The Red Cloud chief., 1888-09-28
n FRENCH WOMAN.
XrA Leslie saw. l. Far Less Romantic
Than Her American sister.

yaln Her American SlsSef.
Curious Is i: may seer N a ration
SO highly and in many respects : o arti-
fcially civilized. the virtues which We
find most conspicuous or French soil
are those which in the United States
are as conspicuously absent FIlal
piety. the absence of which Is mourned
by nearly every American father and
mother to-day. still forms the sub
stratum Of the best qualities TO be met
with among the French in every rams
Of society. 1t is not only the devotion
OF a son TO his mother. 4 feeling which
In France Is so unfortunately mingled
with s-enrimentality as to have lost. in
the eyes OF most people. all the merits
it might originally have possessed; but
the obedience and respect OF son even
toa bad father is taken for granted. and
the most tyralnical abuse Of pacernal
authority is not considered in the least
as abrogating flial duty.
The Erenchwoman often seems what
she IS not. When bent on amusing her
self-and it is through the medium Of
this mood OF hers that We generally
weigh her character and Judge her
actions-She leaves, it is true, all care
at home and enters upon the business
OF pleasure with the spirit Of 4 child.
But it is unjust TO call her frivolous
and idle on this account Perhaps no
women are such industrious and serious
workers Is those OF France. The
material prosperity OF their country Is
certainly largely attributable 10 their
admirable capacity for making them
selves useful in all departments of life
from which they are not shut out by
walls they can not hope To >cale-wall3
which they show their practical wis
dom by not trying 10 pull down
The typical Frenchworaans charac-
ter is not deep. but it has been traced
out by 7 with no unsteady hand
Her spirit OF independence. her COM
parative freedom from that tinidity
which is often represented as a charm
ing weakness Of the sex have enabled
her to conquermuch Of the ground that
belongs additionally TO man. simply
qualifying herself to compete with him
industrially and intellectually in a
multitude OF ways. She likes TO be
self-reliant. and to feel that in case Of
need she can do battle with the world.
Although FrenchwOnen generally
marry early and under conditions OF
parental influence which invest the act
OF putting on the bridal veil with about
as much sentiment as that of taking TO
their first long gown or gathering up
OF their girlish t-esses into 4 maideuly
coil OF pIaits. the majority OF them
make good wives. and still better
mothers.
The Frenchwoman IS not. perhaps.
the most atfectio1ate OF spouses. but in
her devoceduess To her children she Is
not to be surpassed. while the interest
she takes in her husbands work and her
desire TO help him for the common good.
throw into bold relief the stronges:
side o. her character. II he is a doc
tor. she Will make out his bills for him:
if a tradesman. she will look after the
accounts and preside over the till:
whatever his occupation. she will lend
him a helping hand.
What l wish TO lay stress on Is the
fact that the Frenchwonan. although
extremely emotional q. times. in the
ordinary business Of life looks 1T moth
ing through a purely romantic and
sentimental medium. It is this pecu-
liarity which MARKS the chief disdnc-
ton between her and the American
woman. The latter is just a. passion
ate. but she is less practical.
There is q dreamy sentimentality in
the nature OF u American woman
that easily and frequently merges into
religious nelancholy-a nalaiv almost
unknown il France. From maiden
hood to cid age her views OF life are
romantic. Even after much misfor-
tune and disappointment, she rarely
sees things as they really are Con-
~seQucntly, she IS no. the helpnate in a
material sense that the Frenchwoman
Is.
But the deficiency is abundantly
made I'd in other ways. 1t is the exc
ceptiOn when she loves her children
more than her husband. while the
Frenchwoman's affection for he- Of
spring is generally all-absorbing. The
sentinentality OF the American woman
is at once her strength and her weak
ness. It is her strength because it is
intimately associated with strong re-
ligious instinct and reverence for
moral principles which color all her
thoughts and direct her conduct. 1t il
her weakness. because it Is apt 10 make
her rely too much upon others and &c
cause her to hope when she should act.
-Fr1uk Leslie. in Philadelphia Press.
Th> ua1..A rs An~la~