The Portland daily press., 1894-04-23
THE AMERICAN GIRL.
Ward McAllister Writes of Her as She
Is In New York.


I While Engiish oiris Are Slaves OF Iheir
Mothers-No Girl In This Country Has to
nrarrv tn Be Free From Home Termination
have often been asked whether knowl-
edre or ignorance is more beneficial to
vouna woman. AS far as regards the self
80 c1ass of 1uona,, .ho,,1d most
suppoA v +bo+ - :: 49, s1o
leclueoly "n0 - ooo'o. oii'-'
should know. "ieuse OF NE otllsos
them to value themselves. They quickly
acquire the ability to distinguish the right
from the wrong, and their parents are there
fore enabled to trust them anywhere. Cir
cumstances force this knowledge on our
self supporting women.
There is probably no woman in any civ
alized country better able to take care of
herself than the American. AS rule, she
NAV be little too eager to advance her
self for if nature has blessed her with
good looks you may be sure that she is
fully aware Of it and will make the most
bf this rare gift In this city, at least once
a week, usually on Saturday afternoons,
she makes it her business to appear, well
dressed, on one of the principal streets
and attracts the attention of the passers-
by. Our young men, who are not slow to
appreciate q pretty girl, are sure to take
her in and ever after keep on the lookout
for her.
She thus learns how to stand the fire
from the battery of eager eyes in search of
inst such beauty as she possesses She
Then takes her first lesson in captivating
IA man, and her battle of life begins in ear
nest. She goes into the fight single hand
ed, as no mother or chaperon accompanies
her. 1t is remarkable what wonderful re-
suits she accomplishes. Provided only
with such stock in trade as she had acquir
ed before leaving her mothers apron
strings. she in most cases secures a fitting
companion for life
A girl of this sort, born and brought up
i'm this city. becomes possessed of such an
intritiye knowledge of the world and of
man that the complete liberty of action al
lowed her is her safeguard as it makes her
WHOLLY self reliant, In some cases the self
supporting girl Is better OF than the young
society woman, for this same self reliance
and knowledge of right and wrong car
ries her safely over the pitfalls of life.
To deny absolute freedom to young
women will do in England, or rather it
has done up to date, but it will not work
in this country. English writers now tell
l1s that their girls. like ours, must be
trusted. Emerson says that self respect
and self reliance in young women are the
master keys to their lives AS to the lib
erty given young women of fashion, an
English authoress tells u.s. 1.-TWO in a
house must entirely sympathize, or one
must rule" In England the mother is
always the head Of the house, but with us,
from the hour when the fashionable daugh-
ter makes her debut into society, the head
of that house is the daughter
Utmost instances the mother is actually
lin the way of the daughter who feels that
her parents, having had their day, should
now permit her to take charge of affairs.
In some cases the daughter is jealous Of
the mother, for it not infrequently hap
pens that the mother not only looks young,
but is Young. She cannot help it, She
cannot help being merry and gay as long
as her constitution is sound and her COM
plexion provokingly clear The daughter
feels that she must be crowded out and
made only a figurehead in the household.
but here she should remember that fair
and 40 is often preferred to half baked is.
When the American young woman does
mot care to marry, but prefers to be indie
pendent, it often complexities matters. In
Er-,-1 Ill ,,,-b ,e .,,rIxy into vootri