The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-02-21
A rEw WORDS TO THAT GIRL
lH. s. Keller, in Workers Gazet.e.l

HI. S. Keller, in Workers Gazette.l
 CHILD: address you as a child for the simple reason that you are as yet . child in some things. You are eighteen. You are a woman, handsome and fresh as the fragrant rose of the dewy morn. You know something. Many, many things you do not know. To drag in the old saw l may say what you don't know would make very large library, full of very interesting books. You have ar rived at that period of life when you think you know more than your mother can teach you. The fact of the case is, yo1r mother forgot more at your age than you will ever learn in yeur whole
 life unless you change. In the first
 place 1 don't want to be hard with you.
 don't write what is to follow because
 dislike you. No; it is only deep pity ard kindly regard for you and your kin that prompts me to take up arms against you. You are not de6cient in learning.
 You have graduated at Vassar. Vassar is great and appreciable institution. It
 has done much for the women of Amer ica; and its grand fruits are daily mani- tested in wise researches, noble works
 and bright-minded women. But Vas sar could net give you . heart. You
 think you have heart2 The trouble is, my dear girl, you think you have just the most impressionable hean in the
 world. If you'd forget that organ and
 use your brain more 1t would be better for your kin. A thing with a pair of ogling glasses and ten cent cane isn't the pride par excellence of mankind. That walking tailor's print. that peram- bulating quintessence of breeched and waist-coated vanity is about the poo est apology of man you can scare up. The time will come, my dear girl, when the city authorities will set aside a general fund each year to hunt from its gates such dismal specimens of inanity. If you could tie string to it and give it
 blanket with some such a soft name as Flossy worked upon it, it might perhaps be of some earthly protection. But, as it is, l fear the poor thing will never reach its proper level until it is made the subject of special legislation and bounded to the Pacific, like the poor Indian, who certainly, is of more benefit to mankind than the American dude. You give too much of your precious time to the atom, my dear. There is no harm in your using little powder. The natural greasiness of the skin is not agreeable; but when you paint you overstep the bounds of decency and pose as an object of-excuse me-disgust in the sight of mankind generally. Paint is good in its place. But the face of woman was never created for its basis. Please understand l am not speaking about stage ladies now. The ghastliness of The stage lights requires color to relieve the psl.or of the skin. Life is stage, but paint is only a necessary adjunct of the mimic stage. Again you a'e troubled with chronic weariness when your mothers old fashioned aunt comes down from the rural parts. You think she is very tire some and dull. Perhaps if you knew that her name attache to slip of pa- per saved your father from ruin, you would listen to the old lady's prosy themes concerning apples, winter squashes, packed pork and homespun yarn. Your fashionable friends lett quite muss of crumbs behind after your musicale last evening. You are too weary to arise and oversee the setting to rights. You are SO tired that you can- not see to the silver plate, and you are even now dressing and fussing yourself up for the roller rink tonight. You never walk down town. You say you prefer to rest yourself ip the carriage. The more rest you get at the exclusion of healthy exercise, the less you'll get in after years when you need it most. Yout say your stomach will not stand good corn beef and cabbage. No; I'll warrant you it will not after nights siege of ice-cream, cakes, caramels and-(q. t)-a dainty little cigarette for a night cap. You do allow that you indulge in the pretty little things? Dear girl, drop itl They are only dainty little coffin nails. Who was the maid of Orleans? You don't know. But you can tell what lady paid the most for Worth's costumes. Who was Han nah Moore? You don't know. But you do know the names of the characters in Zola's last novel. Is Dakota .tate or a territory2 You den't know. But you do know what is the prevailing fashion in poodle's blankets is. Was Aaron Burr a | native of America, England or Nova Zembla2 You don't know. But you do | know who was smiled upon by the prince | of Wales. Some of the foregoing items | do not interest you, you say. One of your days your pretty skits about fashion, | musicales, lowered satins, swells and | bellies will sink into utter insigni6cance | when healthy brained woman holds the | drawing-room occupants spellbound by l her knowledge of things, people and in- cidents of general interest to humanity Now you are just the proper age to un- learn much and learn over again. lfl you try you can do this successfully. if you continue to be as shallow as you now arc you will only be remembered for your vapidity.