Smyrna times., 1874-02-11
American Girls Abroad.

cans here are waxing wrOth, your cOrrespOn
dent included. it may not seem amiss to notice !
the manner in which too many of our fair |
young country women behave while abroad !
thus giving grounds for much Of the i'll natured |
sarcasm and unstnted blame which foreigners
are so apt to lay upon the oVer-independence of |
American ladies.
First, there can be no manner of doubt that
in the way of Irritation, downright laying
themselves out to attract the attention of men,
too often at the expense of that reserve most
becoming to young girl, our bellies go the
whole figure. They seem to think that, being
so far from home, they may be ever so impru-
dent with impunity; and, apparently en-
bOldened by this conviction, behave too reck.
lessly, as any one will say who may have passed
a season at any of the fashionable resorts in
Europe. In all these places Americans abound,
and the Frence, German, or Italian beaus birt
with lies bellies Americainss to their heart
content.
The making acquaintance is seldom hard
matter. Our young ladies, | am sorry to say
lend themselves to that with the best grace. In
fact, so much is this the case that the ChariUari
and other comic journals here make merry
over 1t, and represent young American ladies
wearing the inevitable round hat, and having
eyes from which dart thousand flames, which
simultaneously flash full into the hearts of as
many young gentlemen who, in every attitude
Indicative of unbOunded love- are worshipping
the fair yankees" Then the letter writers
| from the places | refer to make frequent men
ton of the beauty and fearessness of the young
American ladies, who seem determined to
| take the Lead on all occasions While giving
their need of praise to our young country
women, however, the reporter seldom fails to
let it be seen that, charming as they deem the
what shall | say?-fact way of the said
bellies, they would be very sorry to have their
countrywOmen initiate it.
Do not imagine that there is always i'll nature
or exaggeratiOn in these remarks. The writers
are really unaccustomed to independent action
on the part of young girls, and the absolute
freedom of our young ladies' they deem verV
dangerous thing They dwell upon the fact
that no miss in her teens can have or should
have much knowledge of the world hence
they think that We incur needless risk by
giving so much freedom to our young girls
They see those girls openly and systemati ily
flirting with men who have the reputation the
reverse of good. They see the fathers and
mothers of the girls looking on with apparent
indifference, and they wonder at all this.
They see American misses at the theathres, in
the restaurants, on the promeDades, seeking
very evidently to attract the attention of the
gentlemen. They do not cannot understand
that those girls mean no harm-are merely
having ''such a splendid time" They take
the worst view of the case, and DEAN Ameri-
can girls very careless, not to say more
ln Paris, Rome, Florence, Brussels, Dresden,
Geneva, Nice, Pau Trouville, &C., the hirta-
tiOnS OF American girls are matters of notoriety,
and | am sure that few of our countrymen
while travelling in Europe have not noticed
, themselves that there is too much freedom
? given to our girls when abroad. At home the
thing is better understood. The young ladies'
go half mad over tenor-write him love
, letters, send him bouquets, and do thousand
lmprudent things-but are saved from the
consequences thereof by the fact that, were the
admired tenor to take liberties, he would be 1t
once set right upon the subject. and made to
understand that the girls were merely having,
, as | said above, fine time" But here the
| tenor and every one else quite misconceive the
imprudsnt girls, and attribute to the worst
motives the carelessness they cannot under
; stand Any forwardnass, any imprudence on
, the part Of q married woman they are quiet
prepared for, but they simply have no respect
whatever for forward Miss. They at once
attribute to her bad motives | know many
, French gentlemen, very fair and Just to all
, other matters, but who will not allow that
American girls can be perfectly pure and virtu-
! ous-smply because those whom they have
met here and elsewhere in society are SO bold
and speak out so quickly upon subjects which
young girls are supposed here to ignore.
4
all the indelicate novels which are published
, here and sent to the United States at once,
there being so large demand for such litera,
turs on your side of the Atlantic Arriving
here American ladies, married ard single,
speak il too many instances very freely TO the
works in question. Perfectly appreciating the
, fact that married women may have read such
books, French people are astOunded to find
that young girls should have done so. They
wonder what sort of parents those girls can
have, and are at once preiudiced against all
. alike. When upon this they see those girls
in society acting with all the freedom of married
women is it to be wondered at that Europeans
should be so apt to think sghtingly of them {
, IN Sardou's "Oncle Sam there is parlor
scene wherein q number Of young ladies and
young gentlemen are seated about on the sofas.
The ladies are very familiar. they lay their
heads upon the shoulders of the bsaus, squeeze
their hands, aud are in other ways very bold and
forward i was vexsd at this, and rallied out
at Sordou for the exag0eralion. The friend
, with me--a Parisan-was much amused at
my annoyance, which he, however, quickly
turned into confusion when he recalled to mind
that last summer at Trouvills, in the salon of
the Hotel de Ia Roche Noir. We had both of us
! seen young lady-an American belle-sitting
/, in mitch the came way with gentleman whose
acquaintance she had made but o week pre-
vious. Since then ths said lady has married
another gentleman, and in twittilg nae With
: the fact my Partisan friend rather had the best
y of me.
know here young gentleman--a German
whose recent experience is another case in
point. He met in the streets some young
American misses, who, l am sorry to say, were
n inclined to firt with the young man in ques.
p ton. He is quiet good looking, and cOnse-
I quently vain, and readily received the advances
u made. Those girls, without knowing who the
g gentleman was, without apparently stopping
u to think of the consequences wrote him notes,
e threw him bouquets-in fact, behaved most i'm
It prudently. Finally one of the girls made an
IS appointment with the young German, met him,
b manner the reverse of respectful. Strange as
il may seem, the indignant miss complained to