t is 10 be found in her circumstances ant
way OF lie. It is prevalent among the
nourean1 riehes-among those Of humble
beginnings and insufficient breeding ant
education. 1t is fostered in boarding
houses and hotels-those hotbeds OF jeal
Ousy and personal and social rivalry anC
aimlesS idleness. The woman who find
herself housed and clothed and fed ant
petted and furnished with money TOR arti
fetal as well as real wants, without thu
lifting Of finger, or the burden Of q care
and without the culture of head or hear
that leads her TO seek tor the higher salts
factions OIL womanhood, becomes In the
most natural way precisely what we have
described. 1t would be unnatural for hel
to become anything else. The simple
truth IS, that unless women have q routine
Of duty that diverts their thoughts iron
themselves, and gives them something t
think OF besides dress and the exhibition
Of it, they degenerate The only cure fol
this that we know Of is universal house
keeping. There is no man who can af
ford to pay n fair price for board, WHIT
cannot afford to keep house; and house
keeping, though il be never so humble, i
the most natural and the healthiest offlct
TO which woman is ever called. There /!
no one thing that would do so much t
elevate tho type Of New York woman
hood as a universal secession from board
ing house and hotel lie, and universe
entrance upon separate homes. Such a
step would increase the stock Of happi
ness, improve health Of body and health
Of mind, and raise at once the standard O
morals and manners.
The devil always finds work Tor idlC
hands to do, whether the hands belong Il
men or women; but American men arr
not apt TO be idle. They arc absorbed II
work from early until late, and leave theil
idle wives cOoped up in rOoEns that cos
them no care, to get rid Of the lingering
time as they can. Is it kind 10 do this, o.
is 1t cruel -? If 1t is kind in its motives, i
is cruel in its results. The whole system
Of boarding house aud hotel life Is vicious
To live in public, to be on dress parade
every day, to be always part and parcel o
a gossiping multitude, to live aimlessly
year after year, with thoughts concen
trated upon ones person and ones selfish
delights, TO be perpetualIy without a reu
tine Of healthy duty, is to take tho broad
est and Driefest road 10 the degradation O
all that Is admirable and lovablc In wo
manhood. 1t is to make, by the mos
natural process, that gay, gaudy, loud
frivolous, prctentious, vain, intriguing
nnsatlsied and unhappy creature which
the Englishman knows as "the New
York Woman"
REPUDLIcANsl sec that good and re-
liable men are at the polls to-day. and