San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-08-28
GIRL-hIFE IN PORTUGAL.

A Style of Existence Which the
American Maiden Would not
Choose.
From Atlanta.
Comparatively little can De said of
girl life in Portugal, for girls have
such very slight role In the life of
the nation. In childhood they are
bright, clever and precocious, very
much spoiled and very much dressed.
A formal respect to their parents is
insisted, on however; they address
them, nearly always, in the third
person, kiss their hands, and ask
their blessings at bedtime. They
are constantly in the company of
of grown up people, sit up late at
night and are frequently taken to the
theater and opera. A little girl of 8
amused me very much one day by q
grave criticism on the voices of Mines.
Nevada and Theodorini, who were
then singing at San Carlos, and the
parts in which they respectively
shone. Conversation is not restrain
ed In the presence of children, so
they are early initiated into that
freedom of ideas and freedom of ex-
pressing them that is so marked a
feature of society in Southern Europe.
The education of Portuguese girls is
superficial, consisting chiefly In what
used to be called accomplishments"
music, embroidery and languages. In
all three they attain great proficien-
cy, and In the latter they excel. The
Portuguese, unlike the Spaniards and
Italians, are first.class linguists;
they are in many cases as fluent
In French, English and German as
in their mother tongue, and conquer
the difficulties of accent and idiOm
with great accuracy. There are
schools of all sorts in Lisbon-Gov-
eminent schools, private schools, and
convent schools belonging to
the French order of st. Vincent de
Paul; for since the suppression of the
national religious houses in 1884 these
nuns have quietly spread their infiu-
ence and multiplied their institu-
tions, and havs now almost exclusive
ly in hands the education of girls of
the higher classes. They leave school
at Is or 16, sometimes earlier, and
marry very soon after. Among the
"upper ten thousand" the young peo.
pie meet each other constantly at
balls, receptions, ball fights and at
the summer resorts, and their
courtship is cosmopolitan, rather
freer than in France, mach
less so than in England. 1t is in the
middle and lower classes that IL Is
characteristic of the country and the
nation. The Portuguese are very
conservative in their ideas of the po-
sition of women in society, and they
got their ideas from their Moorish
masters In 10y gone turtles. Conse-
quently girls lead very shut-in life.
They 60 regularly to mass on Sunday
mornings, and take OCCASIONAL walks
during the week, always accompanied
by one or two chaperons. Young
men never call at the house, and If
they did would not be admitted, Eek
cept on business" This strictness
leaves but one way open for An inter
change of sen timen to; that Is the win
dow, and it is quite the thing to make
use Of it. 1t is not considered ill-bred
to stare in Portugal; man may stare
at a girl he does not know as long as
he likes; he must not do so to q girl
ne has been introduced to unless she
gives him some encouragement by
returning his glances. A girl will sit
at her window all the aftern DON look
ing into the street, and her adorer
from the street look at her, and this
is so much the custom that IL attracts
no attention from the passers-by.
From looks they proceed to bows to
smiles, to few words, then
he follows her to church, finds
out if she is going to the
theatre, and goes, too, serenades
her with his guitar on moonlight
nights, and finally makes an offer to
her father. He is then received by
the family. and allowed to come to
the house in quiet way till the we'd
ding, and after that the young couple
usually live either with her parents
or with his, and the even tenor of
their life continues
I heard Portuguese gentlemen
who had travelled and was considered
homme du monde say: Marriage
makes no ference In the life of q
woman; before it she lives with her
mother, after it she lives with her
mother; what more could she want"'
Cutting Down Men.
The San Antonio street railway
conn any issued an order Yesterday