Mexico weekly ledger., 1881-08-25
WOMEN IN EUROPE.
Seclusion of Young Girls I'm France
and Germany.-Ameri rican Ladies.

Seclusfon Of Young Girls in France
and Germany.-Americ rican Ladies.
Paris Letter.l
1t is the custom all over Europe to ex-
clade young girls from any association
with young men. In Germany this sep
aration Of the sexes begins in childhood.
Brothers and sisters have no sports or ex-
ercises in common. Boys consort wholly
with their fellows and girls with girls.
With every increasing year the distance
widens.
The French maiden knows as little of
the other half Of creation as her German
sister. She is never brought in contact
with q companion Of the other sex; has
no opportunity to learn anything of
them, of herself, or of the terms of as
sociation between them. She looks upon
young man as mysterious, wonderful,
fascinating and perilous being, who is
never to be represented to her mind in
any other character than that of lover or
husband.
This state of things continues in the
case Of the women sof both countries
until marriage engagement is formed.
Then the German woman goes into a
second retirement in her husbands
home, her knowledge of the male por.
ton of mankind extending now to the
one man who has married her. The
French woman on the contrary bursts
for the first time uoon the world. She is
invested with rights and dignities; finds
herself surrounded by men, is subjected
to fattering attention, feels the charm
Of such intercourse, becomes conscious of
her power-in short, she obtains the op-
portunity for her new study under singu-
lar conditions.
We all know that the contrasting pic
ture to this shows the young people of
our own land in constant communica-
tion, meeting one another in every
friendly relation, beginning with the
close companionship and united pleas
ures of brothers and sisters, and continu-
ing through the various phases of life
with their different spheres Of association.
Their characters react upon one perpetu-
ally through the most plastic period Of
their development.
The celebrated author of the recent
"Letters from America" published in
the Cologne Gazette, says that an Amer
ican girl is fairly competent judge of
young mans character. He asserts that
the aid of her seniors is no more neces-
sary to her here than it is required to
regulate the terms of her association with
her male companion or reinforce the GEN.
sorship of her own self-respect.
The letters furnish the most remark
ably testimony in regard to American in
stitutions that has been made public in
Germany for some time, and have ex-
cited much astOnishment and some pro-
test. The writer expounds what he calls,
/ think, the "unwritten law" of Ameri-
can society, in simple, lucid and ex-
tremely convincing manner. That is,
the sentiment which regulates the con-
duct of men toward women, and the
wide spreading influence of the latter. 1t
must be conceded that systems of educa-
ton and social conditions so dissimilar
must modify their subjects in different
directions. All this is, of course, within
limits.
1 do not desire to venture on any grave
discussion or touch upon the funda-
mental laws that govern human nature.
l wish only to show that the American
girl is, in some respects, q different
creature from her sister on the Cont
nent, and that there is mutual friend
illness, respect and confidence between
men and women, as class, in America,
and a mutual knowledge of each other
which produces deep-reaching effects.
In Europe we see another order of
things. 1t can not be questioned that
both in France and Germany women
hold high place. We know that even
in his barbarous state the Teuton
honored his women and was faithful
in his obligations to them, while the
Frenchman is Of course par excellence
the voluble and rhapsodic adorer of the
ladies. Yet all this is. very different from
the sentiment that prevails in America.
The women prepared for their subse-
quent association with men by this pro-
lOnged isolation from them, must natu-
rally exhibit its effects in that association.
Allowing for all the native instincts and
intuitions which often supply the place
of both knowledge and experience in
women, there must be some elements
wanting, some chances missed. 1t would
be considered a wild project to fit a
young man for the profession of the
law, or to qualify him to become a
merchant, ofinstance, by shutting him
up in cloister or excluding him wholly
from knowledge of the human beings
with whom he was to deal, and from
whom he was to obtain the guerdons of
human effort.
With all the difference there must be
some parity between the cases. Men, in
turn, react to the influence of women
throughout the wide range where that
influence is exerted. The mans advan-
tage over the woman is great, of course,
but he can not supply to himself con-
dition of development which does not
exist. Society has set the sexes in oppo-
sition to each other, especially during
youth; has inculcated in them recipro-
cal distrust; has denied them knowledge
and experience of each other. Mystery
and sense of peril have been added to
the natural attraction of mans society
for a woman. Artificial restraints have
been accumulated as the guardians of
their intercourse, and thus, think it
must be seen, imagination has been in
famed to the detriment of sober reason
and healthful feeling.