The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-03-05


rgsuoli and Bishop Potter alike, and
calls them "seventh-round men, by
which puglistic phrase she merely means
that In their successive incarnatiols they
have attained the last magic circle. from
which they may be expected to rotate
into the sinless passivity of Nj vana-
suggestive 10 the unenlightened mind Of
the vacuum which nature ,roverbiaily
ahhors. OF course she believes in the
mind cure"
Whatever germ Of truth this still popu-
lar fad contains has expanded and put
forth shoots I'm the congenial soil OF her
fertile brain till Ii has become Gull hlt wn
exotic. In her enthusiastic conviction
she agrees with the "Autocrat Of the
Breakfast Table that III all the medicine
In the world were thrown into the sea
1t would be so much the better for men
and so much the worse for the fishes"
Indeed she is Of the severe opinion that
old school practitioners earn their daily
bread by putting their victims forever
beyond the need of similar sustenance.
She Speaks slightingly of her body as
this expression of mortal mind" and she
accepts the most revolutionary theories of
mind and matter with truthfulness truly
beguiling.
OF the period. too, is the literary girl.
This young woman In these days of uni
versal sable hosiery Is no longer a blue
stocking. even though she may cherish
aspirations toward Harper's or the Cen
fury. II was a Western damsel who met
Mr.. William Dean Howels and being
pleased by his personality asked him TO
write something In her autograph album,
and upon reading what he had inscribed,
exclaimed: why, Mr.. Howells, / should
think you would try to write something
for publication. I have seen far worse
things than that In printI" There are far
worse things In print than evolved from
the brains Of our girl writer's who, tho Ugh
rarely phenomenal, like brilliant Amelie
Rives, yet seldom attempt TO WELD the
pen without having something to say and
the capacity to it-differing therein from
the schoolgirl whose teacher finally dis
missed her because she had no capacity
and whose indignant father sent her back
with the message that he could afford 10
buy her one! AS for the pinnacle OF fame
the plenty-of-room-at-the- theory Is
a fallacy. A pinnacle Is in its very nature
remote, dwindling height, and who
gains 1t must struggle for his pre-emi-
nent foothold and ruthlessly dlBplace
less stalwart climbers. II is on the basis
OF mediocrty that there is plenty OF
room. and If 1t is here that. with few OK
ceptions our best writer's stand, 10 is
none the less probable that with several
strings to their bow-a more desirable
equipment In literary than in sentime entail
archery-they will with a little practice
aim straight. twang with a will. and bit
the mark Of public approval.
Then there is the charitable girl, who,
II she doesn't Join college settlement.
prates about the ''amelioration OF the
masses" visits her poor families and at
tends committee meetings. She lives in
fashionable neighborhood and often
has a carriage and coachman at her dis
posal, but she corsiderately leaves these
at distance from the scene OF her min
istrations for which she oonscientiously
dons her plaincst garb. She bangles her
bracelet for the newt be baby while
she bestows advice upon baby's ma nIna.
She is not the girl who asked why If
the poor could not obtain bread they did
not eat cake, though she knows little
more OF the necessities OF the 500 tlled
lower classes. But her heart is in the
right place, and IL is not her fault that
fate has spared her this unrCyal road
to knowledge.
BY no means least, in the opinion OF
her admirers. is the society girl pure and
simple She hasn't any fad except to be
in the swim and make herself charming
10 those about her. She is usually prone
to high church Episcopalianism. and az |
ter winters tale Of teas, theatre par
ties and ravishing gowns she observes |
Lent scrupulously She trips demurely |
forth. carrying a dainty prayer book, |
to vespers, where with meekly bowed |
head she murmurs her Good Lord de- |
liver u.s." and II into the midst OF her |
responses a will o-the-wisp vision of the |
Easter bonnet which Is TO crown her sun |
ny locks less than forty days hence |
dances unbiden do not condemn her too |
severely. Curly gold locks coyere fool |
ish brains.' but all too soon the gold |
must mingle with an alloy OF silver, the |
smooth brow submit to the burrows |
ploughed by envious time and the soft |
eyes be surrounded by criss-cross. thread
like indentations. and II will not matter
whether she crowns herself With flowers /
and ribbons or penitential cinders. so |
that she keeps we'll within the bounds Of |
elderly propriety.
The theme is we'll nigh inexhaustible.
Shall mention not be made of the sym
ebony concert girl. who. contrary TO all
known laws OF Instrumentation, harps |
upon every instrument Of the orchestra; |
the cooking-scho GIRL who can concoct |
Douffies and consommes. but to whom
bread is a sphinx-like mystery2 Then.
too, there are the aesthetic girl, now hap
ply well nigh extinct; the college girl,
who reyels in Greek and philosophy as
her LEGS intellectual sisters in the latest
novel; the Browning girl. whose h ad is
turned askew by the poet of whose
pages the unelect say one can turn two
1t n time and never know the difference;
even the woman-suffrage girl, who,
hough she holds that taxation without
Is tyranny" ia not with
)ut her full share of charm: and the gen.
eral utility or "all round girl is, per-
maps, best of all, for she can turn her
versatile hand and brain to anything
hat makes a girl what nature intended
Ter to be-a delight and blessing to cre-
York Sun.