The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-04-01
SOME WOMEN AFFECTED
IRREGULARITIES OF VOICE AND
MANNER ARE COMMON
The Manners of the Girls Leave Some
thing to Wish For-The Woman Who
Seeks to Improve Herself Cannot
Fairly Be Called Affected.

1t is often said that women are af-
fected and it is true, except that stated
in that manner it is too sweeping a
generalization. To say some women
are affected is too true. These affec-
tations are varied, sometimes of speech,
OF manner or of dress. There are
many affected ones among st. Paul
women and girls, and one or two that
have been so for so long a period that
the affectatiOns have become second
nature. 1t is sometimes difficult to
detect them with clever women, and
again some go about it so openly
that every one they meet is struck by
these peculiarities of speech or man
ner Some women affect a great deal
of manner, and personally the writer
prefers these to women who have none
and do not cultivate it. Too much
manner is unfortunate; none at all is
a calamity. One often sees men who
have a great deal of manner, but no
manners. But women who affect man
ner generally do the thing up brown,
and are almost over polite, if such
a thing were possible The manners
of the young girls of the present day
are VIGOROUSLY bad, and if they af-
fected little more they would be bet
ter liked. There is one thing which
many women do which may be called
an affectation. but which is exceedingly
bad form whatever it is. And that is
referring to their daughters as Miss
So-and-So," unless they are speaking
to interiors. 1t is always possible to
say my daughter" or my daughter,
Mary" when talking to a friend, but
to speak of my daughter, Miss
Brown" when talking to a friend or
an equal, Is not proper at all. If the
daughter is married it is perfectly
correct to say, my daughter, Mrs.
Smith," but ia call an unmarried
daughter Miss, unless in the case in
dictated, shows a lamentable ignorance
But this is done. and is an affectation
of great dignity which only makes per-
sons smile. There was once a woman
who had two sons named John and
George, and she always referred to
them when talking to her friends as
Mr.. John and Mr.. George. 1t is not
courteous to the one you are speaking
ito to make this mistake, but the woman
:who would do it would be unaware of
the diScOurteSy.
Affectations of dress are sometimes
Very unfortunate, for it is really better
TO dress and look like the crowd than
ito appear different from others, unless
1T is most carefully and artisticaIly
done by the best modistes. The wom-
an who would be odd in dress and
wants to differ from all others usually
Hooks fright. It is safer for the un-
linspired woman to stick to conven-
ltionality than to indulge in sartorial
flights of fancy. She is apt to attract
a crowd on the street
Another form affectation takes is to
fape prORunciations of words which are
peculiar, or as they are pronounced by
gthe English. The latter is a very pop-
tular affectation, and the woman who
fuses the English form Of words thinks
that she is strictly in it,
There is a good deal of virtue in be-
Etng natural. There is also merit in
recognizing ones shortcomings and
trying to improve in speech and man
ner. This sort of self-culture can new
er be called affectation. The latter is
easily recognized and is rather more
silly than actually reprehensible.