Year: 1876




turned to her cave. Here she sits


still. waiting for the knight to come


who shall dare to kiss her on the


mouth.


Sir John, of cousc, never expect.


cd that any one would believe this
| story, which we are to take as tho


work of an old bachelor, u misOgy.


mist, and as a very subtle allegory.


1t treats. under the veil of a local


fable, of the disguise of women.


Woman, he tells us, is doomed by


the goddess Fashion ever to appear


in some shape other than her natur.


al one. She appears-0ccaSiOnally,


that is, when she goes into society


always in this disguise, aud new


er doing any harm to people. In


her own castle--that is. at her homo
size puts on natural shape; but to


the outer world she can never ap.


pear as she really is until knight


has been found bold enough to kiss


her on the mouth. Then the wO-


mans form appears; the disguise


drops off she stands before her de.
liveler, and reveals the precious Sc


Crets of her soul. Then the flowers


Of love and sympathy grow up and


bloom in the sunshine of love, and


the real self-starved and imprison-
ed hltherto-Sprlngs into the light
of freer and brighter air.


Modern damSels do not, it is true,
assume the disguis of a loathly drag.
on. That is because Fashion is
kinder than she was wont to be.


But under other shapes they hide
themselves just as well from tho
knights Of these days. Every
young lady belongs to one of a few
types, under the disguise of which
she goes out to dinner and into 50.
ciety. She is, perhaps, the young
lady disguised as a butterfly, who
always talks of balls and operas
and concerts, leading one to believe
which is quite abSuId-that all
her thoughts are that way directed.
Or she is, in the semblance of
dove, the religious Young lady; she
has given up her mind to early SER
vices, vestments, and confession, or
to the spiritual welfare of Quashce
and Sambo. The idea that any one
is going to believe that is more aD-
surd than the other. Or, perhaps,
got up as an owl, she is the young
lady who goes in for studHAand dis
plays more knowledge than the adj
mrable Crichton. Now she can not
possibly like it, or hope to persuade
me that she would not much rather
appear in her real shape. Or, SouIe-
times, one has the luck to- take in
to dinner the young lady, disguised
as a magpie, who loves to talk on
the very confines OF those mysteri-
Gus regions where young ladyhood
is not supposed to penetrate. Then,
under the influence of fear, anxiety,
and confusion, you find the dinner
slip away with arapldity quite start
ling.


They are all alike in one respect.
Whenever there is q new book of
Importance, they are all quite snre
to have read it. Darwin, for in.
stance. haye not read that au.
thor, and do not intend to, because
| care nothing at all about ances-
trail honor.. But | always pretend
to an acquaintance with the book
among my disguised young ladies;
and, cusously enough, haze ncUer
yet been found out!


All this is the disguise of society.
Why should girls be afraid of show
in. themselves to the world as they
show themselves to their brothers!
They may, if they like, spoil the
curve of IA lovely head by piling up
Il heap Of false hair; or they may
ruin figure like that of the Venus
of Milo by tight lacing-the dear
little IDIOTS; or they may intlict
torture on themselves worse than
any endured by an Indian Yogi by
wearing heels three inches high,
and so being unable to stand up
right. All this they may do if they
l'lCtkSC. an Iol
and have II o right to interfere. But
what | have a right to complain of
is shat | can never get the damselS
of society to show themselves us
they aye-to be natural-unless L
go through that preliminary per.
formance which the young lady of
Cos wanted so badly. And then
now do know how she will turn
)ut, and what she will be likeY l
I'M afraid. l am lincal descendant
IF the knight who ran away, and |
confess that | am afraid. Is there
10 other way! Perhaps this is the
'eason why, as Mr.. Weller, senior,
the world, more widows
IRE married than single women.


THE Republicans were wiser than
he Democrats in tha National