Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-10-15
THE AMERICAN GAL
Takes London by Storm and Lays Her
English Sisters in the Shade-She
Looks Better and
Dresses Better, Talks Better and Has q
Greater Variety Of Topics, and She
Is Not Afraid Of Men.

The remark, recently made by eotem-
porary, that Ito most Americana London il
only an Incident in their travels" does not
apply by any means Complementary to the
female portion of the Transatlantic family.
London Life, commenting upon this in re-
cent issue, remarks:
at is only within the last very few years
that we have come TO know this young lady
at all inlim ately. In former days We might
have had her pointed out to US al a theater
or a concert in London, Travelled in the train
with her from Boulegne TO Paris, sat next
her at Belgian table dhote, lent Der pencil
or a catalogue in a German picture gallery,
been formally introduced to her in the Pra-
ter at Vienna, raised our hat as she passed
us at ST. Peters in Rome, and beheld the
final futGer Of her draperies as they
whisked round the great pyramid. Only
this and nothing more. From her own
lips we heard vaguely that she was
having a good time; that Yarrap was
real nice; that she was going home to get
fixed, and that she hoped TO come over again
with her husband next fall. She was almost
always engaged, a circumstance which some
what detrseted from her interest in other
eyes than those of the young man in Wall
street, who was busily engaged in the manu-
fac;ure of a pile on which TO set up house.
keeping. We don't know whether the long
legged, lantern jawed, close-shaved iudivid-
uaI, whom che addresses 'Parr,' was a
planter, a mercbs ant, or the editor of q news.
paper. The fact of his having a perfect
right to the title OF general or COLONEL or
even 'ju ge,' didn't seem TO interfere with
his running any of these shows. We hadn't
any idea whether the 100000 or so, per an
mum, at the rate of which he appeared TO be
living, Represented interest or principal +;
whether this was only bust or he did the
same sort Of thing every year. We knew
nothing.
MATTERS are now on a different footing
The various phases and degrees OF New
York society are we'll understood in Lon
don by people of the world az are those of
society at home. Various Influences have
combined of late TO knead together the En-
glish and American upper crust, and Of
these Influences certain recent marriages
have, perhaps been the most potent. The
American girl has become a recognized fea-
ture of the London season; without her
presence there would be a sense Of something
wanting. That che is very agreeable ad-
junct there is, now that she has worn down
prejudice, there is no question; quite iude-
pendently OF the fact that she most likely
has money, and very probably great deal
of it. There is a newness, freshness about
her, carefully buttoned up under a manner
of the most perfect ease aud self-possessiop,
that is very delightful. With all her would
be sduoir Vire; with all her undoubted
knowledge OF men snd manners and things
she is so emphaiically a girl. That's the
secret of her chsrm.- The Americans are
all for getting an early grasp for life, and
they lay themselves out for their girls in
the matter both of amusement of occupa-
ton. The young girl wrote NJ. d'Haus-
sonville, 10 a recent article, is an institution
In America like the FIRE engine, but ia even
more interesting.' No attempt is made to
suppress her. She learns early to run alone
without the prop of chaperon or a cava-
lier. Her independence begins at board
taineo 10 what are prematurely considered
years of discretion, she is allowed the choice
of her own studies and professors. Launched
upon the world, her life is strange tumble
OF theatere, classes, operas, lectures, church |
festivals aud fancy fairs. To use fox |
hunting metaphor, she takes her own line |
and accepts lead from no one. Very often |
she stops for weeks together at the houses of |
people who are unknown to any member of |
her family. She chooses her own set and |
keeps to it, enlarging or contracting her |
circle OF acquaintance according to her fancy. |
In the fuilness OF time a young man they |
may possibly never have seen before is |
brought up to her parents or guardians, who |
are not the least surprised to hear that she |
has been popped at and that she and |
Charlie have NJ sde up their minds. Or she |
marriage-wIth the tolerable certainly of |
nobody running after her.
"One can scarcely conceive anything more
opposite than this open course of conduct to
the riDg-ience of propriety and restraint in
which an English girl of the same rank and
age would set. But the result of il is to pro-
luce neither hirt nor hoyden nor-that
evil--a manly woman. Secure in
the hawless armor of her innate purity, the
American girl touches pitch and is net de-
lied. Her large-eyed gaze comprehends all
Inabsshed. She fears nothing and shrinks
rom nothing In much that an English [
girl would describe as modesty, she detects |
4 like of sincerity and fankness; much that
an English matron would commend as deli
'acy and lady-like feeling, she spurns as a
want Of proper spirit and independence. 1t
g difficult to hit on any other subject OF
among those that are
reserved for the club or smoking
'oom-which, SO far from discountenancing,
he is not able 10 approach Independently by
he light OF her own reading or experience.
nd about all that she says or does there is
! largeness, buoyancy, freedom from re-
traint, that freshens and exhilerates like a
Freeze from the sea