Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1889-11-19
rne GERMAN WOMAN.
as~ she Tive. frem Maid Ca wifs. -ith
Insidssts ~ Coartship.

Insid.s,s sf Coar,ship.
The German woman is neither the en-.
,elIen, housewife which .he profcs.es 10
30 nor the blue-tocking she Is often
thought. Gretchen exists no longer.
keep, on the lids of the tores % can
lied fruits. and she Is quite a match for
Faust when she meets him. In fact. the
German girl of today. especially In Der.
lin. IL not ~ much like the Marguerite %
Goethe a. the Ioulou Of "Gyp."
German school life IA q serious busi.
ness IL begins at years old. and tho
two subjects % study which are sTeciAl'
ly In favor with all Glasses u people ~
any prctensions are French and the
piano II do not think II IL an eKAg.
geration.- says the writer. Ito say that
p5 pr cent. % the daughters ~ parents
In easy circumstance. play the piano and
% p-r cent speak French.
A. soon a. a girl becomes confirmed
her education IL generally concluded.
unless she goes In Tor special higher
branches ~ study. Her parents begin
10 think of getting her married. and shs
goes % her first hall. COurtship. the pre-
liminarios % which generally take place
on the hoor of the hall room. OF. In the
winter. Co the rhythm u the same waltz
time played by the same military band
on the ice. is inAugurated thus. II the
young man means business be calls on
the young lady's parents one Sunday
and breaks the ice. lie will then -
asked to dinner. and n oeremonious
exchange - little sentimental presents
will take place between the pair. inter.
larded with sentimental sentences-al.
WAYS In French.
When an engagement has been def.
nitely announced the young people are
allowed quite an English amount % free
dom In their intercourse. Indeed. IN We
may believe the writer. their manner,
and customs are considerably more
frankly frc. than ours In this country.
for. she saws, they DO not scruple 60
kiss each other In public A. often as they
feel inclined. and there l. nothing more
disagrecable ai a soiree than the spec
tacls of one % these sentimental
couples Before marriage the German
girl b. mighty reader OF novels. her ca.
pacity for sentimental stories being
simply ineNhaustible Rarely however.
dos marriage In German prove the real.
iEation - any ~ the dreams In which
h-r grlish fancy has taken delight
The German married woman has never
occupied the same place A. dos the
French woman. by reason of the total
absence u any sentiment of chivAlry or
romance In the treatment ~ women by
men In Germany True. the sons. ths
husbands. the brothers u the women q
Germany deserve our respect for their
energy. their charActsr-sll that supplies
a nation with IT, force. But how disAs-
trous l. that force for the women. Force
IL more fatal "a grace than even 10 night.
What hardnes- In the dignity What
car.lessness. what supreme Indifference
on the part of tho-e proud and selfish
heroes. who DO not ask their companions
- the other sex 10 understand them and
appreciate them. bat only io keep house
satisfactorily and to bear number %
childreni - FAR. indeed. does the Ger
man husband carry hts want % gAllaniry
that be absolutely dislikes % see his wife
make Use ~ any ~ thosa advantages q
the toilet the results ~ which are COM
prised In the epiihet scornfuliy applied
81 we'll dressed woman
Tho state - intellectual. moral and
social subjection of the German woman
naturally doe. not tend 10 develop any
originality In her. She never starts q
new idea or new fashion Imitation,
not invention. i the utmost % which
she Is capable. and even In Initiating she
Il slow The German woman l. crushed
beneath the overwhelming superiority
u her lord and master. The famous
"deutches weib." who IL the traditional
type Of the German woman. l. just the
German Of Tacitus-the servant Of man.
Cor. London Globe.