Evening star., 1896-07-04

mn y VG~ erS dWelt on the
M mr. used to was" and
u wv we on the prosaic
'is.' The topic was
this: Whether our parents really did have
better time in their youth than we have
now, and why. May thought 1t was
largely a fiction, the story of the fun of
twenty odd years ago; but argued that
making due allowances for the inevitable
glamor of time-our parents are, as a
general thing, pretty truthful folk, and
tfere is good ground for believing them
If 1t was the case, then, May wondered
why. I suggested as the most obvious rea-
son that boys and young men had more
''go" in those days; but she replied to that
that 1t is a standing complaint of her
brother Toms that girls were most likely a
lot jollier then.
Just at this point my mother called me,
so there was no time for further discus
sion. On the way home she told me that
she and Mays mother had been comparing
notes on the same subject. 1t began there
by Mays mother asking my mother what
I had been doing during the past fort
night, to which she replied that there had
been dance or so and some teas and
card parties, a luncheon and a dinner and
calls and being called upon. The next
question was, Does she enjoy herself?" 1t
seenis tnat lnereupon my mother held
forth, in fact. they both did, on the mani
ton Of the girls of today. They arrived at
the conclusion that we are overcritical
easily bored, saying girls are silly and men
are dull nine times out of ten, and that we
much prefer staying at home in peace to
enjoying ourselves as rational young wo-
men should. When they were girls, it ap-
pears, they went in for everything heart
and soul. They never sat out dances be-
cause they were tired, forsooth, or because
their partners didn't happen to be just the
right ones; they never thought of critcis-
ing the cooking or serving of dinner
they left that to older folks, to whom eat
Ing appears to be the main object in life:
they never comp1ained-like set of fat or
rheumatic tabbies-that II was too much
trouble to dress for a luncheon; the dis
comforts OF picnicS went totally unheeded. :.
In fact, I gather that they rather liked
bugs and gnats in their chicken salad, and
wet shoes and stockings and prickly burrs
and hayseed, and dust and Sitting cross
to sleep as the only way iof escaping from
the agony OF the position in which they
were placed. 4 >
Went In for Fun.
They never complained that they would
rather not have danced the cotillon than
to have had to dance it with Dick; they
were never bothered about mans mental
equipment, or whether or not he was a
good talker. They went in FOR fun, and
didn't expect too much, and they cntoyed
themselves great deal more. 1t vas
urged against May that when any one sent
her Violets she was only half pleased, be-
cause they were not roses, and when they
were roses, violets were prettier: further
more, that she left them lying about, as
o1ten as not, forgetting to put them in
water. To be sure, she thanks the sender
sweetly, but the spirit Of carping is there.
Our mothers were tickled hugely I sun
pose. II II were poetical bunch of ransies.
rot fhn-
thoughtful bunch of pansies, too. If thew
only knew 1t; would rather have them than
dollars and dollars worth of expensive.
polite carnations and vielets for we ora
not all Marguerites, and we do not siwaxs
preier the box of jewels to he bunch of
posies, wise men to the contrary notwith.
standing. ~"
The mothers could not determine whether
or no II was pose, or whether we were
really bored and Indifferent. Thay thought
lhat perhaps we were trying to model our
selves selves. upon Mr.. Davis girl in The Hand
that most of us look upon her as a bright
snlnlng type of perfection to which we
can never even hope to attain. Our worst
iauit~n this respect-is that we want to
De allowed to go the even tenor Of o,,r
ways. reading, walking, riding, wheelng
writing, embroidering. practicing and no3
tering around the house. In nv eves
enough; they might have worse things to
complain of. We don't want our frisrdo T
to interfere with u.s. and we are ,ke nid
ana Grabbed people in the smalIness of o,,r
circle, and also in the fact that we ho.a
no cnum IN IN whom we confide our inmost
feelings They admitted that we ora met
pess1mistical with it all. That We are nnite
ordinarily cheerful young women huf nc
accept these pleasures as tiresome duties
ina .nat might as we'll be smilingly performed
since they must be performed, in anv casa
therefore, the outside world does not sness
tnat we are refuses in spirit e'"
The Edge DuIled.
MY mother, wishing to paIliate our of-
tense as much as possible, suggested thar
perhaps our dislike of society" was he
cause We had too much of it. Whom .ha,,
were girls, she said, they never put their
noses In at party until they were regu-
larly launched at eighteen or nineteen. and
then they married year or two later &c
rule, and settled down, so they really did
not nave time to become tired and dull the
Keen edge of enjoyment.
Then Mays mother bewailed tho foot
tnat there was no more of the good com
radeship between the girls and young men
mat tf they had known; no simple, enjoyab bic
,.nsa nrdenosnips, as In years agone. When they
were young the boys and girls gathered
around every evening in different houses
and had jolly, informal time. II saen,s
tnat you never see any of that now. We
20 10 regular affairs and dance in a half
hearted sort OF way, or play cards like q
lot OF equity old squires, and think that to
be cooiiy polite and agreeable is all thai
should be expected of us. y
They held long pow7woEy, these two
and talked around In a circle, ending IN
just where they began; that in some wav
we are deficient. And then 1 gave nv
mother some new ideas upon the subject
ana pleaded our cause; and this is about
what I argued: o'
We always know more than our narents
OF course, and it would be strange r. NC
didn't in this case. We
To begin with, I rather think distance
has lent enchantment to those davs of
their youth. l wonder If: our grandnam-
mas didn't inveigh against their spiritIass
daughters? 1t makes me think Of some
verses l read once in MY childhood thai
did my small heart so much good then that
l have remembered themoeyef since. Thev
were to the effect that Mamma says She
never did this and never did the other. was
never rude, and never forgot her lessons.
never tore her frock, nor drank her nana,s
tea; but grandma says she was lust TIe
me when she was grandma's little girl
My own particular mother undoubtedIv
was more charming than 1 am: and nv
own papa may have been more gallant
than my brother, but 1 decidedly doubt
whether the sum total of mothers and
fathers was more charming and gallant
than Is the sum total Of daughters and
sons today.
Formally of Society.