Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-01-05
YOUNG LADIES in LONDON.
Degenoracy of the Society Miss De-
scribed by an Englishman.

Degenoracy of the Society Miss as De-
scribed by an Englishman.
The modern 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 it's little trivial duties and details,
has become an absorbing occupation,
and her mind can scarcely extricate
itself even temporarily from its
contemplation. AS a conversationalist
she is utterly beneath contempt
never originating a new idea, nor
sven reproducing an old thought in a
fresh setting; she almost entirely con-
fines herself to personal gossip, with an
occasional resort to 'chaff." She sci.
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. If
she travels, her mind does not burden
ffSnlf with tho fhinSrS hot cha hoS
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: ''Oh, yes, I went to tho
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
a 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
and-discriminate. They witness per-
Torrance and digest its details. The
one collects facts and fictions concern.
ing a limited class, and repudiates the
AAOAO AAAPOA Cth4Ap hAo"l CNlSC Va 1L4SI
while the other utilities people as mere
paws in the serious game of ambition.
Within the past fifteen years-ever
since, indeed, the London young lady
successfully battled with the then para
mount young married woman, and, as it
were, informally incorporated herself
prematurely in the same category-she
has been steadily degenerating both in
personal worth and in general esteem
After two or three seasons, she now
generally affiliates herself to some semi
rapid umarried woman, under whose
chaperonage she forms one of frequent
partis-carres to the play, to suppers at
night clubs, to race meetings and ex-
cursions on the river, and, in fact, soon
becomes practically as unrestrained
and as experienced as her married COM
panion. The charm of a young girl is
her dissimflarity to man, and by con-
forming to his natural tastes and pur-
suits she loses her chief attraction
She becomes a pal," but she is no
longer the idol to be adored and wor-
shipped, the ideal to be wooed and won
London Truth.