Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-01-02
WHAT MAKES A LADY.
The Qualities Required Are Culture, Re-
6uement. and RespectabilIty.

was much amused one day few years
sRo saws n writer in Household Words.
IL was in Florida. Patsy, the black
housemald knocked at my door with
please. sir, the lady what does the
washing ~ outside" The lady what did
the washing was as black as Patsy her-
self, and weighed about eighteen stone
TO boot. But, OF course, every woman -
lady In the United States. II reminds
one OF the words OF the writer in Con-
noIsseur OF the last century. IL lately"
says the essayist took a survey OF the
female world as censor general, and upon
a strict review was very much surprised
10 find that there Is scarcely one woman
TO he met with, except among the lowest
OF the vulgar. The sex consists almost
entirely OF ladies'"
There Is not quite so much pride in this
matter with us as I'm America, but on
the other hand II may be questioned IL
We have not quite as large proportion
OF true ladies' among us as they have in
the great republic, where every one Is
born (or Is supposed TO be born) on an
equality with every one else. j. for my
part. am often indlsposed TO admit the
claim TO ladyship OF persons who arc
forever insisting upon their right TO IT,
Perhaps 1t is mere prejudice in me. L
cannot help II. An analogous case Is that
OF the man or woman who poses before
the world az a person OF immaculate viz
tue. The word lady" has been defined
| by an English authority as "a term OF
complaisance, applied 20 almost any we'll
dressed woman" II is from this aspect
as valuable a credential as the aitix
| esquire"
That famous rhyme OF John Ball (the
| first great English SOCIALISM, in the four
teenth century:
When Adam delved and Eve span,
Who was then the gentleman?
has its application I'm our case. Was Eve
lady2 II 50, then are all her female chill
dren entitled 70 the term. And II not
which OF her daughters first had the te-
merity thus 10 style herself, or allow her
| self 50 10 be styled?-arrogating title TO
which our great first mother had no
claim. Some see in the word n corruption
Of the old Saxon word "hafdg," which
| seems 10 mean no more than woman
In authority, or rather one able TO be-
stow bread on others. from "half' n loaf
This IS rather an acceptable origin for
/ the word. At any rate, 1t advances US
stage on our Journey. We see at once
that It may include in Il a certain exer-
| else OF that most excellent gift OF charity.
| The real lady must not be merely a per-
son in silks and furs, with a fun purse
and proud gait She must be n good
| woman; woman with a tender heart.
And 50 We come TO the most generally
! received present-day view OF the word
| as meaning a cultured. refined. and truly
! respectable woman. OF course [ know
well that the majority Of women do not
| think II essential that they Should be all
! this before they are constituted ladies'.
But with all Difference 20 them, they, "a
Interested parties. ought not 10 have 4
vote in the matter The appeal ought
| rather 70 be- 20 the more competent Judges
| among mankind, and these demand Gull
tire, refinement, and absolute respect
ability IN 4 lady. WHAT l fancy / hear
some one exclaim, rs not the wife or
| widow Of n millionaire necessarily a
/ lady?" Not necessarily, I am sorry 10
/ say. she may be received very obsequi-
ously by bank managers and other per-
/ sons who are disposed TO estimate people
| by the amount Of money they possess
| But at the same time she may be n very
! ignorant, bOorish. and hard-hearted per-
| son. As such She cannot be rockoneI 4
/ lady by those whose opinion in the matter
| - worth having OF the three above
| mentioned qualities, that OF culture does
! not seem 10 be invariably required IN
! the lady. One often meets with women
who, through this circumstance or that.
! have been cheated out Of their due in
educational matters, but who are iunately
! refined and magnanimous. They are the
| Kind Of women least likely % ask the
| world 70 regard them as ladies. and per
/ hups most likely on occasion t. DO deed,
! that stamp them as ladies'.
| There are, however dt may as well be
/ repeated, quite as many noble and love-
/ able women In the world as there are
/ noble-hearted and lovpable ladies'. 4 good
/ woman recommends herself TO me quite
as much az a good lady. There IS. indeed.
/ something about the word woman"
/ which touches the core Of Il mans per-
| sonality more effectively than the word
! lady The appeal TO his syInpathies IS
/ more direct. For all know, my Florida
/ Washerwoman, when she came smiling
/ for her bill, was AZ heart fully two thirds
a lazy. But Oh Patsy's Introduction she
seemed 20 be neither lady nor woman:
just ridiculous fat old creature, and
nothing more determinate