Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 February 1892 — VAPID GIRLHOOD. [ARTICLE]

VAPID GIRLHOOD.

Type of Young Woman Doubtless Doomed to Early Decay. There is a type of womanhood now in New York society which, it is greatly to be feared, will perish with the generation that gave it birth. There seems to be nothing in the flippant shallowness of the young society girl of the period that will develop into the rare dignity and courtesy of demeanor characteristic of this type of which some of our women of Southern birth represent, says the New York Sun. One of them very well known is a tall, slight woman with wonderful glowing Southern eyes, full of fire and tenderness, of joy and of sorrow, softened into memories. Directly she greets you with that peculiar combination of dignity before which you and graciousness that charms and ‘puts you at your ease; the old Saxon word “lady,” which has been so abused and degraded, seems to be honored again in that woman’s personality. Another woman here more commanding in her personality, but none the less courteous, has a quantity of dark, soft hair, framing a purely oval face, still beautiful and expressive Of strength of character and rare intelligence. Her ready flow of well-chosen words on any subject, interesting, unusual and entertaining as well, always spoken in a low, Arm, but musical voice, contrasts strangely with the highpitched, vapid commonalities with which society regales its devotees. A lady sitting box in which one of the fashionable “twenty' score,” as Byron has it, entertained her friends recently, watched an exquisitely dressed, faultlessly beautiful girl lounging awkwardly, with one knee crossed over the other and one arm thrown over the back of the chair, in the glare of the lights and in a prominent place in the crowded building. The girl seemed to be a great favorite, for a constant procession of young men passed into the box. To each she gave an indiffereit little handshake, her elbow on a /evel with her shoulder, her hand in a line with her eyes. To each she

said only: “Aw! You here? Delighted to see you.” That was all. And all without a change of position or a particle of animation in the pretty face. The elderly woman who chaperoned her rose quickly as the young men greeted her, and said to each one the same set formula of words: “Aw! You here? Don’t make yourself so scarce. ” And that was all that was said by the two women from 8 o’clock until 11. Can that type of vapid girlhood develop the charm that makes women of 40 dangerous and of 50 fascinating? Better the punctiliousness and obsequiousness of the old school than the slovenliness of demeanor characteristic of this closing century.