The Savannah morning news., 1901-12-01
GIRLHOOO EIGHTY YEARS AGO.
BEGINNING, MIDDLE AND END OF
THE PAST CENTURY.


pie in New YOrIz--Changes Intro
duced ny the Civil War-Senti-
ment Was Replaced by Practicar
WOrL-Then Came the Great Event
of Opening the Colleges TO WO-
men-Their Whole Life Was Rev
OIutionized-FrivoIi of Society
Gave Way to Clubs and Classes.
BY Julia Ward Howe.
Copyright 1901 by Julia Ward Howe)
1920.
OF the girlhood of seventy years ago
l am able to speak from experience.
AS / was city-bred. and that in New
York, 1 can not say how hardy may
have been the discipline of country
lasses of that remote period, but of the
governing traits and ideas of the time
l still retain a vivid remembrance.
In the household training of girls
the prescripts were rather negative
than positive. A young lady even of
six or seven must not do this, and
should not do that. These commands,
when obeyed, usually led to the ac-
QUESTION of careful and somewhat for
NAL manners. The absence of spontan-
iety thus cultivated may have had
some share in forming the romance of
the period, which was one of weak
ness rather than strength. It's heroines
We're usually characterized by morbid
sentiment, enchanced by infifm health.
The delicate creatures who tainted
away on every occasion which called
for courage and endurance, the loVelorn
maidens who, failing of the wished-for
correspondence of affection, at once fell
into a rapid decline-these were promi-
rent features in the fiction, poetry and
prose of sixty years ago. The changes
in this respect which we now observe
appear to me wonderful indeed. Truly,
Wisdom has her miracles, seen in the
progress of human thought. The Ideals
of to-day for women are ideals of
health, OF strength, of self-reliance.
The disturbances of French society
in the earlier decades of the last CEN
fury had caused a number of persons
of that nationality to seek employment
in New York. Among these was lady
who bore the historic name of Fabre.
/ must have had my first French les
sons from her before I was well at
home with the alphabet, as / remem-
Der being called upon to speak French
before ] was able to read. A tutor OF
the same nationality gave me my first
lessons in Latin. I recollect he insisted
that the Almighty in prayer should
always be addressed as 'you," the
pronoun thou" implying an unwar-
rantab1e assumption of familiarity.
Ny early education was conducted
by a governess, whose strong points
were a taste for elocution, and the cul-
tivation of memory by a process which
was then called mnemonics. At the age
of nine years was sent to a private
school just started by a lady who had
once been prominent in New York
society. The school drill of that day
consisted largely in the recitation of
lessons committed to memory from
text books. The first one given to me
under this dispensation was Paley's
Moral Philosophy, which I managed to
recite in parrot fashion. 1 was glad
when, having come to the end of this
treatise, we passed on to Mrs BIS
Conversations on Chemistry all inter-
tanning work full, however, of the de-
tails of experiments which were never
shown us. Passing to another school l
began the study of geometry, and also
enjoyed a course of lectures on world
history, given by MI. Bostwick,
of General BEN, so much admired in
later years.
The writing of compositions was one
of the tortures inflicted upon the pupils
of that time. TO descant upon Fame,
Courage, Poetry, History was difficult
for children unaccustomed to the con-
sideration of such topics. I sometimes
handed in a copy of verses, which once
caused our principal to remark: Julia
is quite a dabster at rhyming."
Spelling and English grammer were
diligently studied. Our lessons in pars-
ing were sometimes taken from Cow
per's Task" oftener from Millions
Paradise Lost" OF the various text
books then in use I recall with pleasure
Blairs Rhetoric, Hedges logic and a
work of Abercrombie's on THE In
tellectual Faculties" To these l must
add Political Glass Book" written
by William Sullivan of Boston, in
which was given a very clear account
of the principles and working of our
government.
The formation of handwriting re-
ceived considerable attention. New
York offered many facilities for the
study of foreign languages. OF these
italian and German most attracted me.
I left school at the age of sixteen with
a mental determination to add to my
slender stock of knowledge by a siren
uous pursuit of studies at home. In
this ] was fortunate to have the as
sistance of very competent tutor.
In the days of my youths, young
ladies usually went into society at the
age of eighteen. Balls were given in
private houses. the strictly fashionable
circle of that time being small enough
to make this possible. For these occa-
sions the parlor carpets were usually
removed, the floor smooth planed and
sometimes adorned with designs IN
colored chalk. The rooms were lit with
wax candles, and the number of these
was much considered in the estimation
of the entertainment given.sI remem-
Der a bachelor who was wont to per-
wade the ball room of my youth wear
ing very serious expression of counte-
nance. One might have supposed him to
be occupied with reflections upon the
vanity of the scene before him. 1t was
presently ascertained that he busted
himself with counting the number of
the lights. as he would address himself
to one or other of the guests, saying:
"There are just one hundred and fifty
candles in these rooms At Mrs. SIS
ball / counted two hundred"
In those days the region Of Broad
way in New York, now wholly given
up to business was a sort Of debatea-
Bile ground, on which bellies and bache-
lors walked together discussed the last
drama or costumes. and took careful
note Of the costumes of those whom
they met. Into this region the chap
erone, elsewhere indispensable, did not
enter.
The milliner was an important func-