Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-01-15
AN AMERICAN BELLE,
How She IL Brought Up, Educated and
Trained for Socinl Life.


Trained for Socinl Life.
From the Providence Journal
A New York girl is as brilliant, beautiful and
incomprehensible thing as one of Brownings
poems. Happening to sit at lunch the other
day next to one of the most successful debu-
tantes of the season thought would make
some gentle inquiries about her earlier life.
She was a charming creature. emInently New
Yorkish, and, without being strictly handsome,
was irresistible. She was tall and not too
slight, with a well DEVELOPED figure. warm
color mantled on her clear cheek, and her
features were fairly regular, the chief attrac-
ton being pair of large, dark blue eyes,
shaded by long lashes, which she knew very
well to be her best point, and used with great
effect. AS she pulled off her long gray gloves
and took up her oyster fork / noticed her
beautiful hands. which were long and slender,
with perfect amond-shaped nails that bespoke
the manicure's frequent care, and taper
fingers. Her rings were few, but costly-too
costly.
"Where did you go to school?'' asked, to
begin with. SIN New York, or were you at
boarding school somewhere"
She turned her beautiful eyes upon me in
pretty perplexity. When she spoke her voice
was delightful, quite English in its rich, gen.
erous quality, and she talked slowly, with
sort of quiet dignity that was very charming.
"Oh, no! never went to school," said she,
smiling. II had a governess and masters at
home. My governess taught me the necessary
smatterings of history, arithmetic and geogra-
ply, and being Frenchwoman always spoke
her own language with me. My maid was also
French, that being one of my earliest accom-
plishments. Then masters came in for German
and Italian, music and dancing. oh, dear! what
care they did take! had to walk so many hours
day, take a cold plunge bath every morning
that was for my complexion-go to the dentlst
r11nn hD Un
for an hour every night before went TO ped,
and sit for long time every morning with my
shoulder strained against back board to
make sure that my figure would be good. rose
every morning al and went to bed every night
at s. This went on until was ID.
'At 16," she said, "they took me aboard.
Even on the steamer was not allowed to make
any aoquaintances. Ispent year at school in
Leipsic, a very small and expensive place.
where there were young German girls of high
degree and a scattering of English and Ameri-
cans from the best families, with whom l was
not only permitted but instructed to bee me
intimate. Then mamma came again. and this
time took me to Paris, where l stayed another
year at the Sacre Ceur Then l was Is, and it
was time to prepare for the important event of
my coming out. left the convent in March,
and for the next three months we had most
glorious time getting my things TO-
gether in Paris. 1 assure you mamma
spent quite $4,000 for the gowns. hats
and chiffon, she said we're absolutely neces-
sary for my first season. From mere child l
suddenly bloomed into a young woman.
Mamma took me with her to one or two enter
tainments in Paris; after that we went to Lon
don just for the end of the season, but it was
divine: then to Newport for August, to Lenox
for September and October, to Tuxedo for
November, and then to New York, where early
this month mamma gave great reception to
introduce me. And such good time as have
had since. think, after all, it is good plan
to keep girls in the background until they are
ready to come out. They enjoy it all the more
because everything is so new"
Certainly, her education had been an unmiti-
gated success She asked me to come and see
her, which did the next day. She lived in a
gorgeous house on Fifth avenue, away up by
the park, and found her in lovely little nest
her own rooms, a dainty chamber all white
and gold, with silver brushes and combs ard
glasses strewn all over the toilet table, costly
favors, trophies of her many triumphant CO.
tillons decking the walls. and her Christmas
gifts, which were worth a small fortune,
thrown carelessly about here and there. Then
she had luxurious little Doudoir besides
Herbrisk. white-capped maid. quick-witted
Frenchwoman, anticipated her every want
She had but to ask for thing, and presto! she
had Ii, whatever its price, and it really seemed
as if she ought to have been perfectly happy
being
But ah! The little rift within the lutte! She
had given her young heart TO Philip Van Van
derness, who has only $1,000 year. To at
tempt matrimony on that meager pittance
would be sheer madness so the fair debutante's
papa declares, and he utterly scorns such
parti. The debutante. herself knows it to be
impossible, and while she tells her impecunious
lover that she can never marry any man who
hasn't at least an income ten times as large as
his she feels that.she would rather be less fond
of the luxury which has become necessity to
her and be happy in a simple way. That, how
ever her education had made out of tho ques-
ton.