Year: 1871

AIeN AhCtACh SusscStiOuS concern.


ing Certain Habits and Pract tees


Among Girls and Women.


Mrs. DIR. Elizabeth Dudley writes


this to the New York Evening Mail
about American women:


I find great numbers of delicate


women everywhere who rash throu gh
life at q pace that would soon kill a
race.horse, whose nervous energy sus-


tains them for q certain number of
years while they "burn the candle at


both ends" who drink the stimulus
Of ambition daily and nightly, who
are each resolved to let no one outdo
or outshine her, while she every day
performs an amount of labor which
proves her to be the reverse of "fee,


BILE" and who, each one, when she
dies exhausted, or is laid aside a con-
firmed invalid at middle age, having
lived out but half her days, will be
found to have compressed work
enough and experience enough into


her thirty-tive or forty years TO have
satisfied three sensible people during


long lifetiDaes. If our American wo.


men would not live SO fast, and 90
through life In such hurrysscurry,


worrying way. the majority of them


would be healthy and strong.


Our little girls are expected to COM
pete with each other in all studies at
school their parents and teachers do
not seem to reflect that one NAV


have facility in memorizing history.


but difficulty in solving mathemati-
cal problems, while another class,
mate shows exactly opposite powers
Of mind, and still another can scarce
ly study at all but would spend most
of their time in drawing or thinking;
all, however, are alike required to be
perfect" in each class, and no goad
or Incentive Is withheld, either at
home or in school, to bring each pu-
pill up to the required mark-a Pro-
Grustean bed, indeed, easiest to those
who are little too tall for it, and
must cramp their native powers for
awhile, but how torturing TO the
short ones, who constantly are
stretched until disjointing and even
dismembering of the hapless victim
results Many sensitive girl owes
over-strung nerves and congestive
brains to the stimulus of school
training. In childhood the little
creature will naturally run and play
so much out of doors, that she will
generally be able to preserve pretty
good health. AT this age the studies
chiefly exercise the memory, and do
not demand great mental effort, but
as the girl Is approaching fifteen her
lessons require severe brain labor,
their numbers are multiplied, home
duties are exacted of her, musical
practice must be kept up, not to
mention Others of her accomplish.
ments. She also begins to 90 into
society ~ the intricacies of fashion
able dress claim a portion of her
time and strength; young beaux be.
gin attentions. and her relatives wor-
ry her about who may and who may
not bo encouraged ~ she has no
time for the invigorating walks and
romantic musings, which naturally
to her now takes the place of childish
sports; over-stimulus of the brain,
the depressing effects of "worry,n
and combined with these an unsub-
stantial diet, exhaust the girl just ut
the time when she needs rest from
overwork of any kind, but especially
mental, perfect freedom from all care
and responsibility, and generous diet.


Let girl, during sthe years from
twelve to eighteen, spend but one
hour daily in mental labor. taking
up one study at time, walk another
hour. labor at some agreeable employ
ment three or four hours, read an
hour, sleep all she wants during the
night, but never AXE daytime
maps" eat plain, nourishing food.
mostly bread and roast or boiled beef
and every day indulge i'm all the fun
and frolic which her youthful spirits
can devise, and she will become
healthy, happy and intelligent
Then from eighteen to twenty-one
she may attend Vassar or any other
college, and will find herself better
able to carry off prizes than the girls
who have been always at school,
But she will not have developed
muscular stength equal to the young
men OF her own age, because Nature
has forbidden 1t. A girl Is provided
from birth with more adipOse tissue
than boy, not, as some suppose, to
keep her warm, but to render her
muscles more juicy, soft and yielding
than his. The Investigations of some
anatomists have also proved that her
body contains a much greater num-
Der OF nerves, and that her arterial
system on approaching womanhood
becomes more developed than his. /,
therefore, cannot at all agree with
the writer who says, 1--WE see no way
out of this difficulty but to commenc
with the cradle, and educate girls as
nearly like boys as possible"


Up to the seventh and sometimes
the tenth year of life this can gem
orally be done, but after that the
physical exercises of the sexes must
differ; the girl especially, If she
grows rapidly, will suffer from weak
ness in the lower part of the back
because the fabric structure is WIDEN
ing and enlarging itself. Growth of
bone causes peculiar aching. When
this is felt she should refrain from
much exertion, should seldom 90 up
and down stairs, never carry heavy
BABY In her arms, were no tight
clothing, nor sit long at q time, but
be encouraged to ''lounge about. ~
Let her alone as much as possible,
try TO amuse instead of worrying
her. and you will see her form ex-
pand daily into maidenly GRACEFUL
ness, her eyes deepen in softness at
the same time that brilliancy in
creases, her complexion clear itself
and become radient Though some
healthy girls are never rosy), and her
muscles acquire plump firmuess and
sufficient strength for any of the
lighter physical pursuits. "


Iowa In the present Congress is