Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-06-18
ROMAN GIRLS.
PeculIRF1GIes Of Young Married Life
"A SRd state of Society,
Z. WHITMORE,
Publisher and Proprietor.

PecuIiaFlGIes Of Young Married Life
"A SAD State of Society.
Among all classes, the guardian
of girls is the same in Rome as in
France, and in all the Continental
Catholic countries; none but those
in service are ever allowed to 90 out
of the house alone until they are
married. The person of whom l
rent my rooms, remarks Captain
st. Leger, is Countess with five
daughters, and | suppose never one
of them set foot on pavement with
out their mother or some author
lied attendant, and no gentleman
is ever admitted to the house if the
mother is absent. Fathers and
brothers are not considered respect
able protection. And, what is sad
dest in the state of society here,
these precautions are not absurd.
Foreigners are more respected, and
even young ladies can follow their
English or American home habits
of freedom. The mothers feel this
bondage even more than their
daugbters-for you see feeble, worm
out women in society, who would
rather be in their beds, and only be-
cause their daughters cannot go
alone; they must be presented to
the world, or lose the chance of
finding husbands. Here all the
rules are reversed that hold with
us; girls are kept in and wives are
free. The momenta young woman
is married, if she has attractions,
she is surrounded, for the first time
in her life, with admirers, and it is
not strange that a foolish head
should be turned by their batteries.
No compliments are more common
from young men than such as this
to a young wife:
elbow beautiful you are-how
graceful. If 1 had only known
you were so charming, l would have
sought you for my wife"
And so, if she find lovers more
agreeable than her husband she is
expected to accept them. 1t is,
however, a common observation
that the Romans are beginning to
prefer English wives-they find
them more faithful, and. besides,
they bring more money. The traffic
amounts, in the end, to the same
thing as in that of other chattels.
Though the servant girls 60 ont
alone in the daytime, you cannot
send one Of an errand after sunset.
She will lose her place sooner than
compromise her reputation. Hence,
for convenience on all sides, most
of the servant women are married,
who 60 home at night and return
to you early in the morning, leav-
ing their children in school for
the purpose, if they have no old
mothers to guard them. No men
are more impertinent in their Stares
and salutations than the Romans.
A fine, robust, Ceres looking, un-
married servant, though past the
spring of life, has just related, with
immense gusto, her late adventure
with one Of these light gloyed, fine
curled, mustached fellows who an
noyed her while out on errands.
Finally" she said, 81 could
bear it no longer from the silly boy
l knocked him down and scratched
we'll his face f; ] only wished | had
my pins"
Here we felt what might have
been the catastrophe. These pins
are worn in the hair, six inches
long or more, of silver or steel, with
ornamented handles, and we never
thought before they were stilettoes
but Santina ailirms that this is the
real secret of their use, and the best
protection of honest Italian women
of the lover class, who only wear
them.