Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1910-07-22

gown, her SunShadc, her stockings
even, all being a part of the perfect
whole. The French girl comes near
est to approaching the American
girl in style, but the Partisan dame,
while she eXcels in the novelty of her
garments and can invent more BIZ
zarre costumes than the women of
any other nation, yet lacks a certain
something that is needed to make
her the superior or even the equal of
the American girl. She has the
style. She knows how to wear her
clothes. She is neatness itself.
Still she seems to lack the grace to
make her wear her clothes with the
same air of proprietorship that the
American girl assumes. For this
much is sO-no matter how much the
American girl may overdress, she al
ways does so with the air of one who
meant to do it and she looks as if her
clothes were part of her-as if she
were made for them and they for her,
as undoubtedly they were.
| think that you American men are
to blame for great deal of the fault
that | am finding in the American
girl. You pamper her and humor
her and fiatter Ter until she thinks
that of all things created she is the
greatest. If she came to breakfast
wearing milkcan for wrapper or
went to the theater with an inverted
washtub on her head you would tell
her that she looked pretty. charm
ing, exquisite. Why not tell her the
truth ? Why not tell her that she
looks sweeter in her own natural
pretty hair than in all the false puffs
that she can buy in all the hairstores
that were ever opened =? Why not
tell her that the curves that God
gave her are the ones he intended
her to have and are the ones you like
her most in? Woman dresses for
man. If woman thought that man
liked her best in purple pajamas with
pale blue trimmings, purple pajamas
with pale blue trimmings would soon
become the official court dress.
Yon men do not study the ques-
tion enough. | once had an Ameri-
can friend who was the husband of
one of the prettiest American wives
that it had ever been my lot to meet.
One day she appeared at the break
fast table with a bit of red ribbon at
her throat. How pretty you look
this morning." said her husband.
" l believe, my dear, that l like you
in red better than in anything else.
From that time on she wore moth
ing but red-red gowns, red robes.
red shoes, red hats-red. red, red un-
til her poor husband shuddered at
the thought OF meeting her.
Don't you think you are overdo-
ing the red business bit, my dear p
he said to her one day. q do not
think you look as we'll in red as you
did year ago."
From that day to this she has never
worn the tiniest speck of the warm,
vivid color, though it is really very
becoming to her.
First impressions, they say. are
lasting, but if this is so, the Ameri-
can girl is the exception that proves
the rule. Very few educated for
eigners like the American girl at
first sight. She is too independent,
too free. too new, as it were. She
jars on their preconceived notions OF
what woman should be. But let
them oEce know her. Let them stay
here, as have done, until the real
girl appears from beneath the We
neer, and they will agree with me
she is the most charming creature
on earth; creature, as said before,
with her faults but a being who is
delightful in spite of them-perhaps
because OF them.
l have glObe-trotted America from
the Atlantic to the Pacific, from the
Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico
and l have met your women in every
locality. l have studied the learned
New England type, the vivacious
Eastern society girl, the charming,
languid Southern lady, the breezy
miss of the Western States-and the
girl of all girls-the girl of your pro-
vincial city. My impressions of
them are interesting to myself. Per-
haps they may be to you. l formed
them because I couldn't help it.
Naturally an admirer of the fair sex
my wife the most OF ALL studied
the girls in each American city much
as | would those in the various cities
of my own country were l travelling
at home.
I was at first shocked at what
l observed. Then amused. Their
Then quite we'll pleased. And now
| am fain to confess that among her.
devoted admirers the American girl
must find place for me. l admit
that l started out much as a natur-
alist would in the wilds of Africa.
l noticed each strange hop of the in
sect l was persuing. l found that
fhoro ara oe ,,,a~x, J.Gouozk x.,~o, oe