The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-05-31

yeloped themselves. | feel quite patri-
archal Knight say matriarchai p to think
that had reached degree of intelligence
at tnat period which enabled me to enjoy
q little brochure" of, l think. Albert
Smiths, in which the ''strong.minded
woman" was first foreshadowed.
II was slim volume, entitled. as well as
1 can remember. "A Book of Young
Ladies"-one chapter was headed. THE
Manly Young Lady" Her widest feat
was getting up at 6 in the morning and
walking couple of miles to drink a glass
of new milk at a distant farmhouse. and
this she boosted for month at least.
Gould the performances of her successors
have been prophetically displayed to her.
how dwarfed and insignificant she would
have felt
Then there is the self-dissecting girl who
Is always striving to fathom her own ma
ture, but somehow cannot satisfactorily.
chiefly because it is not deep enough for
her plumb-line, and that very curious pro-
Duct OF modern fiction, the self-passionate
girl. There were, of course, specimens of
this description in the novels of forty or
fifty years ago, but then they were warn
ings, not examples, and were properly pun
isned IN the last chapter. Similar works
IN the eighties present such Young ladies as
objects ofsympathy and interest Although
once she has met that broad-shouldered,
tawny-moustached, slightly brutal hero,
she loses ali natural regard mot
that she ever had a great deal)
for her parents, who become bores and
impediments; for her brothers and
sisters (uniess, indeed, one of the former
happens TO be the ehum of her lover), who
cease to be endurable as companions; of
her friends, as ''too tiresome for any
thing" Her sole occupation, when not in
the presence of the 'conquering hero" is
meditating on the splendor of his magni-
ficent height and breadth, and, I was
going to add, depth-only grand creatures
OF this description have not generally
much depth" to boast of-of his witch
ing horsemanship," his wonderful feats at
polo, of his fascinating deviltry, and his
last rude speech. Men of this description
usually begin with rudeness and require
good deal OF love making before they yield
to the heroine's persevering attentions"
But she is so desperately in earnest that
he gives In at last and warmly recipro-
Gates. frequently, as mark of affec-
ton, he contides the story of his life to
her, with many curious little particulars,
including couple of wives hidden away
IN different corners. Not his fault, you
know, the women would marry him. No
matter, the selfish, passionate girl els far
too profoundly possessed by her all-con-
quering, absorbing love" Gas she calls it),
to stick at such tribes; she is quite willing
to become number three, and is only saved
by the spasmodic action of the hero's
rarely reused conscience, and rarely ex-
ercised self-control. So after an agonized
parting and large amount of kissing,
hugging, clinging and weeping, he disap-
pears into the night (this sort of thing
generally happens at night and she is
found lying apparently dead in the
grounds or on the balcony by her tiresome
mother or her prying sister, and is with
difficulty brought back to life, nor can help
thinking she is not worth the trouble. It
must be added that this type of girl is not
very often delineated, and when she is,
may generally be found in the novelists'
pages. Men do not think much of her.
either In fact or fiction; passionate,
wicked women they do describe, but not
as heroines.
The childish. irrational girl is more COM
mon, with fluffy golden hair, sweet, inno-
cent, blue eyes, and not altogether with
out heart. She inhicts much unlimited
suffering on worthy, respectable men,
who are her devoted slaves, but women
see through her at once, and the more
earnest among them long to shake her!
From all these. with what delight one
turns to the natural, healthy, breezy,
true blue" girl, not distractingly beauti-
full, not self-conceited. Loving life and
keen to enjoy, not too angelic in temper,
able to take her own part with spirit, and
to forgive heartily, tender to the old and
weak, generous and sympathetic to young
and strong, devout with the religion of
self-respect, yielding true love when it is
nobly sought, but too full of healthy life
to be selfisbly absorbed in it. Such
thorough English girls as Anthony Troll
lop portrays. What man would not feel
himself lucky fellow if he could secure
the life comradeship of one of thesei
In fact or fiction there are plenty of
these delightful girls, for which we may
thank God and take courage.
One of the many difficulties with which
the novel writer has to contend is the de-
mand of novel readers for extremely
youthful heroines. At IL or Is character
can be but slightly developed with the gen
erality. These heroines, scarce escaped
from the schoolroom, are given too much
individuality, decision and consistency for
their age and experience, and as rule
they are not so much influenced by circum-
stances as in real life.
Be that as it may, the young girl is de-
lightfully interesting when sketched deli
cately, clearly, firmly. Her little foibles
and tempers neither suppressed nor exag-
gerated, and when the wisdom of sound
heart corrects the follies of a weaker head
to reverse the qualifications of "Good
Queen Bess." May such portraits con-
tinue to attract and unconsciously mould
those young people, who follow their for
tunes with eager attention, for we must
confess that the pale perfection of heroines
in the romances Of forty years ago. does
not exercise the same charm as do the
more life-like girls of modern fiction.
Mrs. ALEXANDER.