The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-07-26
A DARING YOUNG WOMAN.
She Makes a Highly Exciting Journey in
Mems Clothes,

1t Is not little singular that one OF the
most independent, adventurous, not to say
emancipated young women of the present
century should be a native of conservative
Scotland. Such, however, is the case, and
the New York World takes pleasure in In
PRODUCING to the American public Miss
Menie Murel Dowie. This is probably the
FIRST time you have heard the name Of this
young lady, but it will not be the last. Her
book, "a Girl in the Carpathians," has al
ready passed through several editions in En-
gland and is announced for publication in
this country.
Miss Dowie's portrait has been printed
in the Illustrated papers. and she has
lectured before that learned and con-
sentative body, the Geographical Society,
whose members not only applauded her to
the echo, but frankly said that they wished
that men could make their travels as inter-
esting to the general public as has this
young girl. Young she certainly is, for she
tells US with fine scorn: Il was not alive
Twenty-Five years ago, and don't mean to
pretend tina, 1 was" Twenty-three is prob
ably her age, and young enough it is, too,
for girl to brave the dangers of the Gag
pathian or any other remote and mysterious
mountains.
Miss Dowie is the granddaughter of
Chambers, of encyclopedia fame, and she
seems to have inherited an encyclop8diac
knowledge of more things than are dreamed
of in the philosophy of most young girls.
She is mistress of many languages. can take
a fve-barred gate with the Ease of Di
Vernon. She can drink a glass of vodka
without winking and smokes cigarettes as
fast as she can roll them. Having spent
much time on the Continent doing the
things and seeing the sights that fall to the
lot of the fashionable tourists, she tired of it
all and made up her mind to 90 to some
out-of-the-way place = place not only
untraveled by the tourist but unknown to
the explorer, and she selected the Car
pathian Mountains. in Russia p bland, as
the scene of her exploits. There she
passed one entire summer without any COM
panionS save such of the natives as she was
thrown among jew or GENTLE, men or wo-
men-it made little difference to her. If
you read this story as told by her own pen
you will see what an adventurous time she
had alone in the mountains. and you will
wonder how young girl brought up in lux
ury could sleep comfortably in a cew-shed,
eat greasy, mysterious food, battle in a foam
ing torrent and dry herself in the sun with
never word of regret for the comfortable
beds, the dainty food and the luxurious
bath-tub of her native civilization. Miss
Dowie is as clever as she is independent.
She writes well and easily. Slang words
and poetic thoughts run cheek by jowl
through her pages. She is keen observer
and an amusing commentator.
In defense of the Picturesque masculine
garb which Miss Dowie wore during her
journey, she says: San adieu was hidden
to the trappngs of an average woman, and
l induced myself with the tweed suit, shirt,
coat and knickerbockers in which l had de-
cided to face every climatic possibility for
two months. OF my three shirts one was
silk. the other two pink flannel; the rest of
me cased carefully in wooden. had never
envied man his appearance, only the su-
perior convenience of his clothing. In as
Stunning coat such as his it is his pockets
that l want. When put On shirt do it
for its comfort, and with knickerbockers |
only seek to equalize our chances of escape
IN case of tumbles. This is not original that
| know of. Most likely other women who
initiate in some sort their brothers would
say as much, and sigh at the same time for
the masculine vanity which fathers other
yia