The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-07-01

as are exemplified in the character of
her people These, if faithfully learn
ed, will serve to develop the commerce
of the United States to such an extent,
that her desire to attain the proud
position of master of Oriental trade
will be realized. China has taught the
world much in the past, she can teach
the world much now. Is it too much
to expect that she will be able to teach
the world even more in the future?
Considering the great strides she is
making in every line of activity, there
is no doubt that she will yet astonish
humanity with her wisdom
THE AMERICAN GIRL.
BY Florence Winter.
To know a type of character. one is
not mistaken in turning to literature
| the mirror of real life. In the written
expression of all peoples, girlhood has
found an attractive place. The Hebrew
writer's have left US beautiful pictures
! in Ruth, in Rebecca, in the little
daughter of Jairus. Still in the child
| hood of the world, we know In Greek
poetry Nausicaa, with her maidens.
playing ball; the sisterly devotion of
!
of Cassandra. The French and the
German maiden, too, are known to US;
but more familiar than any, naturally,
are Portia and Cordelia, Rebecca the
Jewess and Ethel Newcome, and scores
of others who, through English fiction,
have enriched our friendships. In them
! all, according to their faithfulness of
representation, do we know the generic
| h.
and is.
1t is not, however, of her as she is
shown in literature, nor is it of ma
tional distinctions, I wish to speak in
| calling your attention to the American
| girl. Alike in generic qualities to her
sisters of all races, she is yet, specif-
! ically, Individual and characteristic,
self-reliant, fearless, gentle, sympa-
| thetic, able to accomplish, eager to
make the most of self, appreciative,
| womanly, responsible.
! 1t is not strange, If heredity counts
for anything, that the daughter of the
| Sons of the Revolution should manifest
! a spirit of independence, even to
marked degree. She thinks for herself,
| she acts for herself, she feels the i'm
| portance Of making herself Large and
numerous activities have opened their
| doors to her knock, until most of the
walks of life see her persevering pas
| sage.
Realizing that preparation was need
ed she has striven to enlarge her
horizon of opportunity by attendance
at school and college Her intellectual
awakening has been wonderful.
At the close of the American Revolu-
ton many ladies of high standing in
Boston coul~l not read; wives of dis
tinguished men signed deeds with a
cross; a girl instructed by a master
was unheard of, and to be allowed to
sit on the doorstep of country school
to hear her brothers recite was priv
ilege.
Several years later these New Eng
land women, poor in purse, yet rich in
energy and aspiration, longed to en-
largo their sphere by the cultivation of
their minds. In supply of this need,
Mary Lyons founded a school, which,
like a fountain in a weary land, has
created a poisoning garden, and the
primitive school has been alma mater
of worthy daughters scattered not only
over our land, but over other lands
and the islands of the sea. Stimulus
for the desire of mental training has
grown so greatly that now she is seen
in large numbers in the halls Of many
universities, and colleges for her alone
stand numerous and fine. mark OF
Americas educational progress. Her
standard is not less high than that
of the average American man. Two
Vassar girls were assistants in the !
computations of the observatories at
Yale and Harvard, and Miss Murray |
of Radcliffe was the first to discover |
the facts which led to Professor Pick |
ering's recent theory of double stars.
Want of energy. ambition or health |
may now deprive the American girl of |
collegiate education, but not want of
means to defray her expenses. With |
the dauntless courage of youth she
matriculates, and the story which fol- |
lows, of her efforts and sacrifices, usu- |
ally unknown because of her delicacy |
of feeling, would make an interesting |
narrative: of her working her way |
through by setting the table and wait |
ing upon her classmates three times a |
day; or by playing accompaniments for
vocal pupils, or physical culture exer-
doing stenography for teachers; or by |
replenishing skirt bindings. or sham
pooling her well-provided associates.
The same energy and decision OF
character have carried her into the
business world, where she is seen at /
desks, receiving as pay a salary rang
ing from a few dollars a week to
twelve thousand a year. Her accuracy,
her honesty, her sense of responsibility,
are placing her in growing demand.
The same spirit is leading her into
agricultural careers, and the same
spirit is hammering out success. In
the Eastern and Southern States fruit
gardens and chicken farms are well
cared for by women young and not
young; while of the forty-nine counties
of California, forty support ranches
carried on by feminine management
The appearance of early suburban
trains or the business streets of any
city at six o'clock declare the amazing
number of girl wage-earners. so that it
seems as if every woman in the land
had received the bequest of working to
St1rnoYt cora ha