The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-02-28

wants to Help Crush out This Growing Evil
Correspondence Sunday Postl
New York. Feb. 10. d

! ana more ca tufed. But did you CF4"
happen to think how it is given over
to petty gossip: When we pick up the
diary of Mr.. Pepys we laugh, in a semi
plying way, al the minute descriptions
he gives Of the Caib life Of the people
among whom he went We forget, how
ever, that those were the days when the
newspaper was Of little worth, letters
were a long time in going from place to
place, few people travelled, a spade was
very cmfthatically called spade, and
art, with a capltal A, was not thought or.
1t is true that in those days there were
heroes, and nowadays heroes are scarce.
AS the world grows larger it grew broad
er, and men and women counted it AN
evidence Of ill-breeding TO indulge in
gossip about little things Probably hu-
man nature didn't change, but there was
Il day Of dignity when ladies' did not
chatter 50 much after the fashion OF
monkeys, and men found them less good
comrades, but very much more celestial
| beings, to whom great respect must he
shown.
Possibly the woman Of to-day is more
interesting, but how she can talk She
has very little fear of anything or any
body, and as gossips and scolds are no
/ longer ducked or put in the pillory, she
can give vent to all her small d3slikes
and in the most positive manner. OF
course, there are many women who find
no pleasure, either In listening to or in
dulgmg in this small tattling; but the
clever gossip who is a bit vicious has
hgYr MD to II. Il II
as she is laughed at Sometimes this
type OF gossip wears masculine clothes
and claims to be man, then he is that
much more contemplate; for small sins,
especially sins of the tongue, have been
at various times conceded to women
when they were counted mean and low in
man. The best way to down the wo-
man of the vicious gossip type is to listen
to her with a look of perfect Indifference
upon your face. This makes her furi-
GUS. She doesn't mind If, by speaking of
a friend, she makes yOu angry; she
doesn't mind if, when she rattles the bones
/ of your family skeleton, she hurts you;
but she does long to claim your attention
and force your interest. 1t requires some
courage to look at her indifferently, and
as if you were sizing her up; it may
make her hate you, but it will force her
to confess that you are beyond her and
+ her type, since you do not care in the
least for their malicious talk
( A woman Of this kind seems to delight
in hurting young, defenseless girls. At
q reception this winter, 10 the horror
Of everybody Mrs. Hurtful said to be
debutante: How and where is your
mOther| The girl almost tainted, but
she had good blood in her, and she had
that wonderful something called pluck.
which stood by her, so she held herself
mp as we'll as she could, and said:
Thank you, she's quite we'll she's on the
continent" The truth was that three
years before the mother Of this girl had
been the heroine in a dreadful scandal
and it was a welllnown fact that she
was living a horrible life in Paris. Some
one did have the courage to ask this wo-
man why she said what she id. And
she answered: "Oh, well, those people
are always so far above everything that
a little human that l thought I'd give
them a hit" 1t was true they were
above mean acts, but, after all, the world
/ is not so bad, for among the women who
were present when this happened at least
FIVE took Mrs. Hurtfups name off their
list and her enemies were increa sed.
/ Nowadays, except with very little child
rem you no longer see the French nurse.
In her place with the children of the rich
is the English nursery g0verness. She is
apt to be rather gaunt looking, but she is
certain to be a woman Of gentle birth,
gentlemanners, and with sufficient educa-
ton to answer until the children are
4
This autocrat of the nursery brings with
her, in addition to a perfect English ac-
cent, pronounced English ideas on the
subject of children's parties, sweetmeats,
baths clothes, waiting on ones self, les
sons and spanking. In this last art she
is an adept. She teaches the children that
they must eat and eat properly, and they
learn. very early in their acquaintance
with her, that she obeys King Solomon's
order, and is not economical with the rod.
She is absolute monarch in the nursey.
OF course she really does no real mental
work, but she absolutely regulates the
lives of the children, hears their simple
lessons, and cultivates in them those
manners which, for centuries, well be-
haved children have been expected TO
copy. She is making the American child
rem on Une TlCu SIlleuulu1y gFOoHle0 -IlUJlt
animals, and She is teaching them, with
animals, and she is teaching them, which
is a good thing for them to learn, the de-
STABILITY of waiting on themselves. At
| the table they must learn to help them,
selves to a proper quantity of food, talk
| ing not too much and not to take too lit
tie. A tiny maiden Of my acquaintance
| is being taught This neat art in sad but
good way. was in the nursery when the
children were having tea, and while each
one was enjoying, with a cup of weak
tea or glass Of milk, piece of hot, but
simple, cake, this little maid Of FIVE was
eating, off a dinner plate, some cold veg
etahles and some cold pudding. She was
inclined to he bit greedy, and when she
fancied a dish, helped herself TO a great
deal Of it. The English governess brought
the remedy for this bad behavior. When
She took too much Of anything her plate
was reserved for her and she had for her
tea the oyerplus. The medicine was a
very unpleasant one, but ] am sure in
v.rtsI fba child will