The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1893-09-14
THE GIRL OF THE AGE.
How She Differs From the Girl of
Former Years.

How She Differs From the Girl of
Former Years.
From the Baltimore Sun.
Woman,s sacrifices for and unset
fish DEVOTION to others, especially
that wholly. unworthy creature, man,
have formed a theme upon which
poets in all ages have delighted 80
dwell. 1t is true that cynical philoso-
piers have from time to time made
unkind remarks about her, but they
have failed hitherto to shake mascu
line faith in the loftiness and disinUer-
ested character of her motives. But
with the changes that have occurred
in recent years in the scope of her
education, in her views of life, in her
conception OF her rights and in her
mission, in her aspirations and in her
fields of labor, have come also, it is
asserted by keen observers, signifi-
cant changes in her way OF regard
ing certain questions of sentiment
that would formerly have appealed
with irresistible force to the tender
and sympathetic feminine heart.
The character of this alleged trans
formation can be best illustrated
by reference to several suggestive
social incidents that have recently
been forced upon the attention of
surprised and startled masculine
minds.
In New York a few days ago, as a
man and his wife were walking down
one of the streets in the vicinity of
the waterfront, the gentleman was
suddenly heard to exclaim in
tragic tone, 'I'll settle this; I'll
go drown myself and, suit
ing the action to the words, he
started at rapid pace towards the
river His wife, with a heartrender-
of keenest agony upon her face, dart
desperate chase succeeded in seizing
him by the coattails just as he was
apparently upon the point of plung
throwing herself upon his manly bo-
som and sobbing Darling, darling
darling, how could YOU" and then
fainting after the approved fashion
of more sentimental age, she took
a firmer grip upon the runaway,
plunged her disengaged hand into his
trousers pocket and, drawing forth a
roll of notes, exclaimed triumphant
ly as she pushed hi1n away, "Now
drown yourself if you want to-" Mrs.
Mantalini might have been moved
by the narrowing picture ofthe "dem-
milton moist, unpleasant body" but
| this American matron of more than
| Roman sternness was not to be NOV
ed or deceived by the masculine de-
vices which were potent with her
softer sisters generation ago.
But it is not the experienced
matron only who seems to be taking
an altered view of the world in gen
eral and of the male sex in particular.
Tee fin de siec girl is, it is Charged,
less yielding, ethereal and romantic
than the girl of our fathers and
grandfathers, and has far keener
vision for the substantial and the
practical. A Tilted lover in another
State has recently brought suit
against his former sweetheart for the
return of the gifts that he showered
upon her during the happy period of
their engagement. When she in
formed him coldly that his prospects
were unsatisfactory and that the
engagement was, therefore, at an
end, he requested the return of the
| tokens of his affection, pair of
diamond earrings, a diamond ring,
a sealskin cape and a mink boa.
Did she promptly send them back,
with fearful and pathetic note re-
ferring to the happy days gone by
or with one of whitening sarcasm
and disdain? Not much. She with
cred him an entirely different way
by absolutely declining to surrender
I the treasures. She held that they
we're the spoils of war, the legitimate
proceeds of the chase and capture,
| and that there was no more reason
that she should return these trophies
of her victory than a conquering
army should restore the plumber
which it bad taken from vanquished
enemy.
Such instances as these, it is urged
| by doubling matrimonial Thomases,
must give the rash young bachelor
pause, and cause him to ask himself
''where he is att and what he is
about before he rushes blindly into
that estate where wise men fear to
| tread. Do they still love us for our
selves and for our fascinating ways,
inquire these doubters, or are they
simply after our cash and our pres
ents? Is the fin de steele girl an adj
vocate of matrimony for revenue
only or is she still the tender and the
clinging vine that she was wont to
be in the days of poetry and
romance ?
We trust and believe she possesses
some of the latter characteristics
! still. He heart is as big as ever, but
her head is more level and she is not
so easily imposed upon as she was In
former times. She no longer believes
that everything in pants is god, of
a larger or smaller pattern, and she
has learned to appreciate her own
value and her own power. The fin
de steele girl is not harder or moro
unloving, but she is more "know-
| ing" She knows the fin de steele
boy very thoroughly, and he might
as well understand that the gags"
that passed with his grandmother on
the stage of life sixty or seventy
years ago are now sadly out of date
| Country People Have Money.