Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-08-06
American Women.

The men of the nation evidently
make the women what they will. and
the women in return impress upon their
children what they have received from
their own fathers. Henceit comes that
the existence of the American woman
has become almost as purely objective
as that of the man. Her ideal Of life
from her cradle has been associated
with the maximum of eyertion. There
is no 4nietude among Americans. and
wonderfully little egotism il their 80
cial life. 1t is u never ending series Of
sensations and mental shocks, which
keeps the whole being in nervous
culver, and allows no time tor any
quality save that of energy to devel p
itself symmetrically. The American
woman is as un4u;ct in her thoughts
aud enslaved by her duties, however
! light, rs the man. Even ~leu she WIS.,
its she has no air Of repose. Hr CON
versatinn is not thoughtful, but aciful.
She tells you what she does or suffers.
not what she thinks or feels. There II,
no revurie about her, no suggestion
of that brooding spiri; which indicat. =
capacity for impas,icued affection IA
capacity which, to Bachelors, Is always
ideally seductive, eowever little the
married man may appreciate or return
1t. Yet, generally spe .kin&, uudem,u
strative rs the American girl may b..
she will wear her life ont III working
for the man she loves. She forsets all
about being for him in that mcrciles-
energy which always drives her into
doing for him.
! There il, again, another reason
why the American girl seems cold tn
the superficial observer. 1t is because
she is tree. She is educated to repress
emotion, because her Independent III we.
ments expose her to contact with mel
of all classes, among whom there arc
many very "vlle persons" Her cold
ness of demeanor, therefore, Is her
armor against impertinence, or eve,
worse things. She passes, Dmua ike
through crowds Of men every day, not
one of whom for one instant suspects
her of being other than she -. because
her manner shows her at ouce To b'' ii
free born, sp ,tless american man!
The defects of the American girl niay
be done away with 10y giving less prom
inence to the purely intellectual Oh
purely practical sile of her education
For, while one class of men is stIlvil Z
" solve the problem Of life by educAl
ing women intellectually, thero Is an
other class which ID shouting Tor educa
ton in domestic matters. While the
professors at Harvard are rejoicing oven
some girl who can take in their phllus
Ophies or their matthew ti.s, tue news
paper editor sings the praises OF hen
who can roast turkey, bake bread, VI
make her own dresses. Neither gives
the poor girl any chance to exist, but
only to work, with either hand or brain
No one says to her: You are not only
yourself. but possibly the future moth
er of other beings. Do not, therefore
allow yourself to be driven by either
school of apostles beyond what you
may do easily, comfortably or pleasure
bly,. The healthy balance of your ner
vous system Is far more important IT,
you ard your future family relations
than all the mathematics or dreesmak
ing, or even roasting Of turkeys. Oc
cupy yourself steadfastly, but withou,
strain, without hurry and without en-
utatlon. As the apostle said land il
must have been .leant expressly for
Americans) "avoid emulation" Find
out first what you can do best, and even
ii 1t does not come up to somebody
else's standard, learn to content your
self with that.-AtlGnnc.