Smyrna times., 1882-12-27
WHOLE NO. 1,433.
The Social Importance Of the
Young American.

Henry James, Jr., has written moth
ing since Daisy Miller" so interesting
from "The Point of View of Ameri
cans as his delightful sketch with the
latter title in the December Century.
1t is a successful attempt to depict
American life from the point of view of
several Americans who have lived in
Europe and an Englishman and
French Academician who are travelling
in America. Miss Sturdy, writing from
Newport to Mrs. Draper at Florence,
says:
My little nephews, when first came
home, had not gone back to school
and it distressed me to see that. though
they are charming children, they had
the vocal inflexions of little newsbovs.
My niece is sixteen years old she has
the sweetest nature possible; she is
extremely well-bred, and is dressed to
perfection. She chatters from morning
till night; but it isn't pleasant sound
These little persons are in the
opposite case from so many English
girls, who know how to speak, but
don't know how to talk. Ny niece
knows how to talk, but doesn't know
how to speak. 4 propos of the young
people, that is our other danger: the
young people are eating us up,-there
is nothing in America but the young
f people. The country is made for the
rising generation; life is arranged for
them; they are the destruction of
, society. People talk of them, consider
them, defer to them, bow down to
them. They are always present, and
whenever they are present there is an
end to everything else. They are
s often very pretty; and, physically they
! are wonderfully looked after; they are
4 secured and brushed, they wear
o hygienic clothes, they 90 every week
n to the dentists But the little boys
a kick your shins, and the little girls
# offer to slap your face There is an
# immense literature entirely addressed
to them, in which the kicking of shins
% and the slapping Of faces is much
4 recommended. As a women of fifty,
o protest. l insist on being judged by
!. my peers It's too late, however. fO
h. several millions of little feet are active
n ly engaged in stamping out converse
nj tion, and l don't see how they cal
&c long fail to keep it under. The futur
o. is theirs; maturity will evidently be a
he an increasing discount. Longfelloy
pn wrote charming little poem, callc
"The Children's Hour" but he Ough
of to have called it "The Children
nd Century" And by children, of cOurs,
rg l don't mean simple infants; l mea
10 everything of less than twenty. Th
ror social Importance of the young Amer
he can increases steadily up to that ag
,as and then it suddenly stops The youn
re- girls, of course, are more impOrtal
cb than the lads; but the lads are ver
nd important too. | am struck with IL
ice way they are known and talked abOu
sas they are little celebrities they hay
.le- regulations and pretensiOns; they al
or taken very seriously. As for the yOur
ers girls, as l said just now. there are tC
md many. You will say, perhaps, that
tie am jealous of them, with my fifty yea
,st- and my red face I don't think 5
Use because l don't suffer; my red fa
ba- doesn't frighten people away, and
ing always find plenty of takers. tt
an young girls themselves, believe, lii
,eir me very much; and as for me, d
rily light in the young girls. They a
Did often very pretty; not so pretty
en- people say in the magazines, but pret
leir enough.