The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1910-03-05
About
MASCULATION
How to Teach Girls
to Act Like Men.

One of the hardest jobs in the life
of a stage manager, said a gentleman
in the profession recently, is teaching
girls to act like men. / have had a
few years at the task so know what
I'm talking about. OF course, every
girl can't be a Vesta Tilley, but you
would think they'd have some notion
how a man walks and acts; but, bless
you, they haven't-theyre just as
awkward as cat in corsets.
The first thing a girl does when
she gets into a boys suit is to put
her hands in the trousers pockets.
She thinks it looks manly" And SO
it would if she did it naturally. First
of all she thrusts her hands down
as far as they will go and then pro-
ceeds to spread out the pockets OF her
trousers until it looks as though she
had a four pound loaf in each. She
| thinks that is just what a man would
| dc, though I'll bet she's never seen
| him do it.
Well, when we've drummed into
their pretty heads that men don't go
about showing the size of their peck
cts, but let it be known occasionally
that they do possess hands. we've got
to teach them how to walk. For some
reason or other girls are mighty
pleased with themselves when they
get pair of trousers on, and they are
never tired of admiring their feet.
which look smaller, somehow, than
when peeping beneath a skirt. Hav-
ing informed them that a man doesn't
spend all his time looking at his toes,
we beg and implore them to walk
across the stage lust like men do"
Is there anything easier?. You'd
soon find out if you watched those
girls. A dozen or so will start as
though they were entering for foot
race, crossing the stage in about ten
strides. Others will do the same dis
lance in twenty, thirty or even forty.
One will take short, jerky steps. aver
aging three to the yard; another long
strides; third something between a
hop and skip. No one of them can |
walk like her brother or her father |
or like any man that was ever born. |
get them to follow me about the |
stage and endeavor to initiate my |
walk, but it's tough job. They can't |
get out of walking with wagg1e, and
it's my belief they think it adds to
the attractiveness of pedestrian exer-
cise
Then girl with stick or sword
or gun is the funniest thing imagin-
ahle-if she happens to be carrying it
for the first time. She generally starts
by putting it under her arm at right
angles to her chest and cannot mag
inc why she keeps hitting every one
as she turns round. Then she'll try
holding it at arms length as though
torch. She is afraid of the
"horrid gun" and is usually under the
impression that the muzzle is the SAT-
est part of the weapon, preferring to
carry it by the thin end" as she calls
It, than by the butt. A sword she can
not manage at all; it gets under her
feet and trips her up until finally she
thinks it wisest to carry it over her
perhaps it is. When
carrying cane she believes it good .
orm to hit at anything that may be
n her way.
Hats-whether a bowler or a top :
'er-must be worn very much on the !
'ack of the head, though she'd prob
IDLY be the first to correct her broth
r or lover if he worn his at similar )
ngle. But they think it looks "rak- I;
sh," and therefore fascinating. which
erhaps accounts for ne'er-do-wells .
eing rather popular than otherwise =
nth the fair sex. They also love to y
rear a single eyeglass, and will !,
pend hours trying to carry it without
earring an expression indicative of c.
xtreme suffering. They also like to !
ave a mustache on their lip-even q
hen there isn't man attached to it Z,
-but they think it is the correct :,
link to be twirling it all the while
a very meditative way, which is >,
erhaps typical of some men. But al - -
gether it is very difficult thing tc :,
ach girls how to act as men-much =,
ore difficult, in fact, than teaching =.
en- to act like women. If you don't :.
.lieve it make the attempt and you'll
ON discover its truth to your sor-