New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-08-08

chem Gpery. which she befrills and ties back
after the latest Worth design; her mother IN
nine cases out of ten. stands between her anu
work of any kind, drudges herself ana turns
fine girl loose to have good time and TO eaten
bean. The girl her elf though innatcly viz
tnous truthful and disposed to religion by
the time she has dawdled away three or tour
idle wears. filed her ignorant brain with the
literature OF the cheap story-paperS, anu CIR
ried on n dozen romping hrtltions, is coarse,
blatant and pert beyond the tolerance OF dcceh'
people. She has just enough schooling to en-
able her to look down upon her Old tathcr
and mother; she has no trade. no employ
mcnt, no object in life except to he married.
If she had fortunately belonged to lower rank
in life she would have had to learn industrious
habits by working for her living; IL she De
longed to a higher rank. she would feel the
necessity of sef-Cultvati0n, she Would learn
TO use both head and hands in music, ART III
the thousf nd duties and accomplishments Wh'ch
belong TO n refined woman. But our poor
girl is neither the useful ant nor ornamental
butterfly. She is her own mistress. she goes
rs we have seen. alone with young men to CIR
cuses and camp-meetings, and nobody thinks
any harm of it, Ruin as in the cases we have
noted. does not often follow it. But the
coarsening and vulgarizng of this layer OF our
social life is the inevitable result. We wish to
be understood. There are no more ylrtuous
women than the American; this unlicensed
freedom granted to our Young girls Is sign
that we all believe that. But the freedom
is beng carried little too far. Let us have
modesty as we'll as virtue.
Every class Of women has IFS defect. Inc
defect in this one lies not in any infc1onty 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
despise household labor as mcnial and none
other offers to them in the country. If com
PEELED to earn their living, they crowd at once
into the cities The best private houses would
welcome an intelligent, modest, expert Amerl-
! can Girl as hOusckecper, cook, or waitress
would give her secluded home, high wages, a
| luxurious table, and, most valuable of all, pro-
lection. But they invariably prefer to enter
mills. to run sewing machines, or to take
nloccs as unslilled shop girls on wages that
range from 50 to 81 per week; to lodge ii
earIcts and live on starvation fare. It Is out OF
the ranks of these girls that the lowest depths
of infamy in our cities are filed.
The cure for the defect seems to be that
fathers and mothers should take better care oil
their daughters. Give n girl rs well as boy
work Of their own. and let il be done under
/ their fathers roof and their mothers eve. Give
to them an old-fashoned faith and skill il
downright work and, whether you be farmer
nadesman, or laborer, surround your little
daughter from her cradle with the protection
the honor, and The modostios due to he.as q
woman. You will not only have elevated hol
life, but you will have done more than yor
can measure to ciyiize and refine the class t
which she belongs.