The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-11-23
THE AMERICAN WOMAN.
From the American Woman.

| FROM the American Woman
| The apotheosis of woman, which IS
| the so original feature of society" in
America, is first and above all the
apotheosis of the young girl. These
words, SO simple, are still two words
to be explained, for it is probable that
on all the points-reserving, let it be
| understood, that Of honor-they ex-
press exactly the opposite in the United
States to what they do in France.
What first strikes the traveller who has
heard SO much of the young American
girls is the absolute impossibility of
distinguishing them from the young
women. The fact, SO much comment
ed upon, that they come and go alone
as they please would not suffice to es-
ablish the confusion. The identity
goes further. They have the same
jewels. the same toilets, the same lib
erty of speech and laughter, the same
books to read, the same manner, the
same beauty already fully developed,
and, thanks to the invention of the
''chaperon," there is not theater or
restaurant party TO which they cannot
go, alone naturally, and at the invita-
ton of any gentleman Of their &C.
quaintance.
The quality of that official su rveil-
lance may be measured from another
fact, that the young lady for whom
the bachelor gives the party chooses
herself the chaperon. The younger
that chaperon is the more she is ap-
preciated. The young widow and the
grass widow''-the woman separated,
divorced or simply isolated Temporal
rily from her husband-flls the ideal
conditions of the part. You might
just as well say that the young girls
whom you see at Delmonico's in the
company of three young men and the
said chaperon, or who 60 and take tea
at the rooms of another young man,
are as free as though they had no one
to look after them than themselves. 1t
IS that habit of acting for themselves
without control which is manifested
in the singular assurance of their
countenances.
One of the most amiable men OF
New York, who is poet, has had the
idea of forming collection of minia-
lures, where ne places, with their per-
mission. all the professional beauties
Of the town. l remember that in ey-
amining them with the magnifying
glass through the pane behind which
those hundreds of pretty and fine faces
smile forth, / sought to guess those
who had known marriage and could
not succeed. What, in truth, will
it bring them more when it
comes? Duties, husband to
bear with, children to care for, house
to look after. To-day the young girl
has none of the burden of those chains.
She knows it, and she enjoys the time
she has to the utmost. She will not
have one liberty the more when she is
married, and she will have less time to
amuse herself. But in most cases she
narries late. If it is not quite an end
10 her, as it is for the young man in
Paris when he decides to break off his
bachelor life it is at least a commence
nent OF abdication. The majority do
aot conceal it
I'VE must amuse ourselves before
marriage" said one of them gayly to
ne. Does one know what will come
lfter?"
The divorce cases of which the news
pa pers publish the details from time to
time, prove that that young person had
As much sense as beauty. For my
part, after having closely investigated
the human conditions here and In
Europe. think that for young man
Of twenty-five years the best chances
for happiness are to be an Englishman
Of good family, concluding his studies
at Oxford. and for young girl TO be
born American. with father who has
made his money in mines, railways or
land speculation, and to arrive with
good sponsors in the society of New
York or Washington.