The Saint Paul globe., 1900-06-10

placidity and content: she Is in complete
harmony with her surroundings. and her
extreme good nature IS such that we are
bound to like her.
"a German girls education begins early
in life, usually at the age Of five or six.
and generally with a course of kinder
garten After this she attends a day
school. or has a governess. The former
method is deserVedly the most popular,
as the German schools are famous for
solid and sensible instruction. The first
day at school is an important incident in
little Gretchen's life. and her parents help
her over this trying or1eal by means OF
a charming little deception. On the new
scholars entrance into the class room the
teacher presents her with a huge parcel
of sweets. The child, of course, does not
know that they have been given by her
parents. and SO feels quite happy In the
school where there are such kind teach
ers. The school hours are from to
o'clock, and in the afternoon pupils pre-
pare lessons at home for the next daY.
Greek and Latin and the higher mathe-
maticS are not included in the course Of
lessons. but English and French are al
ways taught. In the lower classes chill
dren are taught to sew and knit In spite
of the interesting and stimulating course
of study pursued in most schools, it IS
remarkable how few girls develop love
of books the desire to continue the
culture of their mind in after life. Ex-
ceptions may prove the rule. but nearly
all girls dislike study. and count the days
until they leave school, when they shut
a better cause.
"Once launched out into society, the
German girl is apt to marry young. Her
thoughts tend always to things domestic,
and the chances of a future husband
and home play a great part in her girl
ish dreams The possibility of being an
old maid Is regarded in the light Of
misfortune She is convinced of the fact
that 1t is her duty to marry, and that
spinsterhood is a fate to be avoided at
all costs. The actual betrothai is a for
vol Off ffaiNs t. Il
parents for the hand of the girl before
he proposes to her. The event ia ceIe-
brated by a dinner, 1t Is announced in
the newspapers and the happy pair are
photographed together. In Germany the
victims to the blind god are as numerous
as anywhere else, and when Gretchen is
In love and duly affianced to the man ef
her choice she does not mind showing
her devotion openly before any one who
happens to be present, for it is the Gus
tom for engaged couples to be somewhat
would augur badly for the future hap
piness of two young people who appeared
to avoid each other in public, and such
behavior would give rise to comments.
Engagements are rarely broken off,
and certain amount of gossip IS caused
if couple discover that they have made
a mistake and decided not to marry. A
bride in Germany must provide the fur
niture, plate and linen for the future
home, and during the time of her en-
gagement Gretchen is busy making these
SAISuSlNS pQIClidS6S III dQOlLlOn n6r
trOusseau.
''It is after her marriage that the real
Gretchen is in her element and blossoms
out into the state for which nature has
created her. In her married life she real
ICES the dreams and aspirations of her
girlhood. Even If as girl she may have
been frivolous, self-centered. absorbed in
balls and parties, after her marriage she
loses these interests and settles down
contentedly to a domestic life her one
object being to make her husband hap
py and his home place OF rest and
comfort. Her crowning glory is her tai
ent for housekeeping. 1t is wonderful how
an inexperienced young girl will sue
ceed with a limited sum in the task she
sets before herself of creating a cosey
home. where everything is neat and spoi-
less and where the daily work goes on
with monotonous but regular steadiness
Her nome Is her Kingdom, and her
husband and children entirely engross her
and take up all her thoughts. She neyer
seems to feel the desire for other inter-
ests, and Germany knows no 'Noras' of
the 1bSen type. In fact, Gretchen is so
taken up with her home life that her
talk is often restricted to it and her serY-
ants, with perhaps an item of local gos-
liberately shuts all larger interests of men
and events out of her domestic life and
consequently is not in a position to con-
verse otherwise than in restricted fash
ion. German men sometimes deplora That
their women folks display inability for
serious conversation, and recognize thai
1t arises from the narrownesss of their
domestic world: but, on the whole. thev
would fight shy Of girls who read sSTIIr:
genieff' and 'Neitzche' and discuss poll
tics and metaphysics with equal elIsto.
They would infer from these signs of
intellectual life an incapacity to admin
lister to their comfort, and prefer their
'hausbacken' Gretchens as they are.
Perhaps IL We look more diligently for
the cause or the comparatively narrow
mental horizon of German girls we NAV
find it in the fact that they rarely or
never travel. Their minds and hearts
would perhaps expand under the notenf
influence OF other chimes, but no new i'm
pressions are granted them, and so nat
uraliy their immediate SURROUNDINGS