Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-07-19
THE GERMAN GIRL.
Could There be Anything Nicer When
All Is Said?


persuasive magnetism Of the viennese. nor the
burning presence of the italian, nor the versa
tility of the Russian. Her lack Of these con-
ventional attractions 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 fortunate enough
to know thoroughbred continental German
girls, however, think differently.
Physically the German girl is not so charm
ing rs the American girl Her waist is neither
round nor tapering. 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, smooth pink aud white
SKIN, untouched by modern improvements, an
abundance OF well-kept hair, and a delightful
neck. Her figure is full, but not overfed. Her
eyes are clear, though unsuggestive.
Ihe nne art OF fascinating men by infinitesi-
maj gestures or suggestions OF gestures Is not
hers. She can not sway feeling by the turn of
the head. a droop of the figure, a sinking of
the hand or curve OF the neck. She may
have an idea or two about managing her eve
lids. tossing her head, plucking apart rosebuds
and other like elementary practices, but the
wide world of elaborate feminine coquetry
without words is beyond her ken.
Despite all these deficiencies the presence OF
the typical German girl is something of an in
spiratlon. She does not overwhem man with
vlvaclty nor burden him with highly wrought
affectation Of attention. She does not mobilize
her face for a campaign Of grImaces and ex-
presslons the minute he 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 a part of her, and SO is remark
ably refreshing to a man who has worn his way
repeatedly through the pantomimlc routine OF
the tete-a-tete with women OF other breeding
and temperament
In conversation the German girl is encour-
aging rather than exciting and entertaining.
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 CONVEX
sationally. 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 lawfully fond of metaphysics" She
rarely generalizes brilliantly concerning novels
she has only heard others tell OF, aud she Is far
from clever at cribbing colloquial witticlsms
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 English. and has a smatter-
ing of Italian or Spanish. She is full Of i'll
formation to the great clector. Frederick
the Great the iron days between 1907 and 1875
and the modern German triumvirate. She is
well acquainted with the works of Goethe.
Shakespeare, Heine and Mohere. 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 astonish-
ing quantity of sentimental 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 a food of conversational
pedantry. When subject she is acquainted
with turns up she talks on it easily without an
N Drll liza
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 availing her
self of expressions like amt" hadn't ought
or like you and l." Her correctness of speech,
however. Is not studied. and she never tries to
get under cover with dear me, always get
that wrong" Her ia" is sweet as the
American girls yes" and her "nein" falls
from her lips with a soft INDIGESTION tina: miti-
gates half the pain of the refusal
When the German girl has had her little fling,
and 1t Is a very little one, her frau mamma gets
her engaged. Her new social status is pub
; lished at once to the whole world around her
Unannounced engagements are unknown to the
German girl The instant she accepts a young
mans proposal every one knows it and regards
her as already half married. She does not
court the pleasures of helter-skelter, fast-apd-
loose love affair. She becomes all wrapped up
in her Fritz or Hans, or Wilhelm at once
{
skating. or dancing with other men. She loves
her fiance with an absorbing devotion which is
/ seldom duplicated on this side OF the Atlantic.
She gets no special pleasure from playing
him, teasings him. exciting his jealousy or
'eading him on" Ali she wishes is to have
him right at hand all the time. holding her
hand while others are present and her when
alone with him. This answering faithfuness
and childlike devotion continues well along int
her married life, and usually to the end. The
quiet, responsive, undemonstrative, trustful
German frau is only a natural development OF
the well-bred German girl.
The German girl has many other miscel-
laneous accomplishments and virtues which
are little known, and, if known, are misunder-
/ stood by her foreign critics. She does not
! drink beer or eat blood sausage She never
| takes cigare tie into her mouth and does not
| long to be man. She does not drop her hand
kerchlef or fan to see man pick il up. and she
does not hurry OF her admirers on impossible
errands just to show what she can do with
them. She does not accept ali the presents
that the men of her acquaintance will give her.
and she does not tell white lies when it is Just
| as convenient TO speak the truth. She never
flrts in the street. She always draws on both
| gloves before leaving the house and does not
! remove them before returning indoors She
| never annoys her escort by staring surrepti-
tiously at other men and asking who they
are and she does not cut duty dances to talk
with her favorite. She never tells a caller ',he
is quite stranger" does not wear big hat at
the play. and does not giggle and whisper dur
ing the opera. She is appreciatiye of small
favors, believes that young men have a few
rights that Young women are bound TO respect,
and acts up to this belief.
In short. the German girl is warm-hearted,
well educated and well bred She is kind, pa
tient and grateful She is too sensitive to do
n rude act and is too full of ideals to do a mean
one. She may lack. as her critics say. consum-
mate brilliancy and beauty and art. but all the
rest of the world OF attractions is hers
How to Remove Freckles.
From the New York Star.
The girl who freckIes liz said To he louahla