The Arkansaw traveler., 1886-03-20
A Word in Behalf of Little Girls.
 Babyhood.l

iBabyhood.
 "Mamma, can't do this F'
 "Oh no, dear," in mortified accents.
 But, mamma, Tom does, and l want to. Why can't l, mammal"
 "Wny, my dear, Tom is a boy. Little boys can do lots of things that it isn't nice for little girls to do. you know"
 And this system, often begun in very infancy, is followed out till the girl grows up into womanhood, either accepting her trammels as matt er of course, or chaf ing vainly all the way along, envying her brothers, cherishing deep-seated grudge against old Dame Nature, and having the thought which one girl at least ex- pressed when she said 7: "I fAirly hate myself for having been born a grill" Girls in heather lands may well feel this, but when girls in enlightened Christian countries feel so something in their train ing IS awry
 Now. while it Is true that a large girl in many respects cannot do as large boy does, and usually has no desire to, 1t IS also equally true (xlth the exceptions admitted to all rules) that little girl can do almost exactly what little boy can and she usually wants to; and, further, f allowed to, she generally will do it. If mothers will guide instead of thwart this teudcucy, it will be vastly to the benefit of Iheir girls and not at all to the injury of their boys There would seem to be no good reason why the training and ed ucation of girls and of boys should not be essentially identical up to a certain age. Be not in too great hurry to inn pose upon your little girl the burden of ner sex She comes into the world lit- tie, happy, free human being, caring not whether she is boy or girl so long as her divine rights of food, love, and good time generally are not denied to her God gives her life :; do sot you, because she is girl. curtail her liberty or forbid her the pursuit of happiness in her own and Na ure's way2 Things that are nice for boy are fpice" for his sis ter while both are little children. Things that are proper" for healthy, active girl are usually just as "proper for healthy, active boy. It is a mistaken notion that certain roughnesses, certain disregard of the prophecies, a certain boisterous liberty, may be allowed to our boys because they are boys, when they are not permissible to our girls.
 Would we have our girls rough and boisterous, then2 By DO means. And just as little should we have our boys SO. But VIC would have cur boys strong, ath- letic, fond of exercise we would let them run and climb, and even shout, if the ex- tolerance of their spirits demanded it. all in the proper tune and place. We should not deny the same privileges to our girls, so far as their strength allows them to take them. Some forms of exer- else, to be sure, such as jumping rope, running up and down stairs, and the like, are to be deprecated for girls. Many mothers and physicians think them not desirable for boys. But if girl goes fishing with her brother if she can walk as unweariedy if she can climb a tree with as monkey-like facility; if she can drive nail straigh: without detriment to her fingers, and has a Yankee dexterity with a jack-kni'e; if in shooting she does not have to am behind her to nit some thing in front of her-then she is both useful and happy girl. She is laying up strength against the evil days to come, when so many women helplessly capita late to their nerves" She is keeping her brother in purer and more refining companionship than any afforded by the rough village boys.