Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-10-14
THE NEW YORK WOMAN.
] What They are in Hotels and Boarding
HOuses-The Real Thing at
Home.

What kind of being is the typica
( New York woman? Our neighbOr
across the water evidently regard her a
something very different from the typi
cal EnglishwOman; and they form
their judgments not so much by wha
they know Of the New York woman a
home, as by what they see Of he
abroad. They find her extravagant il
her tastes, something more than self
assured IN her bearing, cloud" in he
dress, and superficial in her education
and accOmplishments-if she has any
Now We do not admit that q woman
. who can be thus characterized is the
type of New York wOmanhood. The
world does not hold better women, Ol
better educated women, or better man.
nered women, than are TO be found in
great numbers in this mUch-defamed
city; but the Englishman does not see
them, for they jealously guard their So
ciety when be comes here, and when
they travel they are unobtrusive, and
do not attract his attention. The aver
age travelling Englishman in New York
knows just as little of the best society
Of New York as the average trav-
/ cling American does of the best
society in London. Yet the English
man has an apology in what he sees,
for the severity Of his judgment. There
1 is a type Of womanhoOd in New York
and has, alas! far too many representa-
tives-Of which every American, every
I where, has reason to be ashamed. The
same type can be found in all the large
Z cities Of the country, but il exists in its
I perfection here. 1t lives In hotels and
bOarding-hOuses; il travels, it haunts the
( fashionable watering places, il is prOmi-
/ nent at the opera and the ball; in short,
7 it is wherever It can show itself and its
clothes. IT rejoices over a notice Of it.
/ self in the Evening Ctdtterb0r or the
Weekly Milk and Water, as among the
! proudest and most grateful Of its social
achievements. Its first grand question
is: Wherewithal shall I be clOthed"'
and when that is answered as well as il
can be, the next is: "HOw and where
can show my clothes so as TO attract
the most men, distress the greatest num-
Der OF women, and make the most
stunning social sensation2p We
have no fear Of exaggerating in
this characterization. We have
seen women at home and away, and
their presumption, bOldness, vanity,
idleness, display and lack Of all noble
eAAAAA7 at q AAlAAAA-I ~ AAAN NAAN Will
produces them, and the country after
whose name they call themselves. OF
course there is sufficient cause for the
production Of this type Of woman, and
Il il to be found in her circumstance :
and way Of life. 1t Is prevalent among
the nOlfUeQltr TicheS-among those of
humble beginnings and insufficient
breeding and education. 1T is fOsteTed
iu bOarding-hOuses and hOtsls-thUse
hOtbeds Of jealousy and personal and
social rivalry and aimless idleuess. The
woman who finds herself housed and
clothed and fed and petted and fur
nished with money for artificial as well
as real wants, without the lifting Of a
finger, OF the burden Of care, and with
out the culture Of head OF heart that
leads her 10 seek for the higher satisfac-
tions Of wOmankind, becomes in the
most natural way precisely what We
have described. 1t would be unnatural
for her to become anything else. The
simple truth is, that unless women
have rOutine OF duty that diverts
their thoughts from themselves, and
gives them something 10 think
OF besides dress and the exhibition Of Il,
they degenerate. The only cure for this
that We know Of is universal housekeep-
ing. There is no man who can afford %
pay fair price for board who cannot
afford to Keep house; and housekeeping,
though IL be never 80 humble, il the
most natural and the healthiest Office 10
which woman Is ever called. There +
no one thing that would DO so much 10
elevate the type Of New York woman
hood as universal secession from boarding
house and hotel life, and universal en-
trance upon separate homes. Such a
step would Increase the stock OF happi-
ness, improve health OF body and health
Of mind, and raise al once the standard
Of morals and manners. The Devil
always finds work for idle hands 10 do,
whether the hands belong to men OF
women; but American men are not apt
70 be Idle. They are absorbed In work
from early until late, and leave their idle
wives cOOped up in rooms that cost them
no care, 70 get rid Of the lingering time
as they can. Is II kind 10 do this, or is
1t cruel? II It is kind in its motives, it
is cruel in its results. The whole sys-
TEN Of boarding-house and hotel life is
vicious. To live in public, to be on
dress parade every day, 10 be always
parts and parcel OF q gOsssiping multi
tude, 70 I've aimlessly year after year,
with thoughts concentrated upon ones
person and ones selfish delights, to be
perpetually without q routine Of healthy
duty, Is 70 take the broadest and briefest
road to the degradation Of all that is adj
miTable and lovable in wOmanhOOd. II
is TO make, by the most natural process,
that gay, gaudy, lou6, frivolous, pre-
tentious, vain, intriguing, unsatisfied
and unhappy creature which the
Englishman knows as The New York
Woman