The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-07-26
Some English Girls.

"A COIT6SDOQu6nb Oh LQ6 f1It6 01Qkt GQ-
sette writes about his daughters:
"With their mother there died out of
the family all cut-and-dried notions of
what girls might do and what they
might not. 'You can't go by yourself
you would be the only woman there
'What will people say P'-sYour brothers
would not like it. Such words never
perplexed smyss1uncrushedz ~ offspring.
Where was not ashamed to go myself,
l was not ashamed of seeing them go.
Neither were they fettered by the idea
that two of them could go together
where neither of them could go alone
Aiming at health and economy, and
away from the boredom and cramping
effects of conventional proprieties, I
buried my children, as long as they were
children, in country solitude. There
boys and girls were educated together
till their school and college days, and
thence, equally Independent and equal
ly endowed, with my blessing and coun-
sci, but without any sort, of interfer-
ence from me, they have gone out into
the world. i,
"Diana is literary, but not, I fancy,
brilliant. Her critiques upon sporting
publications and papers upon natural
history saw described lately as from
the pen Of q man who rarely sat at a
desk, and in whose hands the bride and
fishing-rod were more familiar than the
pen.' She keeps livery stable in a
cathedral town, and Is hand-and- glove
with the dean and chapter. She horses
the bishops carriage, and dimes at his
table, which she often supplies with
trout and eels, and OF her own catching;
and she sometimes serves up dishes of
strange ethics, which go down less well
in the cathedral close. She would
rather suspect have married q minor
canon had he not unwisely consulted
her about allowing his sister to 60 out
as q missionary. -
"Perenna Is earnest, and i candidly
confess do not altogether understand
when staying with my sister-in-law, for
always doing what is most disagreeable
to herself and, though she does it with
alacrity and well simulated interest, it
makes me uncomfortable. She spends
her time in nursing; but exhibits the
family independence, that neither the
literature of self-sacrifce nor her poke
bonnet can extinguish, by riding daily
from her country cottage to her town
hospital on q tricycle.. 1t is said that
she races with the medical students in
the suburbs.
e Angelina Is in partnership with her
brother Edwin on q farm in Texas. She
writes 10 me by last mail: sNow that we
have house and q fair prospect of an
Increasing income, Edwin talks of uar-
rying. To equalize our stake shall al
most be driven to a similar step. Any
way, am going home for your birth
day.. / want q run with the beagles
and q rat-hunt with Carl, if he has any
teeth or nose left in bis old head, and /
want TO see for myself II the conven-
tional humbug of English life Is all that
Ella declares It is
celia, by choice, lives at home, and,
OF her own accord, never goes further
than her legs, or those of her black pony,
can carry her. Her aunt speaks of her
shocking clothes, her unfortunate tastes,
her passion for low society, and her ex-
traordinary friends The fact is, as
long rs she is comfortable, she does not
care what she puts on, nor while she Is
useful what she does; so long as she is
amused she cares not whom she Is with,
and the moment people confide in her
their joys and sorrows become more to
her than her own. She is more of
mechanic and less of a sportsman than
her sisters, for she likes to see animals
at peace and not fustered. To this end
/ have known her sleep in the stable;
stand motionless, like a heron, in a
swamp, watching the wild birds, and
prowl about out of doors at all hours of
the night. She hangs the gates, mends
the wheelbarrows, and sets the MOLE
traps; and, though by no means "a jolly
girl, the children who come into con-
tact with her have the firm belief that,
under all circumstances, their friend Ella
is always jovial.'
"Pardon. sir, q fathers pride in such
girls-my sister-in-law would say in my
self and the unfeminine monsters who
have turned upon the wisdom of their
mothers. Let me cease to adorn q tale,
and proceed briefly to point a moral.
Let girls have real freedom and fair
play, and the 'epicene creature will die
Q natural death. There will be no wish
to ape the man when women are free to
live natural and rational lives. There
viii be no attemptto 'attract men by an
ugly masquerade when women need
not starve hthey do not marry. Liber-
ty, equality, and consequent serenity,
should take the place of conventional
bondage, subsection, and compulsory
mstrimony, IL women are not to continue
to be in our hours OF ease uncertain,
coy, and hard TO please.'n aats-la
-'-o sl- llI Do, 30