The Dickinson press., 1888-02-11
THE CMApERON ABROAD.
LANDS WHERE FEMININE GUARDIAN
SHIP is A SOCIAL NECESSITY.

Irresponsible Existence of the spanish
Girl-Thc Chaprron in Central Europe.
Rules in Belgium and Gcrmans-Eng-
lands Female Dragons.
In those countpes, and among those by
whom II chapcron is recognized as II social
necessity, L" chapcrons i'll any Christian
country have So severe u task as those of
Spain. From early childhood until young
wolnanhood the Spanish girl is generally inn
INJURED within convent walls, presumably for
hrr education, although what she learns dur
iiiss those long Years, except the rulimcnts of
reading and writing, how TO sew and cm-
hroilcr Il little, to Use Il fan to perfection. to
wear her garments with u bewitchinS grace,
and to use her eyes to the destruction of tho
repoSc of all male bcloldcrS, it would bediifi-
cult to say. Once out of the convent and of
marriagcahle age-say II OF lo-she is placed
in tho charge of a ducnna, who from that
moment never loses sight of her in daytime
and sleeps i'll the same room at night. Such
Il thing as Il moments privacy the girl
neither expects nor obtains. If the gouverE-
ante ahscnts herself, the young lady is first
taken tn l.rr mother. If she goes out to
church. to the opera, or for n walk, she is
closely guarded: on the street, OF the raseo,
She is sent n step IN two i'll advance, the
mother or ,lucnna. or often both. following
81 that they can Sc" her every motion. and
that 40 daring lover slips Il billet d"uN into
h"r nut unwilling hand. The consequence is
that. feeling perfectly safe and entirely inc
sponsillc. She is the most arrant flirt in the
universe.
III France, Germany, Austria and through
Central Europe the duties of Il chapcron are
much alike, and are far lighter; than they
were even tire-and-twe,t.E years ago.
Throughout Europe no young girl, or to put
it more plainly, no unmarried woman, can
appear in public |uncscortrd 10y some matron.
AS for IL male escort. that is, of course, far
Worse than being alone. Evena brother cam
not take his sister to a theatre or place of
public resort without Il chaptron. In Franco
it is indeed the custom to keep the brothers
rigidlv apart from the sisters after their sth
year, except when in the company of the pa
rents, because the whole educational scheme
is so different for the two sexes. Often later
in lii~;..:l after the sister is married they be-
como close friends, but no girl would be al
loH,gl TO go into the streets or public places
wi,i, her brother; some one might not Know
that i: was q brother, and there would he q
scandal. To balls and parties the girl can
only 20 with her mother or some chalcron,
who for tho tim" represents her. No sooner,
hnMc"cr, is the young French girl made q
wiIc-irrlliI,s tosoinc man she hardly knows
by si.ilt-ttan all this is changed: it is like
,he l"s;ly grub suddenly bursting into the
most @auty of butterflies.
In Germany and Austria the rulcS, al
tl:ni@l, strict, are not so rigid as in Franco,
,in To;mg ladies. both at home and in the
bail room, Icing allowed n little more libcr-
ty, especially where the Protestant clement
psctiominatcs, in this differing widely from
France, where the ProtcStantsar notoriurisly
moro rigid and Puritanical than their Catho-
il, fellow ruuntrymcn, denying to youth even
such innocent pleasures us dancing and other
harmless umusrncnts.
Belgium, at least so far asits capital city is
concerned, follows French customs, and
malrh the sainc may lie said of st. Peters,
burg. In Holland, while the court etiquette
is The strirtrst in Europe, the girls are al
lowed in their home life almost as much free
,iom as are English girls. Italy, hut IL few
wears ago the most formal country in mat
tiers social, is breaking down her barriers.
Tho immense mumbcr of English and Ameri
rnii girls constantly Oh the continent, and
who insist upon carrying with them the free
dom of action that they look upon as their
b%irtlrigllt. the wealth, beauty and accom-
plishments of many of them giving access to
he best society and compelling the admira-
ion of all, has done vastly much toward free
ing their continental sisters.
In England the duties of a chaperon arc
much the same us in the larger American
cities. To so to n ball, party, flower show,
theatre or other place of public amusement a
girl must have II chapclenl of some sort who
secs her from her home and returns her to it.
At IL ball the advantage of the cllaleron to
the girl is enormous, especially il the lady he
Il woman of the world. If a bore comes along
the cllapcron claims his attention; if the girl
cannot say she is engaged for the particular
dance the bore has asked for, the c!lapcron,
at Il look. says: "Gou must rest this dance,
dear; you must not over fatigue yourself, I
insist: come and sit here by mo-" 1t is the
SAINT when the girl wishes to escape from an
ineligible. especially if she thinks some ono
else /, Shocking for her; 81 must go back to
mamma, now tor to Mrs. Blank, as the case
ma be-. | promised to come directly tue
dance was over
The only continental country that permits
almost American OF English freedom to its
girl, is switzerland. Even i'll the French
girls walk unattended through the streets,
and at the most fashionable female boarding
school parties are given twice month to
which the college students and other young
men of fashion are invitcd.-E. j. Biddle i'll
Globe-Democrat.