, 1892-02-21
Highest of all in Leavening Power.-LatestU U. S. Govt Report
Re-! Bs'&Rg
ABSOLUTELY PURE
ABSOLUTELY PURE

accident, such as having her lace tounce
torn off, or her toes stepped on, or her
precious bit of china smashed by an
awkward visitor.
One need not perhaps go quite SO far
as the lady well known in New York,
who, when a visitor dropped one of an
almost priceless set of plates, immedi-
ately managed to smash another, ex-
claiming: "Oh, these brittle thingsi One
can touch them without their break
ing! | shall be glad when they are
goner" 1t was heroic, but to my mind
q really amiable smile and q few words
Of gentle reinsurance to the mortified
guest would have peer sufficient.
Another mark of ladyhood easily
enough acquired is a refined code of
table manners, and a woman cannot be
| called ladylike, however transcendent
her virtues and Christian graces, If she
gobbles her food, or talks with her
mouth full, or makes a mess of all sorts
Of homogeneous viands Upon her plate or
does no leave it tidy and with the knife
and fork properly laid upon it instead
of sprawling at the sides.
When one comes to habits of speech
the distinctions are 30 delicately graded
that the self made lady rarely succeeds
in grasping the whole theory. Some
forms of language are perfectly gram
NAUTICAL, and yet a thoroughbred lady
would never use them, and rather shud-
ders when she hears them used; and yet
there is no law except the usage of good
society ~forbidding us to exclaim, "a
want to know" or LET me fix you some
lemonade" or ~ guess I'll nave to go
now" One awful stumbling block in
this direction is the use of this very
word "lady." An odious habit among
us Americans is using it as an address
instead of the French madame or the
English madam. The employees in
shops or stores, in hotels or ticket offices
and public vehicles constantly inquire
"What will you have, lady2" or Here's
your change, lady," or Your street,
ladyT' and l have often been accosted
by well dressed and well meaning wom-
en- in the street with, 'Will you tell me
or perhaps. "You are losing your veil,
lady"
Kindred to this fashion is that of call
ing q girls fiance or admirer her gentle
man or her gentleman friend, and no
lady ever speaks of herself as a lady, as
81 n another lady were going" ETC..
instead of "a lady and | were going"
/ nave spoken of salesladies and ]
think the compound an absurd Ameri-
canism, but | would not for a moment
go upon record as disparaging or belit-
ting that great class of young women
who serve in our shops. Very many of
them are as ladylike and far more useful
n to be respected than their sisters
born to luxury and carefully trained
from the cradle into all the refinements
of life, but why is it not sufficient in
such a position to be known as a woman
q saleswoman if that is the proper
prefix?
If | were to find it necessary to earn
my bread and butter by selling ribbons
or gloves or bonnets | should be neither
less nor more of a lady than | am now,
but | would by NJ means allow myself
to be called a saleslady. | should say:
mo; / am q woman doing womanly
work, and 1 glory in it. l may be a lady
also, but | do not need to insist upon
that view of the case"
A great deal more might be said on
this subject, but my paper has reached
its limits and must close with this one
word:
Cling to the good solid bone and mar
row of womanhood and don't drop it to
snatch at the delusive shadow of lady
hood. Mrs FRANK LESLIE.