The Portland daily press., 1879-05-15
The Original of Daisy Miller.

The Springfield Republican says in a recent
issue, that all the papers and the magazines are
discussing the American girl abroad, apropos
of Mr.. James, the episodist and his Daisy Mil
Ter, Bessie Alden, and the two representatives
of the class in his late story of Pension in
Switzerland. "Who was Daisy AIiller?" do
you ask?'' She is bright, innocent, unsus-
picious, healthy, beautiful young creature,
without any bringing up with plenty of
money, and no friends capable of advising her.
She is taken to Europe without knowledge of
foreign countries, or that their ways are other
than ours, and that the spontaneity of village
life looks to foreign eyes like wantonness, and
compels the presumption of evil. She needs
friend who knows A young man, also from
Ameriea-one of those idlers i'll Europe who
say "You Americans nS''-meets Daisy, is great
ly attracted by her, and contemptibly ashamed
that he is so. He sees the errors she falls into
from sheer ignorance, and has a natural desire
to inform and rescue her. He tries it in a high
Boston fashion, which has an inevitable re-
dictionary effect on her high spirit. Nothing
can be palmer than that sweet-natured, hon
est, brotherly, faithful man, who had never
learned the fine sneer of "culchah," though
well grounded in the needed usages, could have
touched this bright, pure creatures heart, and
CudilSeu ller lle, WHICH neeu uOI nave enueu
in a Roman fever. But Winterbourne was not
that man. The little Italian cavalier whom he
scorns was better gentleman than he. Mr..
James story is quite as much a satire on the
Europeanized American with his heart starved
with proprieties as on the vulgarity of the
nouUedug riches abroad.
1t is told for truth that Daisy Miller and her
mother are pretty close copies of certain ladies
of Beacon Street who lately iourneyed over
Europe, and had their courier ride in the car
riage with them instead of on the drivers seat.
1t was thought that the younger lady showed
the courier more attention i'll other ways than
was necessary, and this and other incidents of
their travels set the long-necked geese of the
world to kissing dispraise of these two ladies,
because, forsooth, they chose their own way OF
studying and enjoying the countries they passed
through; and it is quite possible that they
wanted to know more than the average "cul-
chahed'' tourist. As we have said, Daisy Mil
Ter was so well understood to satiriZe these la
dies that they demonstrated, and even talked
of libel suit-which was foolish. But Mr..
James's work. it is reported, was socially effect
i've. The ladies gave a party, but few guests
would accept invitations; life waXed exceed
ingly unpleasant to them, and the prospects of
the young girl Just entering society were appar-
entity blghted, the long-necked geese kissing
continually, after their nature. And it is fur
ther said that to this unfortunate affair we owe
the charming Lady of the Aroostook, which is
not to be sure a special defense of the proto-
types of Daisy Miller and her mother but
true and sympathetic picture of the American
girl abroad as she is. We are not surprised to
hear that Mr. Howells has received numerous
letters of thanks from the casual observers who
appreciate the manly kindness of his act.