The Irish standard., 1907-03-16
is SHE iNslPlD?
Has the American Girl Failed to keer
Pace With the Boy?

Diary" in the North American Re-
view Of a recent date, appears this
rather surprising statement, writes
Albert Bigelow Paine:I
I'VE find little that is interesting in
the American girl of! today between
the ages Of Is and %. She has failed
to keep pace in any respect with the
American boy, whose advancement we
recently remarked with satisfaction.
Indeed, if the blunt truth be spoken,
she is an intolerable, bore, self-con-
scious, ignorant, and 6 concerned chiefly
with matrimonial aspirations"
Now, it so happens that I have had
rather exceptional opportunities for
comparing the American boy and girl,
or rather their intellectual exhibits,
with resulting conclusions somewhat
different from those set down by the
editor of the Review. For more than
seven years it has been my privilege to
conduct for the st, Nicholas magazine
department in which the features are
supplied by young people who compete
for monthly prizes. To this depart
ment, poems, short sketches, stories,
drawings, photographs, and puzzles are
contributed in great numbers by chill
dren of all ages up to IS; and as the
subjects are supplied by the editor and
selected to cover pretty wide educa-
tional range, it would seem that from
the returns fair deduction might be
drawn as to the comparative mental
activity of the sexes without the COM
petitive age limits. / shall not assume
to speak as one having authority of
what may happen after these young
people have passed their 18th birthday,
for my direct op.esYa TN snds at this
point, though it seems unlikely that
with the passing of this particular
milestone the boys should suddenly be-
come all wisdom and the girls all van
| ity, nor do I believe this to be the
case.
| Now, let us see: I have the maga-
zines before me, can count the re-
turns in minute. In the year just
closed (volumes / and 2, 1906) there
were sxty-three winners, Is years old
and over, of the highest distinction,
that is to say, gold and cash prizes. OF
these, twenty nine were boys and thir
ty-four were girls, an advantage of
over 10 per cent in favor of the girls.
Nor is this an unusual year. Those
who care to consult the volumes will
find that in some years the percentage
has been greater
1t is supposablc that there are as
| many boys as girls in families where
ST. Nicholas is taken, and if, as may
be the case, the boys take lesser in
terest than the girls in this particu-
lar department, then this fact of itself
constitutes an argument against the
Reviews position, for the reason that
as before indicated, the subjects given
are by no means abstractly artistic
and literary in tone (and it would not
help the Reviews case even IL they
were), but educational as well, often
selected for the express purpose of de.
veloping a knowledge Of the worlds
progress and history. Let us go a
little farther and quote an example
or two of work done by American
girls. Here is a poem by an Ameri.
can girl Of Is, the earliest age in.
cluded by the Review editor in the
period allowed to her for Ignorance
and frivolity:
"THE FOREST VOICE."
do you not hear them call you, dear
away?
Sweet, scarce distinguished voice:
Of the night
Spreading before you DER the felt
and brae,
To where the first dark trunks shu
out the light.
1.-THE sombre brooding branches in tn.
dark
Hold. out strange treasures: winds
/ that sing and sigh,
And moonlight drifting down. sparl
after spark,
| From the far, high-lit altar Of thu
i and wait
"They sing you night songs, half ar
ticulate,
| They lead you, fairy child, along tn
path
Where-but the forest-led may roam
roam and wait
The visions which the world oil,
forest hath.
1.-The wistful trees bend closer unit
Dream-c child. you long so earnestl,
J to- pace