The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1880-09-25
A PLAIN WORD OR TWO.

about the condition of that large class
of young girls, the daughters of small
farmers, tradesmen, mechanics, and
shoopkeepers in inland towns. They
have, as n rule, honest blood in their
veins. Their father is hard at work
now in the field or shop their mother
is drudging just as hard in the kitchen !;
they live scantily, and save every penny
to "give the children lift in the world. ="
To accomplish this, the boys are pushed
through the high school or some local
college, and then sent out West with a
profession ora trade the girls are given
two or three years at school. With that,
their preparation for life stops short.
In France, farmers daughter of this
rank becomes the head OF the dairy as
our farmers daughters did two genera
tions ago. She knows nothing about
decorating ginger jars or strumming
walizcS on the piano, but she turns out
of her skillful fingers delicate checscs
and butter, which command the highest
price in the Paris and London markets.
"American butter" says the last report,
"doeS not rank high, because it is hand
led by machinery the Breton is work
cd by manipulation" SO high do the
Breton dairics rank, simply in consc-
quence OF the personal supervision Of
them by the farmers wives and daugh-
tcrs-womcn with intelligence as well
As hands-that it is not uncommon for
dairyman to give his daughter dover
of from $4,000 to $4,000 much OF
the product of her own skill in detail
work and management. This great in
dustry in its higher branches is open TO
the class of which we write. In Ger
many girl Of this and of classes much
more elevated IS carefully taught domes-
tic duties, and expected also to practice
them. In the Scandinavian nations she
is taught work in her school; is brought,
to confirmation, and thcnceforward the
good pastor of the village with her pa
rents watches over the maid to keep her
modest and dcvout.
Now, what is 4 girl OF that class in
this country taught TO do? The affection
of her father contents itself in supplying
her with cheap fincry, which she bcfrills
and ties back after the latest Worth de-
sign; her mother, in nine cases out of
ten, stands between her and work of any
kind, drudgcs herself and turns the gIrl
loose to have 4 good time and, to catch
beau. The girl herself, though in
natcly virtuous, truthful, and disposed
to religion. by the time she has dawdled
81 Il har
ignorant brain with the literature of the
cheap story-papcrs, and carried on 4
dozen romping flirtations, is coarse.
blatant, and pert beyond the tolerance
OF decent people. She has just enough
schooling to enable her to look down
upon her own father and mother she
has no trade, no employment, no object
in life except to he married. IL she had
fortunately belonged to 4 lower rank in
life, she would have had to learn indus
trious habits by working for her living;
il she belonged to higher rank, she
would feel the necessity for self-cultiva-
ton, she would learn to Use both head
and hands in music, art. in the thouS-
and duties and accomplishments which
belong to refined woman. But our
poor girl is neither the useful ant nor
ornamental butterfly. She is her own
mistress. Shcg rs We have seen. alone
with young men TO circuses and camp
meetings. and nobody thinks any harm
OF il. Ruin. rs in the cases We have
noted. does not follow it. But the coar
sening and vulgarizing of this layer
of our social life is the inevitable
result We wish to be understood
| There are no more virtuous women than
the American this unlicensed freedom
granted to our young girls is 4 sign that
we all believe that. But the freedom is
being carried little too far. l.ctuS have
modes,y rs well rs virtue.
Every class OF women has its defect.
The defect is one that lies not in any
infcrioriiy OF morals or intellect, but
simply in that they have reached that
stage OF development when they are idle.
They are not elevated enough to work
with their heads they have learned TO
dcspisc household labor rs menial and
other offers to them in the country. II
compelled to earn their living, they
crowd at once into the cities. The best
private house would welcome an intclli-
gent, modest, expert American girl as
housekeeper, cook, or waitress, would
give a secluded home, high wages, a lux
urious table, and, most valuable Of all,
protection. But they invariably prefer
to enter mills, to run sewing machines
or take places rs unskilled shop girls on
wages that range from So to 81 pcrweek;
to lodge in garrets and live on starva-
ton fare. II is out Of the ranks of these
girls that the lowest depths Of infamy in
our cities are filled.
The cure for the defect seems to be
that fathers and mothers should take
better care of their daughters. Give 4
girl as we'll as boy work of their own,
and let il be done under their fathers
roof and their mothers eye. Give to
them an old-fashioned faith and skill in
downright work ; and, whether you be
farmer, tradesman. or laborer. surround
your little daughter from her cradle with
the protection, the honor, and the mod
estes due TO her or woman. You Will
not only have elevated her life but YOU
will have done more than you can mea-
sure to civilize and refine the class to
which she belongs.-N. y 7i1bHnr.
sy-Jones is proud Of his wife, and
with reason, for Mrs. ]. is pretty as well
as smart. She was lccturing on temper
ance reform, and got naturally worked
up rs she rehcarsed the many things