Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1891-01-22
YOUNG LADIES IN LONDON.
Degeneracy OF the Society Miss rs De
scrlbed BY an EnglIshman.

Degeneracy OF the society Miss rs De
scrlbed by an Englishman.
The moiern conventional London
young lady belongs to type altogether
distinct from other varieties of the spe-
cies, and one which is easily distin
guished from them by certain salient
characteristics. On her first appearance
In the London world she is generally
timid and insipid; enthusiastic about
balls and parties, and indefatigable in
her pursuit of pleasure. After season
or two, however, her timidity gives
place to singular assurance, while her
previous insipidity degenerates into a
kind of young married woman's audaci'
ty, which the society which she affects
indicates the peculiar experience she has
accumulated during the transitionary
period. No longer keen after balls and
parties for their own sake, society, with
all its little trivial duties and details,
has become an absorbing occupation,
and her mind can scarcely eXtricate
itself even temporarily from its
contemplation. As conversationalist
she is utterly beneath contempt;
never originating "A new idea, nor
even reproducing an old thought in a
fresh setting; she almost entirely con-
fines herself to personal gossip, with an
occasional resort to 'chaff" She sell
dom discourses of things, but almost al
ways of people. She has apparently no
inner life, nor any individual aspirations
beyond those connected with social
progress Society absorbs, as it were,
her whole energies and intellect II
she travels, her mind does not burden
itself with the things that she has seen,
but with the people that she has met.
So it is also with the theater; it is not
the plot that attracts her, but the audi
ence. Thus: "0h, yes, went to the
Lyceum last Friday, and enjoyed it i'm
mensely. There were lots of people one
knew there-Lady A. was in box, and
Charles d., with Mrs. c., was in the
stalls"-and so on, indefinitely.
And it is, perhaps, for this reason, as
striking contrast to her, that the
American girl has recently met with
such marked success in our midst.
American girls possess individuality
they travel-and compare; they read
discriminate. They witness per.
formance and digest its details. The
one collects facts and fictions concern
ing limited class, and repudiates the
more important knowledge of life
while the other utilizes people as mere
paws in the serious game of ambition.
Within the past fifteen years-evel
since, indeed, the London young lady
successfully battled with the then para
mount young married woman, and, as i
were, informally incorporated hersel
prematurely in the same category-sh'
has been steadily degenerating both il
personal worth and in general esteem
After two or three seasons, she nov
generally affiliates herself to some semi
rapid married woman, under who's
chaperonage she forms one of frequen
partis-carres to the play, to suppers a
night clubs, to race meetings and ex
cursions on the river, and, in fact, sool
becomes practically as unrestrainet
and as experienced as her married com
panion. The charm of young girl i
her dissimilarity to man, and by con
forming to his natural tastes and pun
suits she loses her chief attraction
. She becomes pal" but she is n
, longer the idol to be adored and wor
shipped, the ideal to be wooed and wor
, London Truth.