Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-06-14
ABOUT AMERICAN WOMEN.
THEY ARE EXTRAVAGANT, SAYS
HARRIET STANTON BLATCH.
Some Comparisons With English
Women by One Who Has Lived in
London for Fourteen Years
Friendly but Candid Critic.

Harriet Stanton Batch, in N. Y. World.
As [ am a college graduate, I presume 1
may, without offense, ~criticise my fellows;
for 1 thus exhibit the commerdabie mega
tive virtue OF not singing the praises OF my
own clan. Having lived for some fourteen
years in England, l am tempted, too, TO
contrast some of the apparent. surface re-
suits of higher education upon the women
Living at the basis of the differences is,
perhaps. the opposite views taken OF col
fcge life. We incline to regard higher edu-
cation as an end in Itself, Whlle our En-
giish sisters look upon II only as a means
to an end. We aim, as q rule, at an alb
syraction we call culture while the En-
glish woman is seeking tools 10 use IN
practical AFFAIRS: me rgPreJe dan deSe i3n
ing in local affairs during the past rev
years has opened to educated women
they are not only voters but once hoIdeTs-
an immense field in which business ability
is trained. over 1000 constituencies nave
elected women to local boards which deal
with the Door law, public education and
parish affairs. One feels that in England
women culture has been tempered with ex-
perience. Consequently, when ~ comes 70
dealing with the prdctlcal prODlems OF NE
the training of servants, Tor eNample-We
are mere dreamers as compared TO the En-
glish. IL is conceivable that the American
woman, with her daring and spontaneity-
which. by the way, is her chief charm IN
European eyes-may yet strike out some
bIlAll4AA ktlAtI lLdAADlAs u q ANRNAN -
energetic mind tends more TO skim the sur
face OF things.
American WOmen's Extravaganza.
The salient feature of American life,
which every visitor at once remarks, is It's
X~traVagance-an extravaganza, too, which
brings neither comfort nor leisure. 1t is
scarcely a worthy outcome OF republican,
ism and education that II can be said that
We spend more on dress than the women of
any other country. This method OF Sug-
gesting a sound banking account has so in
demand hat the milliners bill shal De
large. One of our first specialists IN nerVc
Gus diseases, when addressing a body OF
undergraduates. proclaimed that -colege
women did not give sufficient attention TO
dress" and implored his hearers to rectl1y
that error. How a man conEersanI %lon
could give such advice IS MY expllcable
on the suppOsition that the doctor wished
may need more care, artistic dress may be
worthy of greater consideration, but what
is implied in that word dress mas eaten
up more health and happiness than, any
one thing in life. For the benefit OF the
over-driven American man who foots the
bills, for the good of the nation, II would
be well were women TO cease their COMPETE
tive race in finery. If il is true, winch L
doubt. that the college woman is giving NJ
tie thought to dress. men have cause 1or
Thanksgiving that she is developing at least
one sterling virtue.
Competitive Race for Finery.
Two years ago, when I visited America,
1 found that the fashion. during my short
absence. had changed in carriages ana
house fronts. In the effete monarchles OF
the old world. people buy a carriage 10
last a generation or two. The style OF We
hicle may gradually improve. but there
comes no sudden fashion, with an mex
or2ble decree that a certain build OF Sucn
an expensive thing as a carriage snail De
forthwith banished and another substitute
ed. What became of the older pattern OF
carriage in America? / do not know, put
within the space of a year or two II mas
a.. DraEFnf pEanUaf and QH nv
fellow countrywomen were seated in high
backed colonial carriages.
And fashion had declared another law:
LET us make unto ourselves a new front
door" Under an effete monarchy houses
ara built to live in so long as they Will
last: but restless America builds to pull
down, for no matter what the cost she
must appear to be up to date what a
contrast comfortable old London offers,
with its houses so unadorned they LOOK IKE
SOLEMN rows of people without eyebrows.
with its wealth showing itself in wooden
pavements to deaden city noise, and in
large gardens. giving hints of country life!
C~ontrasted with Sedate London.
But TO come still nearer to woman king
dom than front doors or carriages, in snort,
to things over which we reign supreme, and
where the educated woman could use her
i~nluence for good. / am thinking of the
dress and care of American babies. Or
course. men are to blame for most things,
the existence of babies included. since they
will insist upon asking US to marry them,
DnI IO OI6 Is ItEDOlA|AblC saw ~
the way we dress and care for children.
Men dare not say a blessed word on the
subject. Should any one doubt the truth OF
what I am going to state, let the mothers
of New York go 10 Central park and re-
port frankly on what they see. / wish II
were not true. but experience compels me
TO conclude that the woman who is acting
as nurse in America is the most irritable
in the world. 1 walk in the park almost
daily. and l am not exaggerating when 1
say that 1 have not yet seen a nurse show
the slightest sympathy towards the chill
dren under her charge. When not flirting
maid or reading TO herself, she is slapping
or bullying the children. Surely this mat
ter nearly concerns educated women.
Reform in Nurses Needed
But in my grumble I must not neglect
to say that there are some merry, content
ed children in the park; namely, those VINO
are in the care of old men. 1 know not
who the many white heaired men wheel
ing the baby carriages may be. They are
So patient. so tender is their care, so
happy their charges, that 1 offer up a
prayer each time l pass any of them that
If | am incarcerated again as an Amer1-
can child / may have a grandfather.
Again, no little princess is decked out
on a ceremonial occasion so deliberately
Poor little things. how 1 pity them!
Dressed often in silk Cloaks trimmed with
real lace. they become pegs for their
mamma to display wealth upon. OF
course, no one can possibly think there is
any fun in this for the baby; at most it
can only be urged that our taste has be-
come so vulgariZed that children elabor-
ately clad come TO look picturesque to us.
In Paris one sees great heaps of sand
where the children dig and enjoy them
selves. But We demand no such joyous
recreation for our little ones. Sandbanks
are cheap and would necessitate simple
clothing for the happy gnOmes who would
quickly take possession of them. 1t is
true. this would not look rich. but does
the law compel us all to display wealth
though 1t mean purgatory for the babies?
I am not urging simpler living on any
ground of self-denial. fer 1 dislike acrid
puritanism. Simplicity pays better. that
is iS merit. by il mora hannineSs can he