The American Girl

If Mr. Robert Grant is at all accurate and successful in his effort to present to his readers the yonug American womau and the young American man, then Mr. Andrew Lang is not infatuated with either. It is to be understood that it is the Robert Grant young woruan and not the real yonng wonian, tmless the real fits in with Mr. Grant's, that the üsually genial and courteous Mr. Langcriticises with unaccustomed severity, if not brutality. Doubtless there are yoïing woruen here and also pretty mnch everywhere whomight be characterized in Mr. Lang's paradox, "The American woman doesn't know what she wants, and will nèver be happy till she gets it. " Which recalla the remark of an American woman that whenever she uuesii üííuuw wnaisne waucs, lts olives. It is useless to atternpt a geueralization as to American young women. There is no distinet type, as tbere is in Eugland, where most young womeii have a corumon racial origin, where there is a good deal of nniformity in education and where there is conventionality of manners. Here fashionable society receives recruits from nearly all classes - from families whose parentage is widely different one from another, and whose only comrnon ground is wealth, or the appearance of wealth, and a common aim. The girls of New England and the girls of the south are as different as possible in character and manners, though tbey may meet in New York on a common plane and in intirnacy. There are intense girls, and inane, cheerful and amiable and amusing little idiots, and sédate and Minervalike goddesses, shy maidens and dashing coqnettes, in any considerable group of girls. There is no more reason for accepting one than another as the type of the American girl. There are certainly some qualities common to all girls, but to English girls as well. It is as useless to attempt to describe the American girl as the American people, who are as varied as the nations of the earth, from all of which the American people have been drawn.