The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-05-19
LIKES THE AMERICAN GIRL
JULIA WARD HOWE TELLS WHY
SHE DOES
LIVE NOT FOR HERSELF ALONE
Advises Home Should Not Re Neg
Iected for the World, and Urges
Friendship Between Mother
and Daughter.

If Ms. Julia Ward Howe were not
something of a parsonage one might be
inclined to call her "a dear old lady, for
her kindly face, her charming, unaffected
manner, her warm handclaSp all make
personal appeal that the stranger so for
tunate as to meet her must find irresisti-
BILE
Il am so glad. she said to the G 0
yesterday afternoon, after she had ex-
pressed her pleasure at being able to visit
ST Paul once more, after an absence of
eight years, that you DO not want to
know what l think of trusts. Everybody"
p4aiHtivey, wants to know what l think
of trusts And there are so many pleas
anter things to talk about. There is the
American girl, for instance Now, L am
very much interested in the American girl
and the good work she is doing every
where, and / would so much rather talk
about her, and the cordial smile that
frightened Mrs. Howe's face betrayed the
fact that the lines which time has drawn
on the still clear skin are lines Of genial
ity and llindliness.
Perhaps" she continued. thoughtfully
gazing down at the small hands clasped
lightly in her lap, ~ don't know so much
about the girls of this generation as [ do
of the girls of my own and of my daugh-
ter's time But I have Travelled a good
deal and / have met the American girl
ways Interested me very much, and near
~ always claimed my admiration. We
seem to be acquiring so many types or
- the American girl. There is the society
girl and the college girl and the profess
slonal girl, and each one is intensely in
teresting in her way and intensely inter-
ested in herself. And perhaps this latter
attitude of the American girl is one of
her faults. She is too self-conscious. She
must learn to take herself as a matter OF
course. But then, you know" said Mrs
Howe, with a humorous twinkle in her
eye, she really is nothing quite so COM
monpiace As matter Of course, so per-
haps we can't blame her for not looking
upon herself as such
THE college girl has always interested
me a great deal 1 believe thoroughly in
the higher education Of women, and am
glad that a woman's sphere is more and
more charging. OF course home should
never be neglected for the world. but
when the world learns that wifehood ana
motherhood demand a special vocation
and that every woman is not qualified for
it. the world will be the better for the
knowledge. Yes, I like the college girl,
but I don't sympathize with the young
woman who cares only for books. For
tUnately, the college girl is rarely of this
type In this respect she resembles her
brother collegiate, but is more sensible
Alolli ne III Il lEol IiloIS respects. II OF
instance, I'm sure she would have too
much good sense to spend the first part
of the evening in some sort of frolic and
then stay up the rest of the night with
wet towel about her temples examining
for an examination. And so many IIar-
ward boys do that very thing.
what do L consider an ideal life for
an American girl?" repeated Mrs Howe,
thOughtfuly. 'Well, that is rather diff
cult to say. It depends so entirely upon
circumstances. There is one kind of tram
Ing, however, l should like to advocate
for every girl, and her parents cannot
begin it too soon. I mean training along
Rltrustc lines. a training which will teach
her that she does not live for herself
alone, but for others. No matter how
much she may be the center of her par
ents' life, they must show her that she is
only Of importance to the world because
of the work she is able to do in the world
Teach the girl unseltishness, to think of
others, and you will have we'll bred girl.
We hear much about good breeding now
adayS So many people seem to think it
consists in some trick OF manner the
ability to manage ones fork, or how to
bow gracefully. l think good breeding is
a moral rather than a social quality, and
I believe it finds its best expression in for
getfulness of self and kind thought for
others
Could one find a better definition for
good breeding than that?
well" continued Mrs. Howe, when
the American girl is old enough to study
l would suggest that as mitch as the
parents have time for or are able they
should study with her. Mothers and
fathers make a great mistake in al
lowing their children to grow away from
them If an interest is taken in all the
daughters pleasures, the mother will al
ways find herself first in that daughter's
friendship. And friendship, real, true
friendship between mother and daughter
IS such a beautiful thing. and, it seems
pity to have to say, so unusual a thing
After she has grown to young woman
hood her life of course. will have to be
guided by circumstances. 1 would not
advise a college career for every girl
Many have not the constitution to stand
It. But I do believe in a girl acquiring