The Portland daily press., 1881-02-12
American Women.

The men eff the nation evidently make the
women what they will, and in return impress
upon their children what they have received
from their fathers. Hence it comes, says a
writer in the Atlantic Monthly, that the exis-
tence of the American woman has become al
most as purely objective as that of the man.
Her ideal of life from her cradle has been as
sociated with the maximum of exertion. There
is no quietude among Americans, and wonder
fully little egotism in their social life 1t is a
never-ending series of sensations and mental
shocks, which keeps the whole being in ner-
vous quiver, and allows no time for any quail
ty save that of energy to develop itself system
atically. The American woman is unquiet in
her thoughts, however light, as the man. Even
when she visits she has no air of repose. Her
conversation is not thoughtful, but actful.
She tells you what she does or suffers, not
what she thinks or feels. There is no reverie
about her, no suggestion of that brooding spirit
which indicates capacity for impassioneG af-
fections-a a capacity which, to bachelors is al
ways ideally seductive, however little the
married man may appreciate or return it. Yet
generally speaking, undemonstrative as the
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out in working for the man she loves. She
forgets all about being for him in that merci-
less energy which always drives her into doing
for him.
Ihere Is, again, another reason why the
American girl seems cold to the superficial OBJ
server. 1t is because she is free. She is edu-
Gated to repress emotion, because her indepen-
dent movements expose her to contact with
men of all classes, among whom there are
many vile persons" Her GOODNESS of de-
meanor, therefore, is her armor against imper-
tlnence, or even worse things. She passes,
Dlana-like, through crowds of men every day,
not one OF whom for an instant suspects her of
being other than she is, because her manner
shows her at once to be free-born spotless
American woman!
The defects of the American girl NAV be
done away with by giving less prominence to
tne purely intellectual or purely practical s ide
OF her education. For while one class of men
is striving to solve the problem of life by edu-
eating women Intellectually, there is another
class which is shouting for education in domes.
tic matters. While the professors at Harvard
are reJolGlng over some girl who can take in
their PHILOSOPHERS or their mathematics, the
newspaper editor sings the praises of her who
can roast turkey, bake bread or make her
own dresses. Neither gives the poor girl
chance to exist, but only to work with either
nand OF BRAIN No one says to her: "You
are not only yourself, but possibly the future
mother of other beings Do not, therefore al
low yourself to be driven by either school of
apostles beyond what you may do easily, com
fortably, pleasurably. The healthy balance Of
your nervous system is far more important to
you and your future family relations than ali
the mathematics or dress-making, or even
roasting OF turkeys Occupy yourself stead
lastly, but without strain, without hurry and
without emulation. As the apostle has said
(and 1T must have been meant expressly for
Americans) "avoid emulation Find ont
first what you can do best, and, even though it
does not come up to somebody else's stan dard ,
learn to content yourself with that