The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-05-16
THE AMERICAN GIRL.
WARD NAlusrtR WRITES or HER As
SIZE is ~ heW YORK.

lie says She learns to lic self Reliant, !
while English Girls Are slaves Of Their
Mothcrs-No Girl In This Country Has to
Marry TO BE Free From Home Domination
have often been asked whether knowl.
edge or ignorance is moro beneficial to n
young woman. As far as regards the self
class of women. should most
decidedly answer that It is better that she
should know. knowledge of life causes
them to value themselves They quickly
acquire the ability to distinguish tho right
from the wrong, and their parents are there.
fore enabled 60 trust them anywhere. Cir
force this knowledge on our
self supporting women.
There is probably no woman in any civ
ilizcd country better able to take care Of
herself than tho American. As n rule, she
may be u little too eager to advance her
self, for IL nature has blessed her with
good looks you may be sure that she is
fully aware of it and will make tho most
Of this rare gift. In this city, at least once
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 mon, who are not slow to
appreciate n 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
just such beauty as she possesses. She
then takes her first lesson in captivating
a 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 fitting
companion for life.
A girl of this sort born and brought up
in this city, becomes possessed of such an
intuitive 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 off 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
US 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 authorcss tells us, 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
In most instances the motheri is actually
in 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 infrequcntly hap
pens that the mother not only looks young,
but is young. She cannot help it. She
cannot help being merry and gay rs long
as her constitution is sound and her com
plcxion provokingly clear The daughter
feels that she must he crowded out and
made only figurchead in the household.
But here she should remember that fail
and 40 is often preferred to half baked IS.
When the American young woman does
not care to marry, but prefers to be indie
pendent, it often CompliCates matters. In
England n girl PUSHES early into matri
mony in order that she may have n good
time. In this country our young women
do not like to marry early, because the gay
period of their lives comes to them when
they are young girls. In old times flirt
ing was done mostly before marriage, but
as our women become more Europeanized
they cling, even after marriage, to this de
lightful accomplishment.
We idolizo our children and do not hest
tate to make any sacrifices for them. Ii
the summer mother goes to Europe witt
the daughter to place her in the modesto
hands, while the father is left to encoun
ter the heat in half shut up house, will
usually one domestic to look after him. A
man and his wife may have had larg,
circle of devoted friends. Their daughter
on coming out, finds them all intolerabl,
bOrcs and Mt once seeks substitutes TO
them in gayer and more fashionable peo
pie.
A man or woman of middle age rarel.
makes new friends But for the sake o
their daughter they are willing to abandon
the friendships of lifetime and substitute,
acquaintance. A man is often driver
from the head of his own dinner table Il
sec some empty headed numskull replac
him there. The numskull is one of tn
gay young persons with whom the daugh
: ter wishes to surround her fathers table
; for they feel that they do not have the re
straint imposed by middle age.
Fortunately no girl in this country nee
plunge into matrimony or make loveles
marriage of convenience to free hersel
from the restrictions of home life, as Their
are none, English writers tell us that il
England a young girl cannot walk tn
length of two or three streets to visit
friend without maid as an attendant
She cannot take an early stroll in the parl
without domestic walking gloomily b.
her side, while, on the other hand, tn
young married woman may walk through
the streets alone and drive in hanson
alone.
The revolt of the daughters in Englan,
is now fixed fact. 1t is struggle agains
bondage which they declare enslave
their whole lives. In other words, it is
strike for that liberty and independents
which our American young women enjoy
The young English woman in the past be
longed to her parents. Our American gin
feels that she belongs to herself In tn
past other people have decided for the Eng
lish girl her dcstinies; now she asks tina
she may decide them for herself Tn
American girl quietly does 1t without pc
titioning anybody. McAllister II
New York World
Rio TalLinu T.iIo.