The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-05-20
A Plain Talk About Girls.

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not q most admirable companion, or
neighbor. Nor is that one altogether
lovely, that has house-cleaning on the
brain, and whose soul is weighed down if
their is speck of dust on the furniture,
or a book or paper out of place. Such
women have only one idea, or frequently
no idea. They fall far short of the ideal
woman. Bnt it is not my purpose, at
this busy season of the year, to write
about these two classes. They,can go on
with their unnecessary rubbing and
scrubbing, and scolding and dusting, and
if husbands and brothers can stand it, or
dodge it, all right. There is another
class whose lot is to be pitied. They
have nothing to do, and if chance should
demand work at their hands, they could
not do it for want of training and expert
ence. Some women are born lazy, others
acquire it, while many have it thrust on
them. 1t is the latter class / shall speak
few words to this week. They are
found in town and country, in the homes
of the rich and the poor. They are
taught by fond and foolish parents that
they are little too good for ordinary
household work, and often the mother
self.reliant and conscious of her own
! power, distrusts the ability of her daugh-
ters. she considers them "good for moth.
ings" and does not permitthem to have
that training that develops the hand as
we'll as the mind. If girls with such
training become negligent and permit
dirt and disorder to rule in wardrobe, par
lor and kitchen, they may be said to have
laziness thrust upon them. 1t is we'll
said that boys from twelve to twenty
years old, who having nothing to do, are
the successful candidates for the Mayors
Courts, prisons and penitentiaries When
young man says he has nothing to do
for FIVE or six months in the year, he
admits that he is lazy and worthless, or
else vicious and degraded. In this world,
where life and action and eternal motion
prevail, man with nothing to do, and
who would do no work if it was offered
to him, is ready to walk in every evil
way. Not so, however, with the girls.
Home and society throw certain restraints
| around them which prevent them from
becoming very bad. But while they are
not exposed to the same dangers that
threaten their brother, they have no
primrose path" to tread. Without reg.
ular and methodical work, girls never
learn to be neat and attractive in person.
They may look we'll enough on dress
parade and show up all right at ball or
party; but if you could only get a peep
into their rooms at morning, noon or
night, you would 6nd dirt, disorder pre-
vailing. 1 know this is the case in some
rooms, for have I not seem them? Such
girls grow up devoid of strength and
character. In fact many of them are
without character; neither good nor bad,
ready to go along with the multitude in
this direction to-day; in another, to,
morrow They sleep late, because there
is no reason why they should get up;
they dawdle through the morning hours
in listless way. Now they are not
much to blame for this. Their training, or
rather want of it, has been such as to
produce this very result. There is a
| very common opinion prevailing, that
there is no field for our girls to labor in.
The avocations now open to women, de-
| mand very few. The multitude have to
look to home life for work, study, the
development of character and habits of
industry. Wise is the mother who can
make ample provision for the training of
her daughter so that she can prepare
good meal if necessary, or do shopping
in 9 business way, or clean the house
from cellar to garret. While all this
work is going on, let the mind keep pace
with the body. AS the arm becomes
strong and the fingers deft, let the girls
have books and papers. Let there be
school in each home, so that they may
| know something and be somebody. All
| education is not obtained in the school
room, however good the training there
maybe. The girl who studies we'll and is
considered fine pupil, will be educated
| only on one side, if she does not have
her school work supplemented by that
training and development which can only
be secured at home. They are compile.
ments of each other. On the other hand
the girl brought up at home and not per-
mitted to mingle in school and social
gathering with her neighbors, however
much she may know, is only half educat.
| ed. Then let mothers trust their daugh.
tiers and give them work suitable to their
years. Even if servant is hired for
certain duties, little methodical work,
| vigorously required, will help to develop
the independence and womanhood of our
girls. Teach them to do things. You
may expect blunders and many of them,
just as you made when young. Encour-
age them to habits Of industry and clean
illness and they will be more contented
with home life. Permit them TO have
hours for study and conversation on
subjects read, and arouse them to think
ing and having opinions of their own.
Then instead of lazy, un-tidy girls, we
will have systematic, industrious capable
women with we'll trained hands, hearts
and minds.-From the Spartanburg Spar
tan.
Shall we Let the Negro Go?
WASHINGTON, May 12.-Southern and
Western Congressman are constantly
receiving petitions from their constituents