Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-03-04
THE FUTURE WOMAN.
MARIou HARLAsD SAYS TIE COMING
WonAN wILLBEA FINE CREATURE.
She Will Believe in Walhng.Matehs,, and
bs an Entbusiastic Atblsto-A
Graphic Forfeiture.
For tho pi,patcn-copyrightod, 1881

and hlcndine OF types we must use both
pen and pencil Even then so GRADUAL
has been her development that the first
step in the process must bc to give her
BACKGROUND against which distinctive
outlines will stand Out sharply.
Statis,iclans tell us thnt VIZ have cain
cd upon the generation Immediately
preceding ours Ivy FIVE years in The ave-
rage duration al human life. When we
comrara tho matrOns and maidcns OF To-
day with what We know OF their grand
mothers NJ the same ace, We aIe sur
urisad that the improvement mon the
record is set down at so low figure.
If 1lichelet's dogma. SIC ,rmmo est
uilc matinee" were ever Acknowledged
~ truth, IL was before OGr Girls time.
Neither we nor they may live to see the
fnltilment of Horace Greclev's prophecy
OF the day when people will be rs much
ashamed OF Illness rs Of Drunkenness,
but We bless tho stcaiiaet advance Of
sound sense that has delivered us from
the pitifui weakness of being vain OF
bodily lnhrmitv. Our forcmothcrs.
in sober litemlucss, "enioycd poor
health Pailor, slimncss. even fainting-
fits. we're reckonel among the recon-
mcndatIons Of gcntlcwomen TO the CHI
VARY Of men. The fair one OF the
"Cnildren of the Abbey day was al
cling ami droop and bedewment. Her
slnnov grandson wonld conlense the
cpthets iniooue-" slump" Red. round
cheeks were blanched bg external appli-
cations OF prepared chalk, end internal
of vinegar ; pllmUness was physicked
and dietcd into lines OF fraFile grace
and the owner OF peryerse robustness
blushcd NJ her own vule5rity.
Our Grandmother took general framlity
as SIR Leicester Dedlock. CONT. 1t was
"among her digpities" Her great
granddaughter viii consider II pie.
bcian. If one doubts the physical inn
proyemcnt of the sex which promises
this total reversal OF notions and ideals,
/ LETT him contrast the women he meets to.
day on the street and at homo with their
predecessors OF thirty years back. All
the gam Ia not IN sdipose tissue nnd
coloring. There is spring IN the tread,
ercctucss Of clrriaGe. general mir Of
conscious vitality, which Di Vernon may
hive had. but which the conventional
"ladv" OF her time would have crowned
upon ne hovdenish.
The Coming Woman-if her mother
/ NOW Our GiID do not vitiate her forces
by late hours end immoacrate indui-
peuce in the darco-will be physically
a fine creature. Cah,thonics will have
something to 10 with her development
a. promised by this generation. Out
door lie will have more. Tennis, boat
inc, and riiinG-clubs arc wholesome
manifestations OF popular sentiment So
far from sparing her complexion 10y
wearing a veil when she goes out, and
| sleeping in linen mask. our grand
daughter will court the kisses OF the
salt and mountain breezes. Our grand
mothers "took the air" a. they did
mineral wat rs Our Girl lives in it, and
bv it. II is the illiterate country GIRL
now who wears her sun-bonnet al the
summer day, and ieaously encasos her
| hands in gloves when she goes to drive :;
who never walks unless upon compul-
sion. The Coming Woman will believe
| i'm walking-matches and encourage ath-
iet;c games by intelligent enthusiasm.
She will drive, ride. and row well en-
iov camping ont in the woods and a
morning dip in lake or surf. At the
| height Of intellectual culture she will
/ live lovingly near to nature, grow and
blossom and ripon thereby.
The reasons for the palpable amend
ment in the bodily estate OF Our Girl,
and which form the base OF our saneuine
authorizations OF her future, are not many,
but patent.
For one thing, she is cleaner than
we're her ioremothers.
It does not look nice when written, but
the nakedness is Truths. The former
DAYS we're dirtier than these. Doctors,
nurses, and mothers were afraid Of fresh
Dir and water. Bedroom windows were
listed and calked and nailed down in De-
cember, aud not raised until April. Ra-
bies were dabbcd sll over daily with a
wet cloth unless the weather was very
cold: their seniors took a plunge or
sponqe-bath twice or thrice each sea-
son. Dainty and delica.el y-neat as was
tue ciOthing of our ancient gentle
woman. faultles9 as was the order of her
house. she neglected the weightier mat
ters of the law of personal addition and
war against peStilencc-germs. lnsensible
persniration, bacteria, the indissoluble
marriage of dust and 6isease-what knew
she OF these mysteries of physical in
iduity? Every inch Of her PraDddaugh-
ter's skin will he cleansed. and each arti-
Gle OF body AMI bed linen thoroughly
aired each day; she will sleep with her
window open. and no sewer-pipes will
communicate directly with her bed-cham-
Der.
Another secret Of Our Girls superb
oritv to her grandmother is IN It she Is
not ashamed TO be hungry aud to eat
heartily. Those stately Cranddames OF
onrs studied how to keep thin the walls
encasing their pure souls. A nibhle at a
biscuit, sip Of coffee. r peck at the
pinion Of a partridge at breakfast snf-
feed TO keep the trembling beautiful
thing in the cage until a repetition OF
the performance. with variition OF
viands. at dinner-time fastened the door
until the supper hour. That il was mot
pretty for LITTLE ladies to eat much was
drilled into them with their prayers and
catechism.
The girl of the future will care health
fully and heartily for her food, and be
proud of her culinary knowledge Cal
cined fats aud scalded fbres will not
form a plrt OF her dietary. She will
comprehend that beef-tea clarified is a
stimuaut, not nutritive, and tEat while
milk is the white staff OF life to most
people, constitutional idIosyncrasles may
make it as deadly as the little serpent Of
the Nile to others.
She will probably select for herself a
specialty-perhaps a profession With
tue acknowledgment OF woman's right
to earn an honest livelihood in any path
she may elect to follow comes the dissi.
patton Of false shame in working fol
wages. The New England girl has al
ready put this under her feet; hel
women children will have their OWL
bank accounts, make-and lose-money
secy7f2,il1 drfCUa. DR.. Zav and DIR