The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-07-22

/ children Of that woman / AVE placed at
the other end of the scale, a handsome.
muscular person. who is an adept with
! her tennis racket and a jealous cyclist.
! If any thing the father OF my types beau
tiful is somewhat less strong than the
father of the poor little degenerates for
whom my Amazon mother is responsible.
Between these two extremes my examples
fall into their places with an almost logi-
cal sequence.
.In every instance the children of the
less muscular and less robust woman
! carry off the palm. some in beauty, some
in intelligence, some in high mental or
moral development. That the children Of
the more robust mothers are not all
knock-kneed and puny I need scarcely
say. but they are, in every ~istance, in
ferior-if not always physically, certainly
in mental quality or in human charm-to
those of the more womanly type.
Indeed, were it true that the habit of
muscular activity conduces TO the welfare
of the race, the children of THE working
classes would be as much superior in
brain and physique to those Of their more
leisured neighbors as they are in fact in
ferior."
When a girl has arrived at what is
| considered a m~arriageable age in Ger
many her parents invite young men to
the house." writes Charlotte Bird, of
.eGirl Life in Germany" in the July
Ladies Home Journal" Two or three
| are invited at the same time SO that the
| attention may not seem too pointed. But
no young man is ever invited to the
| house until after he has called at least
| once. and thus signified his wish to have
| social intercourse with the family. If he
call several times in too close succession
| it is taken for granted that he has 'inten-
TONS and he may be questioned con-
! corning them. Generally an engagement
is made public as soon as the arrange
| ments can be made. This is done by
| means of the newspapers and formal an
| nouncements on cards. The mar supplies
a plain gold band ring for each. This is
| worn during the engagement on the ring
| finger of the left hand. From this time
the contracting parties are bride and
bridegroom. Among conservative people
| even the affianced couple is scarcely al
lowed to be alone, a chaperon being pro-
vided whenever the young people go out.
A betrothal may last several years, until
the bridegroom can become settled in life,
but in most cases the marriage soon
takes place. Just before the marriage the
| bans are published in the church, either
on two successive Sundays or, If the time
be short, twice on the same day. In the
latter case a notice is posted in a public
| place notifying all concerned of the wish
of the couple to marry"
49,
AS an example let us take that work
most looked down upon by the people
who undertake it-domestic service, says
.'Harper's Bazaar" A c~oachman, butler
or footman is ordered to shave and wear
a livery, and l have never heard OF an
Instance where any objection was raised
AS for the footmar. the livery into which
he crawls without a murmur is often as
absurd a set of clothes as any even in
vented; and in this unmistakaDle mark
Of his calling he is even made to stand
waiting BY the hour outside a shop, car
rying some little pampered pet of a poo
die. and so lacking in human dignity IS
ne that he is apt to play with the dog
and while away the time as best he may
On the other hand. a house maid or
nurse who objects to wearing a cap IS not
an unusual experience, and IS especially
one TO be expected if the maid in question
be American born. The argument Is, OF
course. that the woman has more self re-
speet than the man, and that she mas an
additional dose of self-esteem when she
is a free A-merican-born citizen. But this
is so thin an excuse that one may look
straight through it and see the la
mentable lack Of self-respeet in a person
who has not sufficient dignity to
dignity whatever work is UNDER
taken, be it ever of the most despised
kind. If we are ashamed to openly ac-
knowledge to the world what we are do
ing to earn an independent living, we are
not too good for the work we do. but the
work is too good for US.
Never should the mother, through that
foolish desire to keep her child as long
as possible dependent upon her, or that
worse pride which would show itself t.
be self-suficient, refuse the proffered help
Of her child. If She is doing something
in which from the nature of things, she
cannot share. let her be careful to sub
stitute some other loving service while de-
Ginning the one proffered remembering
that love turned away nourishes selfish
ness. and proffered help refused begets
idleness. She may have to say, mo. dear
You cannot help me to dress the baby"
bur she can add. "You may hand mann
ma the clothes"
Nearly all the capes have frills or grad
uated lounces, but they have the full
draw n hacks that often make the figure