Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1888-03-17
FOR YOUNG LADIES.


tlon.
When was a little girl u was con
sidered by ..my set the most terrible
hing that could happen to any ono V
be called an lin ,tator. ltthe rep"'o.
lion for oimitating" was once liked upo"
a girl she was looked upon as not 'Aaeu'
lirst-class girl
Further ON in life l began to near y
great deal about originality" ana !
found an .or ginal person was exactly
the opposite OF an Tim tator ana tha'
it, by some good luck. one could get tho
reputation of beng original she would
DO looked upon US considerably above
the average first-class girl and treated
with degree of consideration VIII Gu
accompanies distinction ! perceived
that the role OF the tmitator was not
one calculated for popularity, while that
OF the original person was that oil
fame and glory. These things were on
the surface and were matters OF obser.
walton.
Another fact which discovered WAS
this: That a person might have the re-
putat on OF being an imitator without
ia the least degree. desc rying 1T aud
that u person could acquire repnta'
ton Of being orig nal without
in the least degree deserving
it. BY the time | had made
this discovers had learned something
of the d ference between character aud
reputation, and knew that In some
things, tue ono did not involve the
other. | was somewhat mortified at
realizing the fact that am ong "us girls
the reputation for being original was
quite the same thing Us bo ng so; aud
that tho reputation for 'hmitaling'
was quite as bad as doing II.
1t was about this time that began to
learn the real value Of both originality
and imitation. | found out that to real
Is BIZ All imitator, whether one had the
name Of il on not. was often quito as
good thing as to have the name and
fame Of m original person.
And in this letter to the Daughters Of
America / wish to say one or two
things. which know to DO true. about
the vice aud the virtue OF initiating
We will drop originate for the present.
and contine ourselves to imitation.
Perhaps another ttme shall have some-
thing to say about originality.
1t is great mistake to suppose that I
is weakness to initiate. IL is some
times q very bad thing. and whether Il
is good or bad depends entirely upon
the quality OF the thing which is i'm tat
cd IL is always a good thing to inl-
tate, or TO try to initiate good ia ngs;
and when one is afraid OF not be ug or
iginal because one initiates good thing
that one is much weaker IN not initial
ing. Plenty OF people do not do halt
as many and graceful things as they
might, just because thew are afraid
they will be accused u imitation.
IL Is mostly IN tho line Of good little
things that imitation IL most worth.
The great things, ia life aud In char.
acter. one must learn and practice with.
out reference 10 others; II Is in tho
lesser things, in manners and habits,
in speech and carriage, where one can
copy with the greatest advantage. The
great things are the character itself. and
the little things are the decorations, lhG
bric-a-brac, Of character.
The great thing is TO know what 20
initiate. There are some things which
1t is good to initiate. and there are some
things which il Is bad 10 initiate. aud
there are some things which Is not
exactly good or exactly bad TO initiate,
but only silly. For example there Is
nowadays a great deal OF imitation In
America of English customs and man
ners. and there are some very good
little things in their costoms and
manners to Initiate; and then. again.
there are some little things not so
good. In the speech Of well bred Eng
lish woman. who is wholly without
affectation. there Is apt to he more accu-
racy Of articulation than in that Of tho
American woman. That is good
thing to initiate and thing one can
initiate without meriting, IN the least
the charge OF being very English.
Careful habits OF speech and nice arti.
culation OF good English words are
not the monopoly Of Great Britinn. and
should be rs much the characteristic OF
Americans as Britons. II an American
girl is not rs careful and accurate In her
English rs Is her transatlantic cousin
she should become so at once eyen nj
the risk Of losing a certain Originality
in speech which Is not in the least n
desirable characteristic OF some Amer
lean girls. The American girl can very
well afford TO be called very English"
on this account, for the thing which
she initiates is a thing very excellent
and worthy Of imitation. But II this
same young American Is so ambitious
to be called English that she Is eager to
copy the fault MS we'll as the excel.
encies OF British speech, she may take
pains in some directions which are not
IN the least worth her while, az for ex-
ample Gas | have known 10 happen) she
may carefully pronounce clerk as II
spelled clark. for no other reason than
that it Is the habit Of INSTRUMENTATION
among the British and so characteristic
OF them, that she calls her father'a
clerk clark every one whose opinion
she prizes will be sure 10 think shg haa
English friends or will think--oh, blissi
that perhaps she is English, aIso
Here are bad sorts Of imitation. The
ilrst IS good because the thing initial
cd j. good. The second is neither
good nor bad, but, Is simply EXTREMELY