The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-02-01
THE AMERICAN GIRL.
WARD M'ALLlSTER WRITES OF HER AS
SHE IS IN NEW YORK.

lie says She Learns to BE Self Reliant,
whilo English Girls Arc 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 more beneficial to a
young woman. AS far as regards the self
supporting 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 the right
from the wrong, and their parents are there
fore enabl TO trust them anywhere. Cir
cnnstanccs force this knowledge on our
self supporting women.
There is probably no woman in any civ
ilizcd country better able TO take caro- Of
herself than tho American. As rule, she
RAY 10 u little too eager to advance her
self, for Il nature has blessed her with
.0od lool15 you may bc sure that she is
iully aware Of it and will make the most
Of this rnro Gift. In this city, at least once
n wcok, usually on Saturday afternoons,
she makes it her business to appear, well
dressed, on ono of the principal streets
md attracts the attention of tho passers-
by. Our young men, who are not slow TO
apprcC late pretty girl, arc sure to take
her In and ever after keep on tho lookout
for her.
She thus learns how to stand the fire
from tho battery of eager eyes in search of
just such beauty as she possesses She
then takes her first lesson in captivating
n man, and her battle of life begins in ear
nest. She goes into the fight single hand
ed, IA no mother or chaperon accompanies
her IL is remarkable what wonderful re-
suits she accomplishes Provided only
with such stock in trade as 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
intuitivc knowledge of the world and of
man that the complete liberty of action al
lowed her is her safeguard, as 1t 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
rics 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 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 n
house must entirely sympathize, or one
must rule" In England the mother is
always the head of the house, bat 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 1t not infrequontly hap
pens that the mother not only looks yu,Ing,
IL young. She cannot help it, She
cannot help being merry and gay as long
as her constitution Is sound and her COM
plcxion provokingly clear. The daughter
feels that she must be crowded out and
made only tlgurchcad 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
not care to marry, but prefers to be inde
pendent, 1t often complicates matters. In
England n 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 1irt-
ing was done mostly before marriage, but
as CIR women become more Europeanized
they cling, even after marriage, to this de-
lightful accomplishments
We ilolize our children and do not hesi-
tate to make any sacrifices for them. In
the summer mother goes to Europe with
the daughter to place her In the modiste's
hands, while the father is left to encoun-
ter the heat in half shut up house, with
usually one domestic to look after him. A
man and his wife may have had n large
circle OF devoted friends. Their daughter,
ON coming out, finds them all intolerable
borcs- and at once seeks substitutes for
them in gayer and more fashionable peo-
pie.
A man or woman of middle age rarely
makes new friends. But for the sake of
their daughter they are willing to abandon
the friendships of "a lifetime and substitute
acquaintance. A man is often driven
I from the head OF his own dinner table to
sec some empty headed numskull replace
him there. The numslkull is one of the
gny 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 need
plunge into matrimony or make IA loveless
marriage of convenience to free herself
from the restrictions of home life, as there
are none. English writers tell us that in
England young girl cannot walk the
length of two or three streets to visit a
friend without maid as an attendant.
She cannot take an early stroll In the park
without domestic walking gloomily by
her side, while, on the other hand, the
young married woman may walk through
the streets alone and drive in IA hanson
alone.
The revolt Of the daughters in England
Is now fixed fact 1t Is n struggle against
bondage which they declare enslave;
their whole lives. In other words 1t is Q
strike for that liberty and independence
which our American young women enjoy
The young English woman in the past be
longcd to her parents. Our American gir
feels that she belongs to herself In thu
past other people have decided for the Eng
lish girl her dcstinies; now she asks tha
she may decide them for herself, Th'
American girl quietly does it without pc
titioning anybody.-Ward McAllister il
New York World.
big Bug, Small Potato.
A yonnO man frosh from colIaoa