Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-07-15
GIRL LEE N poRTuoAL.
How Portuguese Maidens Are Trained
and the Way They Are Caurtet.

How Portuguese Maidens Are Trained
and the Way They Are Couried.
Comparatively little can b. sad Of giri
life In Portugal, for girls have such "A very
slight role ia the life of the uation In
childhood they are bright, clever aud pre-
cocious, very much spoiled aud very much
dressed A formal respect to their parents
IL insisted on, however; they address them
In the third person, kiss their hands and
ask their blessing ut bedtime They are
constantly In the company Of grown up
people. sit up late at night and are fre
quently taken 70 the theatcr nnd opera
A little girl Of nine amused me very
much one day by grave criticism on the
voices Of Mines Nevada and Theodorini,
who were then singing 1T sun Carlos, aud
the parts In which they respectively shoue
Conversation N not restrained In the pres
ence of children, they are early initiated
into that freedom of ideas aud freedom OF
expressing them that is so marked a feature
OF society in southern Europe
The education OF Portuguese Lsiris Is
superficial, consisting chiefly In what used
to be called accomplishments
embroidery and languages. In all three they
attain great proficiency, aud In the latter
they excel The Portuguese, unlike the
Spauiards aud Italians, are first class lin.
gusts, they are, In many eases. ~ fluent
In French, English and German ts In their
mother tongue, and conquer the difficult
ties Of accent and idlom with great no
/ curacy.
/ There are schools Of all sorts in Lisbon
government schools private schools and
convent school, belonging TO the French
order OF st Vincent dc Paul, for since the
suppression OF the national reli gious houses
1 an thssa NINA huVg auiafl IL .urans4 . hair
influence and multiplied their institutions,
and have now almost exclusively In their
/ hands the education of girls Of the higher
/ classes. They leave school at fifteen or six
teen, sometimes earlier, and marry very
| soon after
Among tho upper ten thousand" the
young people meet each other constantly
at balls, receptions, bull fights and at thu
summer resorts aud their courtship is cos.
mopolitan, rather freer than In France,
much less so than ia England Il Is in the
middle aud lower classics that IL IL char.
acteristie OF the country and the nation.
The Portuguese are very conservative Ia
their ideaso the position of women in so
ciety and they got their ifleas from theil
Moorish masters IN bygnne centuries
Consequently, girls lead very shut In
life, they are regularly to mass on Sunday
mornings and take occasional walks dur
ing the week, always accompanied by one
or two chaperons
Young men never call at the house. and
II they did would not be admitted except
on business" This strictuess leaves but
one way open for an interchange OF sentl
ments, and that Il the window and it Il
quite the thing to make use OF it, Ii is mol
considered III tred To stare in Portugal;
mgn may stare at "A girl he does not know
as long as he likes; he must not do SO to
girl he has been introduced to unless she
gives him some encouragement by return
Ing his glances A girl will sit at her win
dow NIL the afternoon looking into ths
street and her adorer from the street look
! at her, aud this il so much the custom tha
1t attracts no attention from the passer by
From looks they proceed 10 bows, u
smiles. TO few words, then he follows hel
} to church, finds out II she Is going To th'
theater, and goes too, serenales her with
his guitar on moonlight nights, aud finall,
makes an offer To her father He is thei
received by the family, aud allowed u
come to the house Ia quiet way till tn,
wedding, ana after that the young conpl'
usually live with her parents or with his
and the even tenor of their life continues.
J heard Portuguese gentleman who has
7 Travelled say; Marriage makes 40 differ
ence in the life OF woman Befnse IL shs
lives with her mother, after 1t she live
with her mother What more could sh'
wantr-Atlauta