St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-01-04
AMERICANS As WIVES
The Subject Treated With Due
Frankness by an English
Authority.
Patent Charms Of the Best
Treated Women in the
Wide World.
The Desipability Of Making
Herself Mans Companion
and Friend.
Englishmen Asked to Be More
Chivalrous to Their Own
Wives.


not too proud to own that, in some re-
| spects, at least, she is our superior.
| These respects may be more or less su-
| perfcial, but they are not, therefore, to
be despised. There is necessarily a
| great deal of surface about life, so it is
| important to have it pleasant; we may
never have occasion to go beyond it,
and when satisfactory it is always so
much to the good. Now, the external
| attributes of the American lady are eX-
cellent. She talks we'll, she dresses
well and she plays her part we'll So
cially. 1t may be worth our while to
discuss these merits little in detail.
MIR. Bryce, in the third volume of his
american Republic" leads the way.
He enlarges on the brightness and
| QuicknesS OF American women, their
| perceptiyity and receptivitY. their keen
| and intelligent interest in the drama of
| human life, as we'll as their readiness to
act lively part in it. They are both
capable and eager, and all alive to their
| nger-tips. Further, they are thorough
| ly self-reliant; they take their lives into
their own hands and manage their own
affairs, for the most part, without mems
Intervention. They expect men to be
| gallant enough to give assistance when
it is asked for, especially III the shape OF
money. But they do not tolerate inter-
ference or constraint. Now, setting
aside the occasional charm of 'cling-
| ing" attitude in women, it must be a
| great relief tie most men to get rid of all
| care and responsibility In regard to
| them, Besides, there is more to inter
| est the man as q spectator; the play OF
| life among his wOmenkind is more ell
tertainlng, more fresh and varied to
him when he is not the sole motor and
guide of it all. In this way he gains in
| amusement what he loses in glory.
| But the American woman does not
! confine herself entirely to what we call
| in English the feminine Sphere;" she
| has something to say to general affairs;
| she takes an interest in all that goes on
| in the world of business and Of politics,
| and has decided opinions upon it, which
| she expresses freely and with the i'll
| cisiveness win Oh distinguishes CONVEX
sation in her country. She not only
| talks we'll, she talks great deal. 1t is
conventional with us to regard this as
| drawback; but | venture to think
| that OIL the whole it is IAN excellent
| thing in woman" English women
| do not talk nearly enough, and in gem
| eral society they seldom talk with effect.
Timidity, innate reserve, and the habit
| of following conyersatiOnally in the
mans wake, check that spontaneity and
livelinesS in talk which is woman's
natural dover. Women ought to lead
! conversation, and in America they do.
They introduce topics and vary them,
n I'd ft,nI 6r,txy tn
| draw out the dull or shy or absent man,
himself in society. Its almost woman's
chief function in America to entertain
| men, and in order to fulfill it properly
| she acquaints herself with the topics and
| the events OF the day, and is well stocked
| with that information about things in
| general which even clever English
women often lack. Her knowledge
may not go deep, but it is sufficient for
| conversational pull poses and is of a kind
| that enables her to talk to the man
| about what really interests him. She
sees great deal of men and gains
sound practical understanding of them
and their world. Consequently she is
neither shy nor awkward nor self
conscious with them; she can be
| decided without appearing dog
| and clever without the air of pos
ing for effect. She is too accustomed to
mems Difference and admiration to be
| spoiled by it: she gets 1t In common
with too many others Of her sex. No
doubt she flirts a little, but in an open
and therefore tolerably harmless way;
| the men are used to it and take to it
kindly, and generally know what it
means. Besides, they are ready to for
| give her much for the sake OF the gener-
| Gus entertainment she provides. She Is
seldom bored herself with people, COLI
sequently she seldom bores. She treats
men with genuine kindliness, with
| frank good nature, and is on terms of
| genial comradeship with many whom
she never considers at all from matri-
monial point of view.
| In commencing the conversational
gifts of American women, am quite
alive to the extreme tiresomeneSs of
ceaseless empty-headed chatter. But
the great majority of Americans are
| fairly quick-witted, and the Women's
wits are turned, full tap. on to talk.
The cultivated Englishwoman may have
| quite as much to say, only she does not
say it, and through lack of
practice fails to acquire the art
of ready speech. America has,
of course, its vapid takers, :but so have
we, although the yapidlty which is 81
| lent is more common with us. And it
| is entirely matter of taste whether it
| is more tireSome to have your neighbor
at dinner party running on" aimless-
| ly about unconsidered trifies than have
| her, Whatever topic you introduce, do
no more than pelt you at regular inter-
walls with such feeble and unstimulating
rejoinders as ''Oh. reallyw Indeed"
"Yes?" "How very niceP' chow inter-
| estingw and SO forth, 10 the bitter end.
| In this matter of talk, the American
allows herself the best of all possible
| external upportS-namely, tasteful
| and well-made toilette. l have heard
more than one ingenious lady confess
| that the consciousness of being well
| dressed was quite essential to her ease
| in conversation. With an American
| woman dress is almost religion. She re-
| CARDS it as solemn duty to herself, her
| relatives and the world at large, to wear
Elegant costumes" She is never dis
covered dowdy or negligee Through
| all the most thrilliag crises OF life, with
nerves never so highly strung, she still
contrives to keep one corner of her mind
cool and concentrated on her attire; she
no more thinks of losing sight of that
than of her virtue. We English may have
improved in our dress of late years, but
we keep the best of it for the privacy of
home, while the American aims at
adjoining the street as much as the draw
ing room. Men, especially English
men, have habit of bantering women
about their care for dress; but, never
theless, they like it to be good, and are
insensibly influenced by it. No doubt
English husbands would be appalled, at
the sums spent by American ladies on
their clothes. but considering their dow
ers. they may well be pardoned little
extravaganza.
Last, but not least. among an Ameri-
can woman'S attractions or merits is her
practical ability. She is energetic and
able-has, indeed, almost genius for