The Savannah morning news., 1901-10-27
WOMEN OF THE WORLD.
,xe,IsH WOMEN AT HOME AND IN
POLITICS.

BY Mary H. Krout.
aored to the women of Southern
-,.o,e who are dependent upon their
| ..,rs their husbands or sons from
lS S." hour of birth until death, the Eng
,roman is permitted great de-
u.s. If liberty. Although less unham-
"a than the women of the United
e.ates vet with the increase of higher
,.o+ion. the adjustment of the old
4 .,oss conventions, the opening up of
n Jaw avenues of work and the modern
rosnect for labor, her freedom is con-
.tsntly increasing.
The English law recognizes the nus
os the head of the family-a law
w.. e+iu obtains in some parts of our
.mn country-and the estimate of the
&c obediently reflected by the fam
-, In nine households out of ten the
-. If everything is reserved for 1.-The
tar" the best chair is placed in the
ost comfortable corner Of the fire.
D,so and it would be little short of
snorilege for wife or child to occupy
sd,1sr If the fare is plain there must
w something "tasty'-to use the Eng
vsb expression-for the man of The
use An English woman VINO llVed
IN London suburb, said to the writer:
nTbe family dine upon a leg or mutton
an sundays, and it comes upon the Ia
T oie dailv until 1t is all gone" The hus-
pnrJ in the meantime, dimes in town
or5ering the dishes he most prefers!
I'VE GREATER part of the economizing
..ils unon the wife; if retrenchment Is
rscessary her brougham is sacrificed,
hat the husband may retain his COB.
/ Tyervwhere in London, even in the
/ n,ost fashionable quarters, elegantly
Sressed men accompanied by decidedly
ebabbv women may be seen, and II is
The rule. rather than the exception.
An Fnglishmans clothes are well
ohosan and we'll made, while the dress
NJ his wife or daughter is very often
20 thing of shreds and patches. Few
English women have much sense OF
color or form; the people as a Whole
are afflicted with O. species OF Color
blindness. They seldom know clearly
what they want, ana exercise Htlle ulS-
cretion in shopping.
They are exuuisitely clean, as their
deviation to the morning tub" their
clear skin and fine color attest, put
they have little of the trimness that
is essentially the characteristic OF the
American woman. Furthermore they
lace themselves in STAYS" that are
as stiff as the medieval cuirass, and
With all that is said of their love OF eS'
ercise. they have adopted, in recent
years, excessively high-heeled ooots
for the street. With the body com"
pressed in the torturning stays, balanc-
ed upon impossible French heels, no
grace or freedom of motion is possible,
and the gait becomes, OF necessity an
awkward "chump;" an American girl
With her usually admirable carriage
NAV be recognized at once anywhere,
and easily distinguished from her Eng
fish sister.
The English woman's tendency to
bright, unharmonious colors-possibly
a natural reaction from their gray fog
and dull skies-has been much inn
4 proved within the past decade, but she
still has a fondness for variety of
&ruches and ruffles and flying ends of
n ribbons, jingling chains and bracelets
that not even the severity of the tail
or-made gown has been able to cor
rect.
1t is in her home, however, that the
English woman particularly shines-if
the husband is not abnormally domes-
tic, as frequently happens, taking her
rightful authority into his own hands.
In this event she is only a humble
subordinate, whose business it is to see
that the wishes of her lord and master
are carried out. The British husband
and father experimenting the pur-
chase of a gown at the army and navy
stores told by the American
girl in London" and his stern COM
mand: Il will not have you in stripes
is no Pigment of the imagination such
Incidents are common enough. When
the masculine will takes this turn there
is nothing with which 1.-The head of the
family does not meddle-the gowns of
wife and daughter, the employment and
discharge of servants, the ordering OF
the five meals daily, with which the
English constitution needs to be nour-
ished in the depressing dampness and
chill of the climate.
When not interfered with, the wo-
men of the educated classes, it may be
said, are practically trained for house
Keeping; almost all are good account
ants, keeping a careful note of every
larthing of expenditure. Even the
lodging and boarding housekeeper
sends in the weekly bill-with its puz-
zllng list of extras properly set down
an lllustrat ton of accuracy and ingen-
ulty alike. They think it worth their
while to consider saving a farthing a
pound upon a joint at the butchers; a
ma penny a dozen upon the eggs from
me poulterers, and all such matters
mat the American housekeeper so Of
zen considers too petty to discuss, they
never fail to bear in mind.
The English method of rearing chill
aren' but for the fact that the daugh-
'ers are too subservient to the sons, is
altogether commendable. The law of
pTlmogeniture is partially responsible
,or this, since the whole fabric Of Eng
lISh society revolves around the eldest
son and heir. In a great many in
stances the education of the daughters
curtailed. because the sons must
%. De trained for professions by which
,,nney may earn living; but it is hoped
va u.at the girls will marry, and every
mort is made by the mother to secure
Se''aole husbands for them. There is
~ pretense of letting this important
,tSouusideration take care of itself; 1t
4, ~ worked for and planned for. from
VIZ ,e utne the daughter reaches a mar
aseaole age. Much greater thought
Is given the wherewithal-the income
,o tne maintenance of the newly es-
sSt.olshed family, than in the United
s'eaJes, and when the wife's fortune is
nv, ''! t7 upon herself and her children
ny Che marriage contract, it can not
~, touched by the husband or diverted
plied. ~ ""'Nii IL 10 W oe ap-
nv Aghsh children. II somewhat shy,
snop oeughtful. Simple, natural, I'M
,boiIed' they are taught respect for
NJ NJ elders, and obedience to their
oi5 from the time that they are
In enough to understand anything.
Le, all well-to-do families they are
mn pt N the nursery, except when their