Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-12-09

The AMERICAN GIRI.-A writer in the
-4rcadian, speaking of The American
Girl at Home" says:
Among the sad things of life is certainly
to be cl:,ssed that contempt for simplicity
which is ingrained in the heart Of the
American girl of fashion in very early
wears. She has drunk cOpiou~lv Of the
oxvmcl Of precocious coquetry long betorr
She is capable of approaching the glory OF
true fashion and the fun of that etf1Orescencc
of passion of which true coquctrv consists
We are no especial admirers of children
who are con,titutionallv shamefaced, who
hang their heads before company. and
creep back into sensitive silence a soon
As an opportunity permits them to do 50
But we admire aS little the unblu>hablc
etfronterv of the hot house child who ha~
been brought up under the bcll-~la>s of
society. and has nothing natural left in
it excepting the original sin, which crcp~
out in the form Of fimpcrtincncc. II Is thl>
abnormal Self-pos>e>>ion which IS the early
characteristic Of the American girl. For
this She has to thank her mother and the
fashionable fools who are her mother :
friends. Il IS inevitable that the tlole>-
cence of such :. child should he marked
with much that is fast and morbid and
irenching on the verge of vlclousnrs>- In
thi, school she acquires those merctricIou>
manners that slang. that .waGrer. that
idcvil-mav-care air. which have rendered
her 4 notorictV wherever she has Travelled
abroad The foreigner who comes 10 thl>
country. and who observes the iree-and
easy manners of our youth, and especially ly
of our vounr girls. i> amazed At their bold
moss and rerklpSsue>s We are aware tina
some bitterness and untairnes> have beer
shown towards the American -lrl a
home: that She hal been maliciousll
represented A a young lady who>'
principal amusement are young men
. novels and candies. and whose only eN
rrcise consists III promenadinE Broadway
but we are inclined to take Il less unttvor
able view Of the matter than this. At tn
same time. it IS not possible TO deny tina
there is Il grain Of truth in the charge, an'
we are not amazed that whole whc:
, field of accusation should spring from
. ..rain that has been planted and tende
with such malicious irrigation Glri> al
! made. it iS true. for something else than
' tit into some quiet nook at home. anG res
, commercially there during the remainder "
f life. There are some good plous soul
we know who would have every youn
woman. rich and poor. educated in the art
! f house keeping, They would hav
n Clorintla. whose father Is blllloniir'
+ descend to the kitchen, make bread an
: pastry. and familiarize herself with til
;. practical working out of all the MOI
n common recipes in the cook book. Just :
4 they would exact the same task from Jan
e smith. whose papa is not worth anythm
n ut all. How far these advisers are IN Il
~ right it may be difficult TO determine; b1
II the fault with the average American 81
# who holds neither very high nor a vel
~ low position in life. is that She does n
le acouaint herself with any of tho
m processes. and if. like Henrietta in IL
in Femmes Savantes, she were asked VIII
r She saw in marriage 10 attract, all I
n answer that she could honestly give Won
"A he. \ hushand This is sensible 81
1n as it ,-ocs; but we run in danger of scel
ii inr very humdrum when we add that II
" husband is to bc expected TO remain
that Il Young and eNacting wife wishes II
10 to be. the kitchen and its correlatlves M
$50 receive a large share of that vii
rs attention.