New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-14
THE FRENCH GILL.
From The London Telecraph.

From The LOndon Telegraph
That the segregation of unmarried girls from gen.
eral society in France has been cOncurrenily at
tended by very imperfect educational training IS
undenIable We're u not that the French are a
naturally witty, shrewd. and sellpossessed people,
French girl OF the upper middle classes IaIght
appear to an English or American young lady TO be
q amentaby ignorant specimen of "femIninity."
She may have picked up few scraps of English in
her penSonnat," but she is never taught even the
rudiments of Latin; she would think II unpainotic
to speak German Ter knowledge of the history and
literature OF her own country Is limited and that Of
the history and literature of other countries usually
mil" little linear drawing constitutes the sum
OF her acquaintance with mathematics. and she may
be deemed fortunate II she has managed To gather
slight smattering Of physical science, and that
not of a very accurate kind, from the writings of NJ
Jules Nerue. Nor are these educational deficiencies
schooling as ordinary "PeDsiOnnat de Demoi-
sees" could mpart to her, or she may have been
brought up IN a convent; but what LORI John Man
ners would call the kind pressure OF the social
chain" IN the well-meaut but undertaking des-
potIsm Of La Faml q" has not ceased to gall her
throughout the whole of her schoOl-daYs When
ever she has tried read the grim pages of an In-
dex kxpurgatorious" have met her view. II she
has been educated in q convent, the good
nuns have probably taught her that three-fonrths
of the things which she Will enjoy with such
eager Zcst when she rs married and free are es-
seniially wicked, and IT IS not at all improbable
that if she has been brought up In nunnery in the
provinces her clerical instructors have instilled
INTO her such ideas on politics as TO make her re-
gard the existing Government of her country with
knows much more about hardbake and almond rock
than she does about Conservatism or Liberalism:
and from the age of sixteen TO twenty she is too
much occu pied with matters of dress and amuse-
ment and affairs Of the heart TO trouble herself
about which political party is in office or whioh Is
in opposition. If she has politics at all they are
- papas :" unhappy. AS French society is at pres
ent constituted, the politics OF French young lady
are in most directly the OF those of her
papa They are mammals; aud mammals politics
are those OF NJ. lie Cure"
The only wonder is that. educationally hampered
and restricted at every turn. necessarily watched
by the Argus eyes Of parents and priests the young
French OMAN when she has passed through the
stages of q schoolgirl and demoi-
selle marierr should bear herself with the conf
dent aplomb,o and hold her own In the brilliantly
self assured manner. customary with her after
marriage. The formalities at the Marie and the
ceremonial of the nuptial benedicion at the church
see instantaneously to have transformed her into
another parsonage and she takes her place. be it in
society or behind the compton," of her husbands
shop or cafe with perfectly easy sef-reliant and
satisfied air. Yesterday she was All timldity and
To-day she would confront n. Il Pre-
fet without hesitation. and is loQuscous even to
gurrulity. She is free; and that may have some
thing TO do with tho rapdity and the completeness
Of the metamorphosiA