The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1901-07-12
AMERICAN WOMEN.
THE DlSAGReEABLE ONE PICKS MANY
FLAWS IN THEM.
She Says Their Chief Fault Is Over
dressing and Gives Some Striking
IlIustratiOns-Disco to Each
Other Another Error.

Mime. Bernhardt never demonstrated
her cleveness better" said the disagree
able woman. than when she said that
American girls were the finest in the
world. The French know how to pay
compliment. and when she, a representa-
tive of nation that produces the great
est feminine charmers of the world, de-
clareS the American girl the superior in
fascination it is the very cream of fiat
terry.
Not only did Mime. Bernhardt make
the statement to a press representative
on her return home. but before she left
this country she continually Landed the
charms Of the young women of Amer
lea as she toured the cities. and she even
penned magazine articles in their praise.
bouquets began to fly between Bern
hardt and the women Of America soon
after her arrival in New York, when an
American poetcSs wrote some verses as
crihns to the clever Frenchwuman a no.
hility of soul, sweetness OF disposition
and delicacy Of temperament that would
remove woman from the earthly sphere
to that Of the angels. And Bernhardt.
clever woman that she is did not miss
her cue. but replied with all modcsty that
she wasn't as nice a. all that and from
then ON delucod the American girl with
praise from ocean TO ocean.
1t is a fact that. willie the men of
other nations. notably the English. the
Russians and the French. find the charm
of the American girl Irresistible, the wo-
men of those countries have not taken SO
kindly To us. The first fact is probably
l., .f tb.
admire the same type Of fpmininity that
finds favor in the eyes of their brothers
or their husbands. English women regard
American women as eccentric, and
Freucnwomcn think us awkward. An
American who goes to live in Paris has
To Ice made over before she will do.
Frcuchmen have tried in vain to
teach Us how to wear the gowns that they
make SO much better than we can our
SELVES, but in only a few instances have
they succeeded. When Worth found an
American woman that knew how to wear
the frocks he made for her. he said she
was So beautiful that she should be kept
in frame. We don't dress well. ana
even when our clothes are designed for
Us and made for us by artists we don't
wear them well. You can 20 to Monte
Carlo any time and pick out a dozen
women without distinction of birth and
with little education. and our greatest
bellies could not approach them in the
matter of correct dressing. Bernhardt
knows this, probably, but she did not
mention it.
AT a flower fete given at an Amer
can summer resort a season or two ago
! watched the beautifully decorated car
riageS pass by and noted the women who
occupied them, gorgeouSly gowned in silk
and lace with hats rivalng the glories of
the sunset and parasols far excelling
them in richness. Beauty, wealth and
the most magnificent of floral arrange
ments We're there, but the whole effect
was garish. l asked myself why, and
there was but one answer-the women
were overdressed The flowers and the
splendid horses We're detracted from by
the clothes. 1t was like great picture
in a too gorgeous frame. Everything was
there in plenty but good taste and re-
fnement in the dressing. There was too
much display. They were distinctly too
dresSy - lamentably, crudely, hideously
dressy.
"On a similar occasion afterward in
Paris the carriages rolled by laden with
roses and lilies and violets, but the wom-
en- within them were robed simply as
nuns. They wore white gowns that did
not look too new made of cloth and mus
lin and lace beneath paraSols, chic, but
unfounced. 1t was as though they said:
The carriage is very beautiful and
worthy of a prize, and | am here. That
is enough \ white rose with its green
leaves laid against the hair of one pale
beauty was more exquisite than the finest
hat ever sent from Paris to stun New
York. And this was the land of hats.
Are these great queens or prin-
cesses,' l asked, these distinguished
looking danes. that they dare show them
selves in procession like this. with cam
eras aimed at them in all directions and
yet show such an apparent disdain for
clothes"
"'NO,' was the answer they are near
" all French actresses, and they have no
dsdain for clothes, but they don't try to
put everything on at once, as you Amer
leans do
American rush animates US in our
dressing just as it rules men in their
business Offices. The men rush them
selves to nervous prosuation so that we
may rush our clothes. There is no deny
ing the fact that we are overdressed.
oyerjeweled, overfeathered and overfur-
red. The vice is in our bones. We 90
a-shoppng with good resolves and deter
mination and something shiny or span
gled or snowy lures us like the bright
beads for which the Indian girls long.
Next to our overdressing our greatest
fault is our discourteSy TO each other as
contrasted with the cringing way in which
we are always trying to fascinate men.
a Frenchwoman or a Russian or an Eng
fish woman even is confident of her
charm. She knows what she can do, or if
she doesn't know she pretends she does,
Ii is more subtle than our way. We try
too hard. I've seen nice American girls
roll their eyes at waiter when they or
dered plate of ice cream. 1t was a man,
and that was sufficient. To each other
we are not like that.
I'VE are better hearted and more gener-
GUS and kindly in reality than the women
Of any other nation under the sun, but we
don't Show il in our dealings with each
other. We criticise each other fiercely
and furiously. and then we fall on each
others neck with Judas kisses. Oh,
those kisses! They are almost as plenty
and as unnecessary as the bowknots. If
We could only be kinder TO each other
and keep our kisses for people who could
appreciate them"-New York Sun.
A Plea For the Birds.
OF all animated beings beneath man
kind the bird is the most innocent, the