Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-11-11
THE SOUTHERN GIRL.
Julia naSrudsr Tells Of the Sweet Voiced
DamSolS Of Her Home.
MORE BEAUTY IF LESS STYLE.
sweeter Though Not 30 Lcarned-Com.
pared with the Girls Of
Other ScctionA
published. 1894, by Che Box Syndicate


Other Sections
published. 1894, by Che Box Syndicate
Press. New York;
Experience teaches us all the profound
truth OF old maxims and accepted
axioms. and although we may doubt these
In early youth, the time comes when we
subscribe to them as the accumulated
wisdom OF the ages. This by the way Of
preface to the statement that the SOUTH
ern girl ~ very much what tradition has
painted her, and the points in which she
differs from her sisters Of other sections,
be II to her advantage or to theirs. are
those which are the generally accepted
| ones. There seems little question that
she has more beauty, If less good style
| and knowledge OF the world. SO. too. her
voice Is sweeter. though what she utters
| may not be so learned. and her limitation
Of range must be admitted. Her manner
is franker. kinder, freer, though 1t is
VERY far removed from knowingness as
TO the correct mode In the elevation of a
| ~handshake or the 1ot-folding Of a nap
kin. Indeed. the very absence OF know
ledge OF the world is what gives her her
| individuality and max IS her a distinctive
type. 1t has often been observed that
when a southern girl travels she takes
on polish and worldly culture with a sur
prising ease. and with the basis OF her
natural advantages becomes a creature
| of tremendous charm; but, all the same.
travel and contact with European civili-
cation is destructive to the peculiar flavor
OF the southern girl pure and simple. 1t
II. ,A,.otIFar lattar than tho
| type, but II destroys the type.
IN A SOUTHERN BALLROOM.
There is one point. at least. whore the
southern girl Is the superior or her Visi-
tors, and that is in her relation to her
| own sex. Let n strange girl come into
n southern ballroom OF reception or a.
| ternoon tea, and she will find herself
surrounded with n spirit of friendliness
| and welcome. Even the ordeal of the
| dressing-room Is turned from n trial to
a privilege. She will find kind faces
| to look pleasantly at her, and Kind hands
| ready TO render any little service.
| quite Independent Of the question as TO
whether they know who she is or not.
| She will find that she Is not stared at.
| either with approval or severity. III
| her gown Is beautiful. there will be no
| vulgar curiosity about It: and If it is
| dowdy or ugly there will be no SUPER
! cilious criticism of glance. Contrast
all this with the manner that obtains
in a dre~ssing-room at the North, and
| the advantage will undoubtedly be on
| the southern side.
| In her manner Of treating the opposite
sex the southern girl has also her own
way. She is more free and easy, un-
| doubtedly, but a close study of her Will
reveal the fact that she is more apt to
put a man on his honor than her sisters
Of other sections are. She IS so I'M
suspicious of the possibility Of danger.
that that very fact greatly decreases the
danger. The best type Of southern girls
may do in public what q northern girl
would consider fast: but the chances are
that her private actions would contradict
such an impression.
She has the southern attribute OF spon-
taneous feeling and warmth of heart.
and this will always be found stronger
in her than conventionality.
THE NEW Workers. STORY.
An illustration Of this occurred some
time ago In the North, where a New
York man was heard describing TO a
southern girl the vast difference made in
a mans appearance by the doing away
with an accustomed moustache. He said
that when he first shaved off a moustache
that he had worn for years he was rid
ing in the park one day. when suddenly
there crossed his path a lady of his ac-
quaintance. on a horse that had bolted
at something and was running away.
He dashed forward, and tried 10 catch
her horse, but was unsuccessful. n little
further on it was stopped by a police
man, who was holding the excited brute
when the young man came up. exclaim-
ing: "Thank God! / thought you would
be killed" The narrator then described
how the girl had looked at him coldly,
and said: Il don't think 1 know you,
sir"
At this point the interested listener, so
the story goes, exclaimed excitedly,
Good g~racious!'' with true southern We
hemence. Eyes. Just fancy" said the
raconteur "seeing me without my NOUS
tache, she took me for n perfect
stranger IT was amusing - see the
Indignation Of the southern girl. as she
explained that what she had exclaimed at
was. not that the rescued girl had taken
him for n stranger. but that she had
failed to recognize and feel grateful for
svmpathy. expressed by any one at all
on her rescue from q great peril.
what would a southern girl have
done?' her companion inquired.
'Why. she would nave thanked him
cordially. and they would probably have
shaken hands" -,
mot really! How very charming
said the northerner. in n tone by when
he got himself hated from that hour
A vOTARY OF BLOOD.
| But If the southern girl is charming,
she is also apt to lie conceited. in a way
and SO despise the advantages winch she
does not possess. She Is also indoient
and without a due proportion In many
| things. She thinks lightly of learning
\ -. Il, ,piaarnA1 herself. she At
| taches no Importance to art, because she
| knows nothing but nature. She Is SUI
| nremely Indifferent about social vogue
| hecause there is literally no one whom
| she looks up to. She holds, backed up py
| the facts Of history, that most OF the good
| blood in the country Is In the southern
! states. and. in a perfectly kindly way, she
| looks upon northerners, easterners' ana
| westerners as less fortunate sisters pu''
| I'm spite OF this cherished conVlctioh' shc
| is incapable of arrogance. ,
Until l~ately-for 1. must be admltteu
that IL is not now as true as formerly
enc was Indifferent about money, but a
st,ckler for blood. Enormous fortunes
smacked 10 her Of vulgarity and she as
sociated ideas of display and common
moss with them. Mere poverty, on the
contrary. never had any aspect that was
ether unredned or undignified 10 her'
and she had proved by experience Una.
in this state all her ideas of ladyhood
and good breeding could be fuiiy re-
allied.
AT HOME.
The southern girls position In the nome
IL a pleasing, admirable. and IN some
WAYS almost naive one, particularly d'
regards her attitude toward her mother'
She Is very slow in outgrowing' anu VI
- -ocau che never does OQtkTOW ttt
snhserviency and Difference usually heli
nnIv incumhent upOn a daughter