St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-03-28
GIRLS OF THE PERIOD.
The Woman of the Period" Unburdens
Her Mind as to the New Crop Of
Girls.
In the Bath, Swinging Indian CLUBS,
the Morning Walk and other
AmiSementS.
Launched ON Society--StoIen Delights
OF u Sensational Novel--DimpIed
Darling ut Seventeen.

Itlll6ilDtI hudb L ii'NNS SSVii III liiS isNoS
twenty years l feel as old as the moon.
''Stvles in women have changed" she
kept ON, setting herself more comfortably
in her chair Il mean the article Itself
woman-has changed. Look at me. Look
at this room. Look at my habits. Then
consider my mother at my age. She, too,
was widow, and l am in the same pre-
dlcament."
She tried to affect a conventional regret,
but l knew perfectly well that, although
she was not soulless woman, she certainly
enjoyed being widow.
II have large, comfortable home. l
give parties, not OStensibly for my daugh-
teri, because she is not yet quite Il. l say
to the world: Il am III my prime and L
mean to enjoy it, and the world very pO-
litely agrees with me. My mother at my
age wore a mob cap tied under her chin.
She was considered too old for society, and
really was, according to the prevailing tone
of society then. However, L cannot be
surprised at that In my own case have
seen as great a revolution came about.
when | was young lady the Empress
Eugene ruled
THE FEMALE WORLD.
We wore immensely large hoops that meas
ured four yards in circumference. Our
bodiceS had no tit in them and our sleeves
hung in bags. We read Lucille and Maud
and were very romantic. We squeezed our
waists thought it elegant not to eat any
wholesome food, and were considered fast
if we danced the polka"
"All this must have been very sad,'' re-
marked. I'm glad l didn't flourish in
bad old days"
''Old days, did you call them9" sharply
said the woman of the period. They
were since YOU were born. Only twenty
years ago. But l must tell you how the
young women of the present day impress
ME. For enlightened SelfishneSS they are
simply matchleSs. You see. have con-
formed to the new order of things and like
it very much in comparison with the old
ORDER but not having grown up with it
can observe it critically. This is the way
my daughter and her young companions
pass their lives. They rise early, take a
plunge bath that makes my teeth
chatter to think about. They scrub
their faces vigorously with rough towel,
whereas i'll my day soft linen cloth was
first allowed to gently absorb the moisture.
Then they slip on a loose wrapper and
swing their arms about wildly. Some of
them have Indian clubs and dumb-bells,
and one or two have health lifts. When
their toilet is completed, which does not
take half as long as ones used to do, they
march-yes, that is the word; girls no
longer walk. they march-prance, if you
will-down to breakfast. In my day we
trified with roll and
DEVOURED CAKES
and Sugarplums on the sly. Now my
daughter eats a breakfast that would do
credit to a plowman. She is very knowing
about the quality of her food. and it is all
wholesome and nutritious. She is feroc-
ious milk-drinker and a Trojan where soft
boiled eggs are concerned. After breakfast
she takes brisk walk of two miles in stout
shoes. / couldn't have done that to save
my life. AS she is not yet out
out of the hands of her masters-al-
though nowadays 1 don't know of any
woman of any age who is; l myself am the
slave and bOndwOman of a professor of the
German language-she returns to her les
sons. Music is her Specialty-a girl has to
have some speciality nowadays, or else she
is considered no better than the beasts that
perish. Three hours every day she spends
at the upright piano in her own room-three
hours devoted to classical music. Chopin,
who in my time was considered the acme of
claSsicality for amateurs, now hovers on the
verge of popularity. AS for these flowery
arrangements from the operas which | once
played to delighted drawing-rOoms. she
smiles at their mention. Once caught her
playing the piano score of The Black Hus-
sar:' She looked positively guilty, and
blushed. This pleased me, for l found out
for the first time that she could blush. /
don't know Of any other girl who possesses
the accomplishment. Wagnerian. OF
course. When l rave over Faust she
sagely remarks that it is the only romantic
opera that she cares for, and doesn't think
the state of music in this country during the
heyday of Miss Clara Louise Kellogg war
rants the belief that she was really great
Marguerite.
SHE PAINTS A LITTLE,
embrOlderS some, but books and music
are her present objects in life. When
spoke of going to gay watering
place last summer, the only privilege
she asked was that of taking
dumb piano-just the keyboard and the
action-with her. This. found. was the
common practice with her set You must
not imagine her very grave. On the con-
trary she is merry and laughs rather louder
than l was permitted to do at her age. But
i need not tell you that the word 'permis-
SION is used only in figurative sense with
these daughters of to-day. 1t is good form
to be very deferential and respectful to
mamma for our girls have not read Daisy
Miller without learning something. But it
is only very bright mamma that can keep
up with the daughter in the path in which
the latter started earlier and pursues with
the greater ardOr of youth.
MY daughter rigidly abstains from GER
tain pleasures which seized on with avidity
at her age. l am fond of the opera and
theater, and by no means averse to the
worlds knowing 1 have a daughter that
will be launched on society in a year or
two, so would be glad to take her with me.
But this wise child only goes occasionally.
and to see very improving plays or very
classically classic music. It's not the thing
for young girls to go out until they are
brought out-and the seventeen-year-olds.
with the quicknesS Of the average Ameri-
can girl, have caught the spirit of this con-
ventual Seclusion very aptly.
1.-The fact is, l am continually amazed at
the surprising practically of
THESE YOUNG THINGS.
They are so abnOrmally correct, The rage
for improving themselves seems to possess
them. L hear this word improving from
one years end to the other. They read
improving books with perseverance and
gusto reserved in my day for Guy Living
stone and East Lynne, hear that the sale
OF SENSATIONAL novels Is increasing tremen-
dously. but they certainly don't find their
readers among the girls of the weather.
classes. Those girls read Ruskin and Car
Isle, and George Eliot is their favOrite nov
elist-indeed, may say their only novelist,
except such improving works as George
Ebers or some other specialist l think
the influence of George Eliot upon these
young creatures can hardly be overesti-
mated. DOrothea is the heroine of three
fourths of them. and stern determination
to avoid the frivolt.es of yellow-haired Ro-