Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-01-02
The American Woman.
MAX o'RELL's LATEST COMMENTS on HER AND he
DRESS.


From the Forum
In the large cities of the east the first thing
that caught my attention was the thinness of
the men and the plumpness of the women.
This seemed to hint that the former lived in a
furnace of activity and the latter in cotton
wool. This impression soon deepened into a.
conviction. The more l saw of these large
cities and the brilliancy, wit, and refinement of
society in them, the palmer it became to me
that II America had thus early rivaled the older
nations OF Europe in all the elega of fash
ionable life it was because of its treatment of
woman. 1t seemed to me that her lot was as
near to being perfection as an earthly lot could
be- respect amounting to reverence is
shown for her, and it appears to be the chief
aim OF her protectors to surround her with
luxury and make her path through life sunny
one.
So far as adding to her mental and physical
grace goes, this plan of making every woman
an uncrowned queen has answered completely.
Seeing her high position she has set herself at
work to I'LL 1t becomngly; and it is the cult
walton of Americas daughters, it is their
charming independence and consciousness of
their power that make them so attractive and
render American society SO delightful to the
stranger. In their treatment of woman the
Americans might give more than one lesson to
men OF the old world even to the Frenchman
who in the matter of politeness. lives a good
deal, l am afraid, on the reputation of his an
cestors. The respect for woman in America
seemed to me to be perfectly disinterested.
purely platonic. In France, this respect almost
always borders on gallantry. Frcnchman
will always stand back to let a woman pass
but he will generally profit by the occasion to
take good look at her.
If an outsider be competent to form an
opinion, venture to say that the American
woman does not render to man a 1.-THE of the
devotion she receives from him. The French
wife repays husbands devotion by protecting
his interest; an American one too often repays
it by breaking into his capital. But Jonathan
complains not. To him it is only seemly that
beauty should go beautifully" If one fortune
goes, he sets to work to make another. and the
sweat OF his brow is soon crystallizing once
more upon the neck and arms of his beloved
womankind in the form of diamonds.
The dress of American women must be a
considerable item in the expenditure Of the
country. They dress well on all occasions and
portent tres bien la toilette; but they have vet
to learn the highest effect in dress-a COM
mingling of simplicity and elegance. To see
the street toilettes one would think that only
the looms of Lyons and Genoa were capable
OF furnishing the material for woman's gown;
and in evening dress there is an apparently
deep-rooted tendency to over-elaboration
1t must strike Europeans as very droll to see
ladies attired in low-necked ball dresses to re-
ceive afternoon callers, but found the prac-
tice was universal. Afternoon teas being fire.
quently given to introduce young girl into
society, one could understand little extra tot
lette being thought necessary in her case
Though in France a woman playing hostess
carefully avoids eclipsing her guests; but it is
not only the bud, as she is called, who is in
full war paint; it is the buds mamma, or aunt.
or both, in looking at whose bare necks have
often been inclined to exclaim: Ladies' throw
veil over the past" There is something
strikingly incongruous in this jostling of the
white satin and tulle of the hostess with the
street dress of the callers.