Connecticut western news., 1880-08-27
A CHAPTER ON GIRLS.
"A Plain Word or Two that may Re
 suit in some Good.

Plain Word or Two that may Re | suit in some Good.
 Some recent events in our villages says the New York Tribune, make timely few plain words about the condition o1
 that large class of young girls. the
 daughters of small farmers. tradesmen.
 mechanics, and shopkeepers in inland
 towns. They have, as a rule. honest
 blood Tn their veins Their father is
 hard at work now in field or shop their
 mother is drudging just as hard in the
 kitchen they live scantily. and save
 every penny to 'sgive the children a 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 profession or trade; the
 glrls 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
 tons ago). She knows nothing about
 decorating ginger jars or strumming
 Waltzes on the piano, but she turns out
 ot her skillful fingers delicate cheeses
 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
 handled by machinery the Breton is
 worked by manipulation. So high do
 the Breton dairies rank, simply in con-
 sequence of the personal supervision of
 them by the farmers wives and daugh- ters-women with intelligence as we'll as
 hands-that 1t is not uncommon for a dairyman to give his daughter dover of from $15, 900 to $2O, 900; much of it 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 8 girl of this class and of classes much more elevated is carefully taught domestic duties, and expected also to practice them. In the Scandinavian na- tlons she is taught work in her school: IS brought to confirmation, and thence forward the good pastor of the village with her parents watches over the maid to keep her modest and devout.
 Now, what is Q girl of that class in this country taught to do? The affection of her father contents itself in supplying her with cheap 6nery, which she befrills 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, drudges herself and turns the girl loose to have good time and to catch g bean. The girl herself, though in- nately virtlfous, truthful, and disposed to religion, by the time she has dawdled away three or four idle years, filled her 1 k1< cheap story papers, and carried on a dozen romping firtations, is coarse. bla- tant, and pert beyond the tolerance of decent people. She has just enough schooling to enable her to look down upon her old father and mother; she | has no trade, no employment, no object | in life except to be married. If she had fortunately belonged to lower rank in life, she would have had to learn indus trious habits by working for her living: if she belonged to higher rank, she would feel the necessity of self-cultiva- | hon, she would learn to use both head | and hands in music, art, in the thousand | duties and accomplishments which be- long to refined woman. But our poor | girl IS neither the useful ant or the or butterfly. She is her own mistress. She goes, as we have seen. alone with young men to circuses and | camp-meetings, and nobody thinks any harm of it. Ruin, as in the cases we nave noted, does not often follow it. But the coarsening and vulgarizing of | this layer of our social life is the inevi- able result. We wish to be understood. There are no more virtuous women than the American; this unlicensed freedom sran ted to our young girls is sign that we all believe that But the freedom is being carried little too far. Let us have modesty as we'll as virtue.
 Every class of women has its defect. The defect in this one lies not in any in- .erlorlty of morals or intellect, but simply in that they have reached that stage of development when they are dle. They are not elevated enough to work with their heads they have learned o despise household labor as menial: md none other offers to them in the country. If compelled to earn their iv- ng, they crowd at once into the cities. The best private houses would welcome ln intelligent, modest, expert American girl as housekeeper, cook, or waitress. would give her secluded home, high v FeoSOo, c1 AuAu4Aouo bdD10, stuu, uOSG val table of all, protection. But they in- 'ariably prefer to enter mills, to run ewing machines, or to take places as shop girls on wages that ange from $2 to $4 per week ; to lodge n garrets and live on starvation fare. t IS out of the ranks of these girls that he lowest depths of infamy in our cities re filled.
 The cure for the defect seems to be hat fathers and mothers should take 'etter care of their daughters. Give ;irl as well as boy work of their own, nd let it be done under their fathers oof and their mothers eye. Give to hem an old-fashioned faith and skill n downright work; and, whether you 'e farmer, tradesman, or laborer, sur ound your little daughter from her radle with the protection, the honor md the modesties due to her as wo- nan. You will not only have elevated Ter life. but you will have done more