Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1880-06-24
American Women.

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the women what they will, and the wo-
men in return impress upon their chill
dren what they have received from their
own fathers. Hence it 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 exertion. There is no qui-
etude among Americans, and wonder
fully little egotism in their social life.
1t is a never-ending series of sensations
and mental shocks, which keeps the
whole being in nervous quiver, and al
lows no time for any quality save that
of energy to develop itself symmetrical
ly. The American woman is as unquiet
in her thoughts and enslaved by her du-
ties, however light, as the man. Even
when she visits she has no air of repOSe,
Her conversation is not thoughtful, but
actful. She tells you what she does or
suffers, not what she thinks or feels.-
There is no reverie, about her, no sug-
gestion of that broOding spirit which in
dicates capacity for impassiOned affec-
tion,-a capacity which to bachelors is
always ideally seductive, however little
the married man may appreciate or re-
turn it. Yet, generally speaking, unde-
monstrative as the American girl may
be, she will wear her life out in working
for the man she loves. She forgets all
about being for him in that merciless en-
ergy which always drives her into doing
for him.
There is again, another reason why the
American girl seems cold to the superb
cial observer. 1t is because she is free.
She is educated to repress emotion, be-
cause her independent movements ex-
pose her to contact with men of all class
es, among whom there are many very
"vile persons" Her coldness of demea-
nor, therefore, is her armOr against i'm
pertinence or even worse things. She
passes, Diana-like, through crowds of
men every day, not one of whom for one
instant suspects her of being other than
she is, because her manner shows her at
once to be free-bOrn, spOtless Ameri-
can womanj They never dream that be-
cause no one is watching her she means
to go astray.
The defects of the American girl may
be done away with by giving less promi-
nence to the purely intellectual OIL pure
ly practical side of her education. For
while one class of men is arriving to
solve the problems of life by educating
women intellectually, there is another
class which is shouting for education in
domestic matters. While the professors
at Harvard are rejoicing over some girl
who can take in their PHILOSOPHERS or
their mathematics, the newspaper editor
sings the praises of her who can roast a
turkey, bake bread, or 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 pos
sibly the future mother of other beings.
Do not therefore allow yourself to be
driven by either school of apostles be-
yond what you may do easily, eomforta-
bly,, or pleasurably. The healthy balance
of your nervous system is faa more i'm
portant to you and your future family
relations than all the mathematics or
dress-making or even roasting of tur-
keys. Occupy yourself steadfastlY, but
without strain, without hurry, and with
out emulation. AS the apostles said
land it must have been meant expressly
for Americans). avoid emulation Find
out first what you can do best, and even
if it does not come up to somebody else's
standard, learn to content yourself with
that."-[J July Atlantic.