Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-11-10

between them partakes almost as much of
the relation of sister as of parent and child.
This fact gives the girl an insight into the
cares and responsibilities of her mother, and
so leads her to share in these, by learning
to make the desserts, do the preserving, etc,
etc, all of which. at the same time, gives
her the training for becoming the head OF
her own establishment.
Another faVorite pastime of the southern
girl is the cultivation and care of flowers,
the favorable climate giving great oppor-
tunity for this and in many instances the
taste extends to the growing of vegetables
and fruits. One southern girl, well known
to the writer, recently made the experiment
OF cultivating such vegetables as were not
commonly grown in southern gardens, arti-
chokes, caulifowers, etc, etc, and, after
doing every bit of the work with her own
hands, accomplished her purpose with the
most brilliant success.
Kindness to Interiors.
Another point on which a southern girl
differs from her sisters is in her treatment
of interiors, and especially Of servants. In
the old slave times the servants were looked
upon AS members of the family, in a way,
with identified interests and affections, and
1t Is a relic of this system that causes the
southerner now to treat servants with more
feeling of a common humanity than is
shown in other sections. Another point of
conceit in southern girls is their riding.
They look with a fine scorn at the method
and manner of a woman who has got her
training in riding school, and is prepared
for no contingencies beyond the possibilities
of riding school experience. She may hold
her reins properly, sit with precision, know
how to post and to make a thoroughly cor
rect appearance on horseback but to a girl
who has been brought up in the saddle, and
scrambled for her experience, and who
could take fences and bitches from the time
she was mere child, Holding her reins &C
cording to instinct, and relying on con-
geniality Of temperament between her horse
and herself for results, that is not riding!
Let 1t be understood that when the con-
ceit, the Indifference to education and the
other faults of the southern girl are men
toned, she Is held to be charming in spite
of these facts. and not because Of them!
While the more extended contact with the
great world which is now coming about
will undoubtedly deprive the southern girl
of some of her "cachet," she must derive
a deep and important advantage from this
broader experience. 1t has been said by
some one that the greatest discovery of the
nineteenth century is woman, and nowhere
IS this truer than In the south. By the
force of inherent conditions woman in the
south has been more hidden and retarded
than elsewhere The person who said that
In the creation man was the chief consid-
GRAFTON and woman a mere side issue
voiced q generally recognized truth; but
since the conditions regarding women have
become freer everywhere and have at last
penetrated even to the southland of our
country, there have been some surprising
revelation made in short time; superior
talent has appeared In many cases, and in
one Instance certainly genius. So 1t Will
not do to speak with scorn of the southern
girl, even in the very point in which she is
acknowledged to be the inferior of her
northern sister the point Of mentality.
Such mentality, at least, as comes from
earnest culture for cultures sake.
VIII There BE n Better:
The southern girl of the old regime is
4. ~
and We are not wholly consoled for her loss
by the belief that we shall have something
better. in her stead. AS she travels more
and becomes more Of the world worldly, the
freshness and fneness of her flavor will
necessarily be dissipated. Even now we be-
gin to notice and to half deplore the creep
ing in of innovations. When one of our
southern beauties, for example. goes to the
north and makes her record there, and
wins her need of praise, she comes home to
us distinctly changed. She Is better style,
perhaps. She has learned a certain self
control and reserve. She is more distin-
guished in her person and IN her dress. All
this she has gained, but there is an indie
scribable something that she has lost
Again we recall the indisputable wisdom of
an axiom and say: Nothing for nothing"
and we are thankful for the gain and rec
onciled to the loss!
Men Mt Her Feet.
Every one, certainty every man, mas no
ticed the characteristic bearing Of a south
ern girl toward men. especially in society
The traditions Of many generations have
taught her to take naturally the position
that women must be sought, and with the
southern girl of the best type this is para
mount still. AS a result, men find that she
pleases them, without effort, and the very
absence of this effort, to which they are I'M
fortunately too accustomed, makes her in
fnitely more pleasing. This gives her also.
in many cases, the certain air of languor
and incidence which, in Itself, invites to
effort on the mans part to rouse and please.
Another lack in the southern girl is that
energy and capacity for business and self
support which so characterizes her northern
sisters, and which, in a population of such
great female excess, cannot be too much re-
joiced at, but this, too, costs something and
the southern woman who acquires it loses
something of her charm.
In conclusion, 1t is apropos to quote an
anecdote published years ago, but having
such a significance, in this connection that
1t may be repeated:
In Virginia town a very small specimen
of the southern girl was looking out of the
window, when she suddenly remarked to
her aunt:
20, auntie there go the Jones childreni
They are awful. You can't imagine how
bad they are. They tell stories and disobey
their mother, and everything; and II they
L
rect they'll every one grow up to be Yam
keesr'
With this inherent point Of view it is not
surprising that the southerner Is rather
lamentably a creature of prejudice; and yet
when all is said and done, the young girls
of that race, at least are beings of such
undeniable charm that one may we'll be for
given for retaining, even after full knowl-
edge of them, a prejudice in their favor.
JULIA MAGRUDER.
Nothing New Under the Sun.
From Truth.