The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-07-12

of the wish of Robert Burns, TO see ourseS as
ithers see u.s." the American people of this
generation have d right TO regard themselves
as among the blessed of the earth. The "ithers"
who see us have been in no wise backward in
letting us know what they see or what they
think they see. So many observers, in fact,
have published their observations and their
judgments upon US, and these have been of
such variety and contrariety in tone, style,
intent and purpose, and of such diversity of
taste, talent and degree OF ability, that we may
fairly say of ourselves, like st. Paul, II am a
debtor both to the wise and the unwise; both
TO the Greeks and the barbarians."
One of the critics of our country and our
manners who must be classified among the
Greeks is S. C. de Scissors, whose newly pub
lished work, "a Partisan in America" has a
sufficiency of charm in its wit, grace and VI
vacity to make it readable book to the gen.
eral public. If we do not regard it as exactly
true of our characteristics, we will none the
less grant that it is amusing. There runs
through it, moreover, little strain OF origin
atty which implies that If the critic mas hot
been profound student OF America ne mas aV
any rate been an acute observer, anu nas
noted certain traits of our society when nave
not been noted by others. 1t may be, OF
course. that these newly discovered traits 90
not exist among us, but that does not aHect
the value of the book as means OF entertain
ment. If NJ. de scissors did not discover
these novelties of American lie ne AnFon'eu
them and deserves credit Tor that.
The author announces IN an Introductory
chapter that he came to America not TO stuoy
its wealth, its democracy its politics, Its won
dsrful landscapes, its great cities or the cnar-
acter of its statesmen, but its women. de
adds, very ilIogically, that the reason he came
to note woman particularly was because ali
other features of the country have been SO ire
ouently described that no other work on any
in CT nc { q American
woman had not been blamed, praised, criti-
cized and described about as often as anything
else in the country. Possibly, however, NJ de
scissors meant only that those who described
the country generally have done 1t justice,
while those who tried to describe the women
failed. In that case, of course. another book
was needed. After the chumps there Is always
a demand for the artist.
Having announced that he came to this
country to study the American woman, NJ. de
scissors does not tantaliZe his readers by post
poning his judgment upon the object OF his
study. At the close of his Introductory chap
ter he says: ITO my great satisfaction
found the American woman not only fin de
steele, but even more than that-fn de globe.
"A strange phenomenon which have OBJ
served says the author in the first chapter of
his book. ''is that, notwi thstanding her promi-
nent position in the social life of this country,
woman does not occupy, as it seems, the same
great place in the hearts, minds, imagination
and passion of the American artists and
poets' Following this assertion is clever
contrast between American art and literature
and those of European nations, and particu-
larly those OF France, in reference to women.
Very few American pain tiers, we are told, have
attempted to depict the American woman, and
those who have done so have avoided the nude
and aimed to display the beauty of her toilet
rather than of her body. It is added that this
oIon
American sculptors or ''statuaries," as our
author calls them, and St. Gaudens, Kitson,
Proctor and Dallin are famous chiefly for their
works representing men and not women.
We may gather some idea of NJ. de Scissors
estimate of American women of the East from
an artistic standpoint by his statement con-
corning the type of women painted by Thomas
". Dewing. OF the work of this artist he says:
"He has lived for time in New England and
those tall languid girls OF Puritan descent,
entirely out of place in the prosaic, tight
buttone1, keep-up- your-appearance society,
have undoubtedly left lasting impression on
him. Their long erect necks, blonde hair, pale,
wistful faces with prominent noses, and their
well-modeled lips must have strange fascina-
ton for the painter. Also as models they must
possess peculiar charm. Their build is firm
and round. mature around the hips, with un-
developed busts, natural waist and an increased
length from hip to knee as q striking
peculiarly"
Turning from painting to poetry our critic
says: 81 have before me book entitled Songs
of Three Centuries edited by John G. Whit.
tier for the use of the American public. The
volume contains several hundred poetical
compositions of the world-renowned American
poets, but only few, and those very tame and
insignificant poems, are inspired by women"
Even Longfellow's "Evangeline' is a tribute
TO the sentiment oflove rather than to woman,
for in the whole poem there is no reference to
physical beauty exceptin the two lines:
Ali She fair exceedingly fair to behold IS she
stood with
Naked snow-white feet on the cleaning floor Of her
chamber.
M. de scissors does not undertake to explain
why the American woman is neglected by the
artists and the poets of the country. He says
very frankly it must be considered one of those
strange things which can be accounted for
only by referring it TO some peculiarly of the
land in which one lives. He adds, however,
that If art and poesy are careless of the Amer
lean woman, so is the American woman indif-
ferent 70 love, sentiment and romance. She
has, he says, much head and little heart. "She
cares less to be beautiful than do the women in
certain European countries, but she wishes
much more to have brains. She is also more
susceptible of goodness, honesty and friend
ship"
1t is not easy to pack into little space d.
gest of all the Partisan has to say OF the
charming subject of his study. He makes of
the American woman. indeed, something fin
de steele and fin de globe. In her life, we are
told, love plays very little part. "The times, >"
he says "when the feeble and fair creatures
stretched out in hammocks and couches
dreamed of the spoony DRESSINGS of hands
which occurred to them days before have
passed away" 1t would seem from this that
our Partisan had never studied the summer
girl, but he quickly shows that he is not ig-
norant of the role he plays at the seaside or
the mountains. The American woman, he
says, '1oves more often and more quickly"
than the European. She delights to repeat.
knew. I knew, 1t could not last.
Twas bright twas beaveny-but It's past
The artistic eye of NJ. de Scissors does not
altogether approve of our woman as type Of
beauty. He says she is not beautiful from a
sculptural point of view, but If painter had q
magical palette he might make her beautiful.
Her best charms are derived from the fact that