Daily national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872, 1872-07-17
TOPICS OF THE DAY.


| AOFlS8 W lHhH DAY.
The Father OF the Period.
We have heard recently good deal
bboul Die womb Of the period and the girl
Of the period, boz % far a. we have eeeu, 40
one has oyer said RWord about ,hs iAtherof
he perlod. Whether an the uich aud women
who have addressed Us on thceo Interesting
eubiocts were OF the opinion that papa was
oil right and mamma all wrong OF not we do
not know; but II looks very much ~ II they
had arrived at that conclusion. II So we
entirely dissent from that theory. We be-
| lleve that the fathers Of the period are all or
| nearly all, wrong, and that much Of what "a
wicked In the world is 70 be attributed 10
these very gentlemen, who haye up 70 this
lsbment o. he newspaper, me pulpit and
the lyceum. We have not the apacs 10 pur-
SUE this subject 70 the extent that we should
Ike 10 pursue IL and OUT remarks will there
fore be very brief. The tather Of the period
takes as little interest In bis children as the
Wild Comanche Iudlau 10 his savage or
/ OF bis COuntlng-room. The breakfast hour
Is, as general thing, reign Of terror TO his
growing boys. II he condesconds 70 notice
| them, II Is only 10 grbwl at them about putt
ting their knives In their mouths on abdnt
uslng their napkins ~ pocket handkerchief.
L they are moderately Quiet and do not
kick each others shius under the table, aud
so interfere with his e6joyment Of his NUT
top chop, he Is content '.r.n' .
| All that be wants Is peace. Breakfast over
| he probably condescends 10 pat the fayorite
cd the head as he puts hs hat on, and then
for the balance OF the day their care devolves
upon their nothers and their Teachers, AZ
4 Or O'Clock, when the dinner hour comes,
| the breakfast routine Il again gone through,
aud he Is OIL to the political meeting The
| clhb-ToOm, or 10 neighbor Smyth's. The
/ children are put 10 bed, and he sees no more
i Of them until the Inevitable breakfast comes
again. We do not think that w have been
/ guilty Otany eKaggeratlon In this short sketch,
/ Ibis Is the programme for years. II Ia true
that he pays the butchers bil, the tAllofs and
the shoemaker's, and hatters himself that he
hes done very well when finally he has sue
caeded In starting them on the road 10 their
| own Independence In some trade or occupa-
tlon. In nine cases out Of ten boy lie In
| debted 70 his father for simply this aud moth
Ing more. Isit all that he should dol During
all these years golden opportunities for cult.
Walton and Improvement have been lost. II
we have good boys around US, II the young
men that are crowdlDg us OF the stage are
all that they should DO In every respect, Il Is
more the result OF puroluck than Of the care
and attention that they received. rs general
thing, from their fathers. So much Tor the
father Of the period. .....
A Defence OF Pr,ity Women.
The London Saturday Rspis,b In q recent
number prints gallenL defence Of pretty
women. There are some Jealous souls In
this world, who always sneer atpretty women
aud are perpetually reminding US Of that
horrible old prOverb Tint handsoine Is as
handsome docs, or something TO that effect
We have no sympathy or patience with thls
class OF persons, There Is nothing In all this
world so beautiful rs a beautiful woman. Il
Is womans business aud woman's duty 10 be
pretty aud beautiful. That she understands
this thoroughly without being told OF II we
well know, For on no other theory can we
possibly account for the thousand efforts that
she makes to please and 10 appear attractive.
She sometimes Overshopts the mark, Il Is
true, and Is abused by the very people where
from she had hoped TO win. But read what
the ReUieto says: After all, ls the world 40
very absurd In Its love Of pretty women IL
woman 50 very ridiculous In her chnse after
beauty1 A pretty woman Is doinga wOman's
work In the world, not making speeches, nor
making pudding, but making lie sunnleF and
more beautiful. Man has foresworn the puTs
suit Of beauty altogether. Does he seek IL
for himself, he Is guessed 10 be frivolous, ne
Is guessed TO be poetic, therp arc whispers
that bis morals are no better than they should
DO. In . society resoluts % DO ugly there Il
no post for an AdOnts, but that Of . model
or guardsmAn. But woman docs for man
Kind what man has ceased 10 do. Her aim
from very childhood Is TO be beautiful. Even
as q school girl she notes the progress Of her
charms, tho deepening color Of her hair, the
/ growing symmetry Of her arm, the fipehIng
contour OF her check,
1--WE watch with silent interest the myste-
| rtous reverlCs Of the maideBS Ebsl d dreaming
| OF coming beauty, aud painting for the
glories OF eighteen. msousibly she becomes
an artist; her room Ia a studio, her glass an
academy. The Joy Of her toilet Is the Joy Of
Raphael over his canvas, Of Michael Angelo
over his marble. She Is creating beauty In
the silence and tue loneliness OF her cham
Der; she grows like any art-GreAtlOn, the re-
suit OF patience, OF hope, of thousand deli
cate touchlngs and rvtouIhlngs. Woman Is
never perfect never eOuplete, A restless
| anime biura the eNanescent cOlonng Of her
cheek frost nips the tender outlines OF heF
| lace into sudden haIshness. Care plOWa lLs
| lines across her brow; motherhood DESTROYS
the elastic llghtness OF her forn; the blOOlh
/ OF her check, the Quick fash OF her eve fade
and vanish as the years 20 by. But woman
| is still true TO her Ideal. She won't know
when she Is beaten, and she manages TO steal
fresh victories even In her defeat. She In
vents new conceptions Of womanly grace;
she rallies Al forty, and.frortB Us with the
beauty Of weHianhood; she makes a last
stand at sixty, with the beauty Of age. She
falls like Cesar, wrapping her mantle round
her-'bpIled In wooden! tWOuld q saint pro-
| woke! Death listens pltlfully TO the long
lngs Of lifetime, and the WTinkled face
smiles with something Of the prettiness OF
eighteen"