The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-08-21
CARRIE CARELESS
Tells Thing or TWO About Feminine
Cheek,
(CoDvrighf.l

/
American woman is cheek. do not mean
insolence, nor yet even impertinence, but
merely plain. cool and unndulterated cheek.
1t exists alongside OF msuy brilliant and
noble qualities, and while there may be
some who are narrow-minded enough to re-
gard it as fault, for one see therein a
subject for much oommendati on. Il not
| only invests our charms with an originality
and piquanoy refreshing to palstes Jsded
by the conventionalities OF the old world,
but has likewise been. If not principal fac
tor, at any rate an important contributor
to the marvellous development, rapid prog
ress and present eminence Of the American
nation.
Uncle Sans daughters, as a rule, are
literally afraid Of nothing. Diffidsnce Is
| foreign TO their character and their bump
| Of veneration conspicuous only by it's alb
sence. The old French saying Of "Rien
nest sacre pour un sappeur" there Is moth
I ing sacred In the eyes Of a sapper) may be
applied with tenfold force to the American
gIrl. She Is generally devoid of any real
feeling OF respect and submission to those
who consider themselves for one reason or
another better than herself, or to have been
placed in authority over her. And as a rule
she is right. For am certain that my fair
readers will agree with me that there is
| nothing in this wide world that is superior
to the American woman.
1t is this lack or diffidence, this absence of
| all fear, and, in ons word this element of
| cheek, which enables us to hold our own in
every position in life and under the most
ditf1cult circumstances. We never lose our
head, and no matter what society we are
called upon to meet we always manage TO
| retain our oompoSure aud the most perfect
presence of mind. This is one of the feat
ures Of the American girl that proves so at
| traotive to royal and imperial personages in
| Europe and which causes her to be sought
| in marriage to such an extent by the aris-
tooraoy and high officialdom Of Europe or
course, monetary consideration and the
greed for our dollars constitute the raison
| d'etre of many OF these international unions.
But am acquainted with numerous In
| stances where foreigners Of distinction, both
| in the aristocratic and in the official
world, have welded American girls
| without cent. In these cases
the men have been prompted to seek part
ners for life among our country women
partly by the personal charms and graces Of
the latter and partly, too, by the knowledge
| that an American girl can adapt herself to
| her surroundings far more QUICKLY aud far
| more successfully than any of her trans
continental sisters. No better illustration
Of this fact con be given than by a glance at
| VIC AdI ko VI uiplOLudtA WHO
have married American wives. A diplo~
mats prospects Of success, both in the present
and In the future, depend very largely upon
| the tact, the clsyerness, and above all, the
| ability Of his wife to adapt herself TO the
| convensionalities and the circumstances of
| one kind and another at eact new post and
| In each new capital to which he may DO ap-
pointed. No less than four Of the foreign
ENJOYS accredited to the court of Russia are
| married to American girls who fully sus-
tain the reputation of the daughters Of
| Uncle Sam for lsvel-headsdness, intuition,
adaptability and tact.
Probably an even still better illustration
| OF this absence of fear and diff1dence and of
this adsptability is Furnished by the case Of
Mrs. Grover Cleveland. AS an American
woman, / cannot help admiring the per-
| fectly natural and unconstrained manner
| in which Mrs. Cleveland assumed the duties
and social responsibilities of the wife Of
President Of the United States Immediately
| after her marriage. Imagine, for instance,
taking an English girl belonging by no
means to the highest ranks of society, and
! whose entire life has been passed either in a
small town or provincial boarding school
and then suddenly thrusting her, without
any preparation, into the position held by
the Princess of Wales. She would newt
ably be dazed by the sudden transfer from
| obscure mediocrity to great eminence. She
would lose her composure, her head would
become turned aud her gaucheries and
social solecisms would become the talk of
the town. In one word she would render
both her own position and that Of her hus-
| band intolerable.
Yet, Mrs. Cleveland, who entered the
white house as its mistress under precisely
| similar circumstances, and with the same
| disadvantages OF education and social sur
roundings, at once took up her position as
| what we euphoniously term the first lady
| In the land, as IL she had occupied 1t from
| childhood.
No one but an American girl would have
been able to achieve such unqualified sue
cess as that which attended Mrs. Grover
| Cieveland's term as mistress of the white
house
OF course there is point where cheek
ceases to be virtue and degenerates into q
vice. And since have just been referring
| to the white house I may add that nowhere
| Is this Woe more apparent and more fragrant
| than al Washington. There are women
| there who literally recoil at nothing They
| infiict their company unbidden at every en-
tertatnment whore the doors are not closely
watched, and are not even awed by the
presence Of death itself. remember a Gu
rious instance OF this some time ago, when
Gen. Joseph x. Johnston, one of the most
prominent leaders Of the confederate army,
and the principal lieutenant of Gen. Lee,
| breathed his last at Washington. Barely a
| couple Of hours after his death, and before
| his body had had time. to grow cold
a handsome carriage and pair dashed
up to the door Of the generals
| house on Connecticut avenue, and
out stepped lady well known in the society
OF our national capital. She asked to see a
member Of the family, and on one OF the
old soldiers nephews inquiring the object
Of her visit, she exclaimed; 40, have
come to ask for lock of Gen. Johnstons
hair
Are you a relativeF' asked the gentle
man, with surprise, and on receiving a neg
alive response, he added inQuiringly, "or an
| intimate frtendp 20, no." replied the lady,
in the most airy manner. but l am coll
Letting locks of hair Of famous men.
have, among others, lock Of Gen. Grants
hair, one OF President Linooln's. and one of
Booth, his assassin. just wanted lock Of
| Gen. Johnston's hair 20 make the collection
complete"
Happily such manifestations OF feminine
cheek as this are the exception rather than
the rule among the daughters OF Unole Sam
CARRIE CARELESS.