The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-12-06
INTERESTING WOMEN.

1t seems hardly worth while to saw
that this would be a more interesting
country il there were more interesting
people in it. But The remark is worth
consideration in a land where things are
so much estimated by what thew
cost. IL is very expensive country,
especially 50 in the matter OF education
and one cannot but reflect whether the
result is in proportion to the outlay. IL
costs great many thousands of dollars
and over four years of time to produce a
really good base ball player, and the
time and money Inv esLed in the produc-
tlon OF society young woman are not
less. No complaint Is made of the cost
of these schools of the higher education;
the point is whether they produce inter.
esting people. OF course all women are
Interesting. II has got pretty well noised
about the world that American women
are, on the whole, more interesting than
any others. This statement is not made
boastfully, but simply as market quo
tatlon, as one might say. They are
sought for; they rule high. They have
a way they know how to be fascina
ting, to be agreeable; they unite free
dom OF manner with mOdesty of behav-
ior; they are apt to have beauty, and if
they have not, they know how TO make
others think they have. Probably the
Greek girls III their highest development
under Pheidias were never so attractive
as the American girls of this period: and
if we had Pheidias who could put their
charms in marble, all the antique gal
leries would close up and 90 out of bu,i-
ness.
But 1t must be understood that in re-
gard to them, as to the dictionaries. il ia
necessary to get the best" Not ali wo-
men are equally interesting, and some Of
those on whom most educational money
ls lavished are the least So 1t can be
said broadly that everybody is interest
Ing up to a certain point. There is no
human being from whom the inuulring
mind cannot learn something. it is so
with women. Some are interesting for
live minutes, some for ten, some for an
hour; some are not exhausted in who'e
day; and some land this shows the sip
nal leniency of Prov d4nce) are perenni
ally entertaining, even in the presence
OF masculine stupidity. OF course the
radical trouble OF this world is that there
are not more people who are interts lag
comrades, day in and day out, for a life
time. 1t IL greatly to the credit of
American women that so many of them
have this quality. and have devel)ped il,
unprotected, in free competition W t5
all conn res which have been pouring
in women without the least duty laid
upon their grace or beauty. We ave
tariff upon knOwledge-we try to shut
out all Of that by duty on books: we
have tariff on piety and intelligence in
duty on cergymen; we are to exclude
art by levy on it; but we have never
excluded the raw material of beauty. and
the result Is that we can successfully
compete in the markets of the world.
Ihls, however, is q depression. The
reader wants to know what this quality
OF being interesting has to do with girls
schools 1t is admitted that If one goes
into new place he estimates the agree
ableness OF 1t 1t according to the number
of people it contains with whom it ia
pleasure to converse, who have either
the ability to talk well or the intelli
gence TO listen appreciatingly even if
deceivingly, whose society has the be-
gUIling charm that makes even natural
scenery satisfactory. 1t is admitted also
that in our day the burden of this end
u i'' hiuhiil6 ~ 1ElttdUIt, is nIHlnlX
thrown upon women. Men make their
business an excuse for not heing enter.
talnlng, or the few who cultivate the
mind aside from the politicians who
always try to be wInning) scarcely think
1t worth while t. contribute anything to
make society bright and engaging. Now
If the girls schools and colleges. techni-
cal and other, merely add tn the number
of people who have practical training
and knowledge without personal charm
what becomes of social life: The Draw
er is impressed with the excellence of
the schools and alleges for women
imDrt ssed also With the c1-educPting in.
stitutions. There is no sight more in
spring than an assemblage of four or
five hundred young women al
tacklng literature, science, and
all the arts. The grace and
courage of the attack alone are worth
all it costs. All the arts and science and
lite ature are benefited, but one of the
chief purposes that should be IN view is
unattained if the young women are not
made more interesting both to them
selves and TO Others Ability to earn an
independent living may be conceded to
be important, health is indispens able,
and beauty OF face and form are desira-
BILE; knowledge is priceless, and un-
selfish amiability is above the price of
rubies; but how shall we set value, so
far as the pleasure of living is concern
ed, upon the power to be interesting
We hear good deal about the highly
educated young woman with reverence,
about the emancipated young woman
with fear and trembling, but what can
take the place of the interesting woman?
Anxiety is this moment agitating the
minds of tens of thousands of mothers
about the education of their daughters.
Suppose their education should be di-
rected to the purpose of making them
interesting women, what q fascinating
country this would be about the year
1898 !-Chdrles Dudley Warner. in Ed
itro'$ Dra'cer. in Hdrper'S Magazine for