The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-06-12
QUESTIONS OF MODEsTY.
what Shocks Southern women In the
North.

Providence, r. l., Dispatch.
1t is strange how different civilization
looks upon the same matter. In japan.
for instance, men, women and children
battle freely together without a vestige
of C othing, and with no thought or sug.
gestion vi indency. There is, in the
United States, even, q wide difference in
the views which women OF different Sec
tons entertain in respect to what con-
stitutes an insult from man. 1t is I'M
deniable that at the north a degree of
contact and familiarity is tolerated with
out thought of improperly, which in
the south is resented as an impertinence
and insolence. The recent tragedy at
Richmond, Va, in which Charles @.
Curtis was shot dead by John Poindex>
ter, is case in point. The murdered
man had complimented Miss Isabella
Cottrell, Poindexter's sweetheart, on her
pretty foot, and had, as the young lady
declared, squeezed her arm rather TOO
warmly in helping her into the carriage.
With this as provocation, Poindexter
cowhided Curtis and then shot him dead,
and the jury could not agree that Poin-
dexter had committed crime in taking
Curtis life.
A New York girl the other day invited
her e1ut from Savannah, who was visit
ing her, to enter Brosdwsy shoe store
with her. Araminta, the niece, much
to her aged relatives horror, projected
her pretty foot and ankle across the
clerks knee, had her old boots removed
and submitted interestedly, holding her
dress conveniently out of the way, while
the clerk began encasing the fair ones
neither extremities in a new and extra
long pair of fifteen dollar high but
toner's" The Savannah aunt was shock
ed beyond expression at her niece's
strange immodesty in exposing her
steckinged feet to male gaze, and when
the shoe clerk, beginning at the lower
buttons, gradually progressed in his up
ward work, Georgia modesty and pro-
priety could no longer endure the
shocking spectacle, and down came the
sun umbrella ON the shoe clerks head
with a whsck, and her fingers tingling
with shame made busy with his hair.
It was to no purpose that Araminta ex-
planned that such occurrences were the
regular thing" in New York. That is
undoubtedly the truth, and the reporter
who has been interviewing New York
bellies, apropOs of the bloody tragedy at
Richmond, doubtless correctly reports
the views which prevail among the
women in Gotham.
At the south, however, there is no |
prospect of the adoption of |
the views or the degree OF freedom from |
men which is tolerated in New York and |
elsewhere in the north. Nor can it be |
denied that the lOOseness which many /
shoe clerks, hacksdrivers, car>conductors,
policemen and others exhibit at the |
north in handling women is, from the
southern andpoint, very shocking.
They find q breastpin out of plumb, or
r hairpin sticking a sixteenth of an inch
further out than it should, or lock of |
hair astray, or watch slipping out of a
belt, or gather of dress has started
the stitching, or a flower in the hat
troops tTife, or the shawlpin doesn't
hang just so, and they insist on fixing
these matters, and keep fumbling and
paving and picking away at lady until
attention is drawn to the performance
and annoyance is the result. One of
these fellows will put his hand under a
ady's elbow to lift her over a straw on
he walk or across a six-inch gutter, and,
when going up q rise of two or three
steps, will insist upon putting his hand
Upon her waist and partially lifting her
Up. If he helps her into a carIiage, he
wants to lift her in, and, in assisting her
% alight, he makes her Jump into his
rms. where he holds her as long as he
lares. While riding with her he always
las his hand on the seat behind her,
.esdy to seize her waist every time there
s jolt big enough to give him an ex-
,use for doing so. In fact, he seems to
oe continually aching to paw, IN one
way or another, every lady into whose
company ne is thrown. 1t may not be
between people pretty well &C.
Iuainted with each other, but it doesn't
ook well, and ladies, while they don't
ike to appear to be annoyed, still feel SO
md wish to he let alone.