The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-08-12
The Summer Girl
of lS25=l9OO.
BY G. l.. Beach, Summer
Man OF Ninety three Years.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS,

know the summer girl Of today and |
remember her grandmother and her great
grandmother. Now, I'm not going TO say
which was the sweeter. the old fashioned
girl or the new. The young men have
found both charming, and that is enough.
But there is wide difference between
the demure maidens OF long ago in the
wide-spreading crinolines and big poke
bonnets tied under the chin and tne
young women OF today in golf skirts, high
boots and alpine hats
The old time summer girl wished TO be
called ladylike and modest. There wasn't
any such word then as up-to-date. TO de-
serve these titles she maintained u de-
c5rous silence in the presence of her
elders. When they spoke to her she
dropped with witchng grace quaint ut.
tie courtesy. and If there was mischiey-
Gus light in her eyes the eyelids dropped
and quickly hid It,
Her only diversions were walking an
dancing. and she did not enter into either
of these very vigorously But she trpped
q measure gracefully with u young gal
liant and then went back to sit demurely
beside her mother.
But you must not imagine that this
summer girl of the past was nanny
pamby or stupid Not by any means! She
was saucy and plquant.
There was no comradeship between tro
b1ys and girls then There had never
| been any talk about the equality OF tle
sexes The summer girl would 81 con-
tentedly among the old ladies', II Their
stiff black silk gowns and white kerr
chiefs, and sew diligently on bit o. white
embroidery. never Joining in the conyer-
eatlon until she was asked question
| Now. this young creature did not sud
t-puigh midst Sle Nero
lily gradually merged into the summer sili
of today. There was no violent chanse.
1t all came about naturally and quietly.
Year by year / began to notice u dir
ference in the girls. They were growing
mere independent, freer. They stunt
Squeeze their waists or their feet, ana
they didn't often blush.
Half a century ago there were some
girls who. even with the disadvantages
OF hoopskirts and hish-heeled shoes, went
| in fer outdoor sports There wasn't any
thing they could not do except climb trees
and run races and they would even dare
these in a moment of eXuberance wnen
| uncbseryed.
These girls we're called tomboys. After
awhile they found sedate outlet In cro-
quet.
When the short-skirted. bicycling young
woman first came along she was voted
| masculine But she would mount nct
wheel and go for a spin through the
shady ronds and come home with such
healthy color, as we'll as a healthy appe-
lite, that her critics became her admir-
ers
That marked the beginning OF the popu-
larty of the athletic girl.
The summer girl of 1900 is an outdoor
creature. She scorns to be hlmpered by
long skirts or feminine frills. She Is
tailor made, Independent and joyous.
She delights in hunting. wheeling. golf
ing. tennis, bowling and all the sports
of the men. She Is their comrade. Thera
isn't 50 much romance about II, perhaps,
but there Is lot OF real fun.
1t seems amusing but l can remembT
the first girl who ever wore short or hi
cycle skirt in the Catskill mountains. she
was called bold" and the women hlushea
and turned their heads when she came Dy.
Now there is hardly a girl without a
short skirt, which she dons every morning.
and Is ready for the golf grounds, 'or
tramp'ng or for any Of the amusements
that she now claims as her own.