The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-12-06
A TRUE GEEMAN GIRL.
THERE CANNOT Be ANYTHING
NICER WHEN ALL IS SAID.

She is not SO Pi9uant as the Amerlcsn girl
ncr so stylish as the French girl, and not
so sympathetic as the English girl She
has neither the persuasive magnetism OF
the Viennese. nor the burning presence of
the Italian, nor the versatility Of the Rus
sian Her lack OF these conventional at
fractions usually leads men who do not
know her to imagine the German girl TO
be rather inferior and uninteresting
young woman. Men who have been for
tunate enough to know thorou ghbred con-
tinental German girls, however, think diff
ferently.
Physically the German girl is not so
charming as the American girl. Her
waist is neither round nor tspering Her
shoulders do not slope. Her carriage lacks
spirit. Her face is round rather than oval,
and her hands and feet are not strikingly
trim. On the other hand she has well
turned arm, a smooth pink and white skin
untouched by modern improvements, an
abundance of well kept hair and delight
full neck. Her figure is full, but not over
fed. Her eyes are clear, though unsug
gestive.
NOT A CoQUETTE.
The fine art of fascinating men by in
fnitesimal gestures or suggestions of gest-
ures is not hers She cannot sway feeling
by the turn of the head, droop Of the fig
ure, sinking of the hand, or a curve OF
the neck. She may have an idea or two
about managing her eyelids, tossing her
head. plucking apart rosehQds, and other
like elementary practices, but the wide
world of elaborate feminine coquetry with
ont words is beyond her ken
Despite all these deficiencies the pres
ence of the typical German girl is some
thing of an inspiration. She does not over
whelm man with vivacity, nor burden
him with highly wrought affectAtion of
attention. She does not mobilize her face
for campaign of grimaces and express
sions the minute be opens his mouth. She
listens somewhat impassively, though not
phlegmatically, to all he SAYS. Her repose
is natural and sympathetic. 1t was born
and bred in her, is part of her, and so is
remarkably refreshing to man who has
worn his way repeatedly through the
pantomimic routine of the tete-a-tete with
women of other breeding and tempera-
ment.
In conversation the German girl Is en-
couraging rather than exciting and enter
tanning. She does not try to keep up her
end" She never carries on" She is not
sharp" nor keen" nor smart" nor
''great fun" She cannot even take care
of herself" conversationally. She does not
know all about operas she has never heard
and sciences she has never studied. She
does not "adore calculus" and is not Jaw
fully fond of metaphysics. She rarely
generalizes brilliantly concerning novels
she has only heard others tell of, and she
is far from clever at cribbing colloquial
witticisms. She is, however, intelligent
and well educated, and has an abundance
of ideas of her own. Although she knows
little Latin and less Greek, she can speak
French fairly well, understands some En-
glish, and has q smatterinC Of Italian or
Spanish. She is full of Information as to
the great elector Frederick the Great, the
iron days between 1907 and 1915, and the
modern German triumvirate. She is well
acquainted with the works of Goethe,
Shakespeare, Heine and Moliere. She can
quote by the page from her favorite poet
Schiller. In case of need she can follow
her heart with her hand and turn off an
astonishing quantity of sentime ntal verses
on slight provocation. She loves music,
and is familiar with most of the grand
operas.
The German girl has all these things to
talk of Understandings, yet she never
sweeps a man off his feet with food Of
conversational pedantry. When a subject
she is acquainted with turns up she talks
on it easily, without an effort TO appear
brilliant or unique or deep. She is very
worshipful of the great masters, but does
not exhaust her breath and vocabulary to
say so. She never uses slang. She speaks
her native tongue plainly without awaiting
herself of expressions like faint, hadn't
ought" or like you and l." Her correct
ness of speech, however, is not studied,
and she never tries TO get under cover with
a dear me, always get that wrong"
Her ia" is as sweet as the American girls
''yes," and her ''nein" falls from her lips
with a soft indecision that mitigates half
the pain Of the refusal.
SWEETHEART AND WIFE
When the German girl has had her little
fling, and it is very little one, her Frau
Mamma gets her engaged. Her new social
status is published at once to the whole
world around her. Unannounced engage
ments are unknown to the German girl.
The instant she accepts young mans pro-
posal every one knows il, and regards her
as already half married. She does not
court the pleasures of a helter-skelter. fast
and loose love affair. She becomes all
wrapped Up in her Fritz, or Hans, or VIII
helm at once. Thereis no more flirting. or
corresponding, or skating, or dancing with
other men. She loves her fance with an
absorbing devotion which is seldom dupli-
Gated on this side of the Atlantic. She gets
no special pleasure from playing" him,
teasing him, exciting his jealousy or lead
ing him on" All she wishes is 20 have
him right AZ hand all the time, holding her
hand while others are present and her
when alone with him. This unswerving
faithfulness and chiIdlike devotion con-
tinues well along into her married life and
usually to the end The quiet, responsive,
tTustful German frau IL
only a natural development Of the well
bred German girl
The German girl has many other misceI-
laneous accomplishments and virtues
which are little knswn, and if known are
by her foreign critics. she
does not drink beer or eat blood sausage
She never takes a cigarette into her mouth,
and does not long 20 be a man. She does
not drop her handkerchief or fan 20 see .
ma pick it up, and she does not hurry OF
her admirers on impossible errsnds Just 70
show what she can DO with them She
does not accept al the presents that the
men Of her acquaintance Will give her, and
she does not tell white hes when il is just
as convenient TO speak the truth sac
never 1irts in the street. She always
draws on both gioEes before leaving the /
house, sEd does lot remove them before |
returning indoors
II short, the German girl Is vzrm heart |
ID, well educated and wei bred she IL |
kind, patient and grateful She Il too ssn- |