Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-11-29
UGLY GIRLS.
How Their Prospects i'm Life May be
Bettered.

How Their Prospects i'm Life May be
Bettered.
plain girl, so long as she is young, healthy,
and nicely dressed, can never look ugly. There
are some who, though plain featured, have what
the French call IN beaute dc didble. These ara
the spry ones, who love a laugh. are not afraid
OF a man, and know so well how to make the
most of such advantages as they possess, that
they are acknowledged by all to be winsome.
Some of the pleasantest girls out belong to this
category, for they make it their endeavOr to
please, which is not, always the case with your
regular beauty, who is apt to grow conceited
from being too much cOurted. Beauties are often
silly; the girl with the devils beauty never is;
for indeed her attractivenesS comes from the
sparkle OF intelligence in her eyes, and from her
happy self-possesson. She Is pretty sure to be
a good dresser, dancer and talker. She viii
have the tact not to show of her accomplish
ments unless she Is quite certain to shine and
she will allow man to discover her perfections
one after another, rather than try to force them
upon his notice all of heap. There is a preju-
dice against clever girls confess to liking them
as much as | do clever men, though
sex does occasionally inspire one with a
desire to go OFF and hide somewhere. was
once travelling in one Of those tirst-class car
ments. i was alone in mine but there were
three Byoung ladies in the other. and as the
partition door was closed, they either did not
notice my presence. or else were so unconcerned
about 1t. that they began to discuss the ways OF
men as If were not there to hear. The things
they said, the merry way In which they said
them, the extraordinary vivaciouS intuition
which they evinced as to the weak points of
mans character, were all as amusing as they
were humiliating to listen to. l had to get out
fair critics were. l say 'fair" by courtesy, for
there were none of them pretty. They became
silent moment as If abaShed, but then Uttered
behind their NUTS, and only REDEEMED slightly
when l turned round, bowling, and remarked:
'Thank you for an agreeable journey and good
lesson, young ladies'" "Try and remember it,"
answered one with good humored sauciness. l
am sure she has found husband since, and l
trust for his sake, poor fellow, that he has con-
trived to behave himself.
Here were plain girls who were bound to get
on In life; but there are others less sharp and
mirthful, whose lot is singularly cherries. Take
the girl who is positively plain, without any
devils beauty" who Is not clever and who has
no money. Her father may be man with a
small professional income, just enough to get
on WITH and he may object to let his daughter
become governess, or shop assistant SO
long as he lives the girl has home. but she
knows that when he dies, leaving nothing, her
fate will be to face the world without having
any means OF earning her bread: OF course she
hopes to get married, and this chance of m ltri-
mony which Providence throws like lottery
ticket into the lap of every girl tends to keep
her in day dream of expectation so long as her
rage, and the plain, unaccomplished girl does
not easily find SuftOrS. Goodness knows what
frantic efforts she makes to bring her small tai
ents under the notice of curates, young. doctors,
bachelors with money. She lets it be known
that she can cook that she can sew, that she
loves parish visiting, Tor looking after farm
stock, as the case may be- that she adores chit
dren and that she thinks womanS function in
life is to be the slave OF her husband. and to
make him comfortable home. There are some
who, watching these antics, are amused by them;
to me they have always seemed infinitely pitt
full. A woman Schemng for husband uses
just about as much base artitice as man Striy-
ing after advancement in his profession, bat no
more. and the excuse Is greater in her
the stake she plays is immense, social custom
having made of marriage almost the only career
for women above the lower classes. There is no
reason why this should be so, considering the
number of situations there are which men now
monopolize, but which might be quite as suit
ably, If not better filled by women.
Why should girls who have not found huS-
bands be consigned, as they now are by the ty-
ranny of social usage, to debaSing dependency
upon their relatives, and be forced to lead lives
utterly useless and unprohtable? That gifted
and amiable woman, Mrs. Fawcett, some
months ago contributed paper to the Nine
teenth Century, in which She dealt with the
sensible manner. She supposed the case OF
family Of six daughters, three of whom mar
ried, while the Others remained single. What
are these three spinsters to do? ''They have"
says Mrs. Fawcett, mo real or sufficient occu-
patton. They spend their time making their
dresses, and endeavoring by shipping, altering,
and turning, always to be in the latest fashion,
and so make ESQ year or SO, which they have
for pocket money, go as far.as e35 or .e40. This
is surely an unhealthy and unnatural existence
for why should the labor of three strong active
young women produce such an Insignificant re-
suit? Further, these girls are apt to present
as time goes on. the unlovely spectacle OF mid
dle-aged spinsters aping the appearance and
manners Of girls of eighteen" This is true
enough; and Mrs Fawcett goes on to point out
how far more proper it would be If the three
sisters had tried to turn their talents to good
account, as men do, by graduating at Girton or
Newman, to prepare themselves for the nigh
branches Of teaching, or by studying at a m edi-
cal college to become physicians.
1t would not be fair to dismiss "ugly girls"
with the implication that they are all useless in
their generation, even when they do nothing to
earn the poor bread they eat. Some OF the kind
est, most lovable, and womanly souls have
ever known have been ugly spinSters, who have
been denied the happiness OF becoming wives
and mothers. The old aunt who is conidante
of youthful troubles and helps to smooth family
jars; the maiden sister, who acts as nurse when
there is sickness in the house; the middle aged
unmarried daughter, who keeps house for an in
valid father and mother, and SOOthes the de-
Ginning years OF the old people by her dutiful,
unself1sh attendance; all these are types of wo-
men who may be found in no small numbers
amongst ugly girls" Nor is the old maid who
deyOteS herself exclusively to her pet cat par
rot and dog an altogether unlovely picture
Ask the dog what he thinks about it. think it
would be bad day for him If he bartereI his
ugly mistresSes' kindness for the pleasure of be-
ing called Beauty's dog, at the cost OF bearing
Beauty'S capriceS.