Year: 1861

May siite- .gard into june"


This IS the beautiful figure by which
1ongtellow describes the transition from
glrlhood to womanhood. But any one
who has stood


"Where the brook and river meet.


oman hood ami chiidho o0d fleet,


can tell him that the position i, far pleas
anter in poetry than in reality. She can
say with emphasis, When | was a child.
| sPake As a child. and acted as child
but nov, before | have become a woman
/ must put away my childish things. and
become as much. OF young lady in
speech and manner as | am in size" \
second time she must learn to walk. and
sh" has as little confidence in her first Ell
tort- as child ha, in its first steps. and is
doomed to a. many failures. Heretofore
She has fell and acted upon the feeling
that She was little girl. and could de-
pend upon other, now she is told that
She Is large enough to act for herself.


Her size i, tavorite subject of com
ment among her acquaintance,. How
you grow "GOu'll soon be taller than
your mother - How you do run up -
you need topping" are expressions with
winch she l. constantly greeted, until she
feels that she must look very ike Il
crane or giraffe. When she was lit
tie g1rl, any awkwardne.. was excused -
but now, being supposed to have passed
that critical period when she does not
know what TO do with her hands. she
must put on ease and grace with her long
dresses, or have their absence apologized
tor by I-ie explanation that she is at an
awkward AGES an oyer-grown girl
She must endure the humiliation of hear
ing her older sisters and young lady ac-
qualotances complacently remark that they
Wear smaller gloves and CATERS than she,
toTgettuI OF the time when they suffered
like modification.


4 few months since, also, She could sit
IN a room all the evening without speak
ing, and it was not noticed-but now she
must be able to discuss with people three
times her age, the prominent topics Of
the day. And she cannot Join the con-
versation without running the risk of a
private lecture on the subject of defer
ence TO the presence and opinions of ell
ders. So, while endeayoring to avoid the
Scylla of silence, she falls into the Cha
rybdis Of talking too much.


Everything considered, this is one of
the most trying periods in girls life. In
reference to her toilet, she is constantly
halting between two opinions !; she is
tortured with the fear Of getting on some
thing too old, or something too young. |
would commend her deplorable situation
to the manufacturers and ladies Of taste,
with the suggestion that they provide a
remedy. She cannot dispose of that most
troublesome piece of property, her hair,
by having it cut at her ears, because that
would be too childish it is at such a
length that she cannot put it up-or even
if she can, she hasn't the courage to do it,
for fear Of being suspected Of apeing the
lady.


She IS considered child or young la
dy, according to the convenience of 9th
ers. Nobody thinks of her when making
up party for sleigh-ride she is too
old to attend childrens parties, and too
young to attend those of grown up people.
When she does make her appearance at
one of these latter, she is sure TO be mo-
nopolized by some old bachelor or widow
er, who was invited for what he has been
in the days of long ago. Now it is very
trying to immature patience TO be sacri-
ced to some man old enough to be her
grandfather, because all the young ladies
in the room persist in being oblivious to
his presence, though he has been trying to
bow to them the whole evening. Nor is
this the worst of : he has been studying
wonnan-nature so long that he can look
into her heart, can tIatter her and make
her appear ridiculous, and then laugh
over it at his leisure.


So far as her lessons are concerned,
she is treated by her teacher as though
her mind was fully matured. Prodigies
are expected of her in the way OF compo-
sition, although the most unpleasant thing
about it is that she can no longer write
on Spring or Flowers Birds or any
of the brute creation. l have no doubt
that the honorable Committee-long may
they live-are reading this composition
with all their critical powers as much on
the gu ejce as though the writer was
mature young lady, instead Of one OF the