Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-01-31
The KIND Of Girl. rs.ry Used To Have.

Mr.. O'Clsrence, of North s'treet has been en-
tertsining an aged aunt in n past weeA, an
nnos himself very mach tmpro~ u ana stren gth-
ened by communing with her. HI SAYS he is as
tonished, though, TO find how IN world has
degenersted In the past ffty years. lie would a
.own mouth. And il makes Mr.. O'CN srepce &
trifie uncomfortable. He SAYS he thought every
thing necessary 10 the success Of the m Verse
was going on swimmlugly. He bad no idea tsst
in the last fifty years the world had gone beA ind
more than IN all the thousands OF years that N e.
coded that period. he says that when his aun
was young woman, half century ago, there
were no'such goings-on - chsrscterize this IN
happy time. Children were children then, and
knew how to keep their place. BOYS went TO
and the girls did the same, and kept by them
selves until they grew up to be old enough 20
have sufficient Judgment 20 take care OF them
selves: There was no airtine, nor simmering,
nor bold-facedness, nor profanity, nor slang,
nor tobacco, nor gambling, rs there is now,
dragging down the people and making old men
and women Of them before they have got Their
ana hugging and kissing In the parlor
anti morning, four nights In the week.
There was no gadding about the streets after
dark, staring into the faces OF the men rnd gig
CLING in the most shameful manner possible.
When they went TO church in those DAYS 10 was
to hear the preaching, and not 20 bite hsndker
chiefs at each other, and act like "passel' OF
fools generally. There was nothing silly,
improper. nor new-fangled, nor sot-up about
me ,h actions OF people then; Young couple in
couple now He never thought OF coming more
than once a week. and that on SUNDAY. He
never came through the week, because both OF
them bad too much to 10 TO be engaged In such
tomioolery. He always accompanied her home
nom church of a Sunday night, and IL he went
Ia the house at all (which he rarely did Il was
simply 10 sit on the extreme edge OF a chair IN
very respectable manner and converse with
her parents. Promptly at ten O'Clock he went
home and she went TO bed, respectable happy
Her folks were always there when be was, ani
therewas no squeezing of snds, aud slobbering
and other nonsense. He never thought of cali
ing her by her given name nor she him by his
gwen name. They had too much regard for each
other and their parents to fall into such levity
When they were married which was at proper
age ana not Ike they do now she had plenty OF
CLONES OF her own spinning and making and
many other things which he did not have 90
provide, and did not go TO her husband without
rag TO her back, as IL customary tor brides to
40 now, as our readers well know. Girls are
married now who then would be in ,pinafores,
doing chores about the house, and looking up
10 their Parents. But now the great. object Is
10 get man, and they get him soon AZ thew
can snap hold of one, and before they are old
enough to know anything but ribbons and gew-
gaws, and false hair. Not one in a hundred Il
them can bake a loaf of bread that hog would
eat. In those days every girl could bake TO
perfection, and could milk, and spin and churn
every body lived on farm then, we infer as
well as their mothers. There was no such sick
ness and poverty, and misery as there Is now.
rhe men wer'nt weaZen faced and broken
down, and the girls pinch-wasted and weak
nackeu-as all men and all girls are to-day
People then took care of themselyes and lived
10 green old age, but now they droop away
and die before they are forty. Where do YOU
zee people seventy and eighty years old now,
as they were in those times? Where do Won. 70
be sure. Nowheres, of course. All thus and
much more Mr.. o'Clarence's aunt teld him,
and all this and much more Mr.. OClarence re-
hearsed to an attentive and admring auditory,
IN HOLSTERS store, Saturday night. One
among them was pale young man Of one hun
dIed and ninety-four pounds burden. a ut type
OF tins degenerate day, and he, with his weakly
eye on the fortunate nephew of his aunt, asked
How old is your aunt"
Seventy" answered Nr. 0'ClsTence, with
exulting pride.
she any children"
"Five,' said Mr.. o'Chrence, promptly.
.'How old is the eldest"
FIFTY odd"
Fifty DID," repeated the young man, slowly.
How much over ffty:''
HE il fifty-two, for certain" said Mr..
'Clarence, in a tone that implied he was i'm
parting some astonishing but gratifying intor-
"Futy two, Ell? and she is seventy" pursued
the young man, "Then she was eighteen when
he was born?r
YES" said Mr. O'Clarence uneasily.
"She was eighteen when he was born" said
the young man, thoughtfuly, land about
seventeen, perhaps, when she was married"
As this was said in a speculative manner, and
appeared to lie addressed to nobody in particu-
lar, no one answered. And Mr.. O'Clsrence took
up his groceries and went silently home.-Ddn-
baTy NetrS.