The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-06-08
TIE AMERICAN GIRL.
WARD M'ALLisTeR WRITES OF HER AS
SHE is IN NEW YORK.

He Says She Learns to Be Self Reliant.
While English Girls Arc Slaves of Their
Mothers-No Girl In This Country Has to
Marry to Be Free From Home Domination
have often been asked whether knowl-
edge or ignorance is more beneficial to a
young woman. AS far as regards the self
supporting class of women, should most
decidedly answer that 1t is better that she
should know. knowledge Of life causes
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
ilized country better able to take care OF
herself than the American. As u rule, she
may be little too eager to advance her
self, for IL nature has blessed her with
good looks you may DO sure that she is
fully aware of 1t and will make the most
of this rare gift. In this city, at least once
week, usually on Saturday afternoons
she makes it her business to appear, well
IrSSSeu, Ou Ouc OIL stittts
and attracts the attention Of the passers-
by. Our young men, 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
N ,,,a,, and hnr hattie af lifa bauir in mr..
nest. She goes into the fight single hand
ed, as no mother or chaperon accompanies
her. 1t is remarkable what wonderful re-
cults she accomplishcs. Provided only
with such stock in trade us she had acquir
cd before leaving her mothers apron
strings, she in most cases secures II 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 1t will not work
in this country. English writer's 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 mother 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 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 fgurehead in the household.
But here she should remember that fair
and 40 is often preferred to half baked 10.
When the American young woman does
not care to marry, but prefers to be indie
pendent, it often complicates matters. In
England a girl rushes early into matri'
mony in order that she may have a 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
| II. .-,n. do
lightful accomplishment.
We idolizc 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 modiste'i
: hands, while the father is left to encoun
ter the heat in half shut up house, will
usually one domestic to look after him.
man and his wife may have had a larg
, circle of devoted friends. Their daughter
on coming out, finds them all intolerabl
: bores and at once seeks substitutes 70
them in guyer and more fashionable pee
pie.
"A man or woman Of middle age rarel
makes new friends. But for the sake O
their daughter they are willing to abandon
a the friendships of lifetime and substitute
acquaintance. A man is often drivel
from the head Of his own dinner table t
see 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 N
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 ther
are none English writers tell us that i
England 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 par
without a domestic walking gloomily b
her side, while, on tho other hand, tn
young married woman may walk throug
tho streets alone and drive in a hanson
alone.
The revolt Of the daughters in Englan
Is now fixed fact. 1t struggle againi
q bondage which they declare enslav,
their whole lives. In other words, it Is
strike for that liberty and independents
which our American young women enjo.
The young English woman in the past b
longed to her parents. Our American 81
feels that she belongs to herself. In Il
past other people have decided for the EN-
lish girl her destinies; now she asks thu
she may decide them for herself. III
American girl quietly does 1t without p
titioning anybody McAllister
Npyy York Woild