The Arkansaw traveler., 1886-01-23
A Model American Girl.
Orrespondence Rural New Yorker.l

(Corcspondcnce Rural New YoTker.]
 The American girl that is being immor- talized in serial and novelette, for future generations to admire or censure does not represent the model of the majority Fifty years hence the girl of the present period will live in the pages of literature as witty, vivacious, dressy, self-pos- sessed, exnavagant being, whom the lower to the descriptive terms of pert, saucy, vain, rude and wasteful. Children will look with distrust upon their grand mothers and great aunts as the girls who once snubbed younger brothers and sis- ters, and condemned their mothers as being behind the times, while they took the lead in household customs and soci- ety affairs. Oar English cousins now look upon our good girls as fair bar. barians," bold, over-dressed, presump- tuous creatures, yet marvelously sweet and attractive. Such individual descrip- tions do injustice to the average, for throughout our rural districts and country towns hundreds of girls may be pointed out who are modest and intelligent, iudns- .rious and economical Many of them are self supporting, and put more energy in weeks work than some of their crit ics use in whole year.
 Let me give you pen picture of one of my acquaintances She is we'll edu- cated, sweet tempered girl of nineteen years is very domestic. aud lifts quite a burden from her mothers shoulders by her assistance in housework and enter taining company. She teaches eight months of the year in the public school of their little village, and, having learned dressmaking, employs the vacation in doing the family sewing She is bright example of sisterly devotion and filial af- lection. In all matters of society she shows a daugaterly difference to her mothers opinions. She teaches in the Sabbath school, and is an enthusiastic member of a society for literary culture She can not play, but considers it no dis grace; and her course of general reading and her natural conversational powers quite oversh adow the lack Of this accom- plishment.
 This brief sketch is not overdrawn in any particular. and might give scores of similar examples of self-sacr6cing girls, who, by teaching, clerkins, book-keep. ing, dress.making, telegraphy and like employments, are earning enough to take them through college, pay of mort gages on father farm, or support wid. owed mother and yet, if these girls were suddenly to acquire wealth, their charac- ters would still retain the sweet pearl of and the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit.
 There is great deal of unjust raillery in regard to the idleness of the girls of the present day. Their grandmothers and great-grandmothers are pictured as patterns of industry, and of course they did excel our young ladies in the execu- ton of hard, physical labor. But in com pairing this with the vast amount of social demands and mental discipline which our bright, ambitious girls are expected to meet, we find that their vim and spirit is equal to that Of their ancestors, though in different direction t; and when we contemplate the overwhelming burden of advice that is poured upon them through the channel of books and and magazines, it seems that they ought to be models of physical strength and beauty, perfectly familiar with rules of society etiquette, and we'll acquainted | with all modern femiaine accomplish ments. We are glad that they are willing to accept all the counsel they can profit ably use, and that they are keeping step with the march of progress and improve ment. God bless our brave, self-reiiant, girls.