The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1879-12-18
A Railway Observation.


Going out of Boston toward nigbtfall,
few weeks since, on a certain rail
way, | found myself nearly opposite
three young girls of fifteen or sixteen,
who attracted my attention by the eX-
IRENE loudness of their talk. The ear
was full of passengers, aud much con-
versation was going on, bat these three
voices rose easily above all the others.
They were obviously school girls, re-
turning with their books in their hands
TO some suburban home; they were
nicely dressed-lncluding girreproachable
glOves-aud used correct aud inOifensive
language. But how noisy they were
how regardless of everybody around
them They were full Of jokes and per
sonal allusiOns, at which they laughed
uproariOusly they ate apples together
aud told the days adventures, aud be-
Laved IN all respects as II there was no.
body else in the car. IL is difficult TO
quarrel with those VINO are simply
young aud unframed and OveIflOwiug
with natural Spirits and there was not
the slightest indication Of their doing all
this TO attract auybody's attention; but
they were very inconsiderate Of the
com fort of all around them, and their de-
meanor was certainly hOydenish. Per-
hays their manner would best be de-
scribed 10y that ingenious word "girl-
sterous," which child once invented
to correspond to the word "DOisterous,"
applied To boys.
The noisiest of these young maidens
had been sitting face TO face with the
others, al this time, having turned "A
seat back for the purpose. She bad
complained once or twice Of the head
ache, and at last jumped up mpulsively,
saying that she could bear IL no longer
then turned her seat over, aud took her
place with her back to the others. Pre-
cisely at that moment a rosy school boy
came through the car aud with great
prOmptuess took his seat beside her.
Whether this convenient combination
had been arranged beforehand, or wheth-
er il was what Emerson calls Zone OF those
pieces of good luck which happen only
TO good players" | cannot say. What /
do know is that from the moment she
was thus accompanied her whole man
ner changed-she was qaiet, maidenly,
lady-like; her voice aud laugh grew low
and pleasing, aud her former compsn-
ions, after making few efforts to joke
with her, abandoned her in despair, hut
went on as loudly as ever between
themselves.
This was not all. At way station
one of the two remaining damsels got
out-the quietest of the three-leaving
her companion unattended. With a
promptness that did him credit, another
smiling boy seized at once upon the va
cant seat, beside the deserted maiden.
Again, the same wonderful transfOrma-
tion scene took place; she also became
geutle aud lady-liSe, her voice was no
longer heard above the others, and this
pair Of young people, like the pair in
front Of them, kept up a constant prattle
in quiet aud well-bred tones all the rest
Of the way, without single noisy out
break. What the presence Of whole
car-full Of passengers could not do, the
cOmpanionship of two boys of their own
age instantly effected. Thus peacefully
they jOurneyed on, amid great relief TO
all about them, until they reached a
town about dozen miles from Boston,
where they all got out, evidently at
home.
Can it be that an influence so natural,
50 refining, so useful, is not desirable To
employ? | remember that my first i'm
pressions ia favor Of co-education came
/ from noticing, I'm boarding school
which attended, and again in another
boarding school where | taught, the
greater Refinement aud propriety among
| the day scholars, who associated with
their sisters and with other young girls
/ at hOme-as compared with the board
/ ing scholars who we're simply a mob of
| boys herded together. This reflection
was only for the benefit Of the boys,
however But the same thing gradually
suggested itself, as time went on, in re-
! gard to the girls also. ] we'll remem-
I Der that the teacher of a girls grammar
school under my charge in Worcester
whenwe were substituting mixed schools
] for separate schoOls-after deploring the
expected injury to the manners OF her
pupils, came in a few months to tell me
/ that she thought the union bad done
I the girls as much good as the boys, in
I respect 10 manners. After all, the way
Of nature is the best, and "What God
hath Joined let no man put asunderii
seems to me the very safest rule,
whether we are organizing home,
school, society, church or state.-T. W.
HigqiHS0H ia WOmdH's Journal.
a gentleman, who has Just had a
\ family tomb constructed, takes his wife
to the cemetery, aud she recOils with
horror on beholding cut in the stone
''To the memory of my beloved wife
eternal regrets" "But am not deadT'