Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-02-15

WOMAN AND HOME.

R,,t If a girl enters the world of fashion she
must accept its laws and limitations They
are memorable, and she must accept them Il
she would succeed. American women ami
ably possess strong sense OF proprlety. Ihey
have truly HEALTHY love for virtue, an abb
sence of morbid suspicion of wrong, as Amerl-
can men have natural love Of law and order
and a propensity to obey the law. Let us
hone that it is the natural outcome of a young
republic and owing to the exceptionally re-
sDectful and chivalrous nature or American
men that an American woman IS safe any
where. Bret Harte and all the play wrights
have treated us to the spectacle OF the sight
of one Young schoolmistress who charmed a
whole colony of wild miners into submission
and clean linen
But we are ceasing to be the fresh and
primitive young republic We are becoming
one of the richest and most powerful and
luxurious people on the face OF the earth
We can afford to care little for the opinion
of foreigners But we do not wish to place
our young girls in false position IN their
eyes. We do not wish them to grow up OBJ
ivious of good manners.
The duties of chaperone are tiresome.
They call for great unselfishness. She must
accompany her young charge into society.
She must sit in the parlor when gentlemen
are calling She must, especially after the
young lady is engaged" go everywhere
with her.
A chaperone should be an intelligent
woman Society requires a certain amount
of handling, which only the social expert I'M
| derstands Some women have this tact, and
! a great many more have it not. 1t is sort
| of genius.
| No very young firtatious married woman,
| bent on amusing herself, should be selected
for a chaperone for young girls She is no
protection to the charge, and she lacks the
FIRST requisite ola care taker, sense of pro-
priety, and the second requisite, which is I'M
selishness. If any woman should have a
spotless record it should be the chaperone.
| Much of the loudness and fastness of a GER
tain set in American society is due to this
adoption of young chaperones. Il girl mar
| red yesterday is in no wise fitted for the
post. In Europe, if she were princess or a
grand duchess; she would still be chaperoned
herself 1t is amusing for al American to
see always noble ladies, royal ladies, dra-
gooled by all elderly, watchful Lady Sophia
! OF Charlotte something, who never leaves
them
Although we have thrown Off the slavery
of poInp and rank, although our young wo-
erty and propricty as any women in the
world, although they are vastly the most to
be envied of any pretty young thing in the
universe this question of chapcronage is one
which should be more considered than it is.
1t would go far to silence gossip, to promote
responsibility.
We cannot, perhaps, Immediately educate
the daughters Of people who have suddenly
stepped from the responsibilities of crude
prosperity into the etiquette OF the quiet
elegant, educated, thoughtful people who
have constituted for a century what we may
call our American blue blood The two
classes however, have always been living
side by side, and gradually they amalga1nate
It SENS impossible that any American
woman, with her quiet intelligence and bel
initiative faculty, can be so oblivious of the
proprieties which she shocks as are some Of
those who travel or stay at home, oblivious Of
chaperone, or careless of good manners. W.
can only refer as all explanation to this mis-
take to the lack of reverence, and to the i'm
itative idea that it is clever and indepen
dent to outrage the recognized etiquette o
the best society all the world over. W.
Americans are very sensitive to ridicule
Let us first see that we do not deserve it.
We may as well accuse ourselves of ou
national sins, and take the bitter pill at once
1t is foolish begging Of the question, to pre-
fer to appear badly, rather than be told tina
we do No harm will come to a girl iron
the companionship of nice and good chape
| rome Her mother, if possible, if not he
mother, then the next best thing.-M. E. W
Sherwood in New York Mail and Express.