work for their livelihood than burden their children and hinder their success

by relying on them for pecuniary aid. It may have escaped my observation,
but, so far as I know, it is not the custom for young people

to provide for their parents. There was, however, one exceptional case
which came to my knowledge. Some years ago a young Senator in Washington,

who was famous for his eloquence, had his father living with him.
His father was eighty years of age, and though in robust health was a cripple,

and so had to depend on him for support. I was informed that he and his wife
were very kind to him. Many young men treat their parents

kindly and affectionately, but they do it more as a favor than as a duty;
in fact, as between equals.

In connection with this subject I may mention that as soon as a son marries,
however young and inexperienced he may be, he leaves his parents' roof.

He and his bride will set up a separate establishment so that
they can do as they please without the supervision of their parents.

The latter do not object, as it gives the young folk an opportunity
to gain experience in keeping house. Young wives have a horror

of having their mothers-in-law reside with them; if it be necessary
to have an elderly lady as a companion they always endeavor

to get their own mothers.
American women are ambitious and versatile, and can readily

apply themselves to any task with ease. They are not only employed
in stores and mercantile houses but are engaged in different professions.

There is scarcely any store in America where there are not some women
employed as typists, clerks, or accountants. I am told that

they are more steady than men. Even in the learned professions they
successfully compete with the men. Some years ago the Attorney-Generalship

of one of the states became vacant. Two candidates appeared;
one was a gentleman and the other a young lady lawyer.

They both sought election; the gentleman secured a small majority,
but in the end the lady lawyer conquered, for she soon became the wife

of the Attorney-General, her former opponent during the election campaign,
and after her marriage she practically carried on the work of her husband.

Some years later her husband retired from practice in order to farm,
and she continued to carry on the law practice. Does not this indicate

that the intellect of the American woman is equal, if not superior,
to that of the men? American women are good conversationalists,

and many of them are eloquent and endowed with "the gift of the gab".
One of the cleverest and wittiest speeches I have ever heard

was from a woman who spoke at a public meeting on a public question.
They are also good writers. Such women as Mrs. Ella Wheeler Wilcox,

Mrs. Mary N. Foote Henderson, Mrs. Elizabeth Towne and many others,
are a great credit to their sex. The writings of such women

show their profoundinsight and wide culture. Naturally such women
cannot be expected to play second fiddle. They exercise great influence,

and when married "they rule the roost". It should be mentioned
that their husbands submitwillingly to their tactful rule,

and gladly obey their commands without feeling that they are servants.
I would advise any married woman who complains of her husband

being unruly and unpleasant to take a lesson from the ladies of America.
They are vivacious, bright, loquacious and less reserved than European ladies.

In social functions they can be easily recognized. If, however,
an American lady marries a foreigner and lives abroad,

she soon loses her national characteristics. Once on board a steamer
I had an American lady as a fellow passenger; from her reserved manner

I mistook her for an English lady, and it was only after some days
that I discovered she was born in America, but that she had been

living in England for many years with her English husband.
There is one fault I find with American women, if it can be so called,

and that is their inquisitiveness; I know that this is a common fault
with all women, but it is most conspicuous in the Americans.

They have the knack of finding out things without your being aware of it,
and if they should want to know your history they will learn all about it

after a few minutes' conversation. They are good detectives,
and I think they should be employed in that line more than they are.

A nation's reputation depends upon the general character of its women,
for they form at least half, if not more, of the population.

In this respect America stands high, for the American woman is lively,
open-hearted and ingenuous; she is also fearless, independent,

and is almost without restraint. She is easily accessible to high and low,
and friendly to all, but woe to the man who should misunderstand

the pure and high character of an American girl, and attempt to take liberties
with her. To a stranger, and especially to an Oriental, she is a puzzle.

Some years ago I had to disabuse a false notion of a countryman of mine
respecting a lady's behavior toward him. The keen observer will find that

the American girl, having been educated in schools and colleges with boys,
naturally acts more freely than her sisters in other countries,

where great restraint is imposed upon them. Her actions may be considered
as perilously near to the border of masculinity, yet she is as far

from either coarseness or low thoughts as is the North from the South Pole.
The Chinese lady is as pure as her American sister, but she is brought up

in a different way; her exclusion keeps her indoors,
and she has practically no opportunity of associating with male friends.

A bird which has been confined in a cage for a long time, will,
when the door is opened, fly far away and perhaps never return,

but if it has been tamed and allowed to go in and out of its cage
as it pleases it will not go far, but will always come back in the evening.

When my countrywomen are allowed more freedom they will not abuse it,
but it will take some little time to educate them up to

the American standards.
Chapter 10. American Costumes

Fashion is the work of the devil. When he made up his mind to enslave mankind
he found in fashion his most effectiveweapon. Fashion enthralls man,

it deprives him of his freedom; it is the most autocratic dictator,
its mandate being obeyed by all classes, high and low, without exception.

Every season it issues new decrees, and no matter how ludicrous they are,
everyone submits forthwith. The fashions of this season

are changed in the next. Look, for example, at women's hats; some years ago
the "merry widow" which was about two or three feet in diameter,

was all the rage, and the larger it became the more fashionable it was.
Sometimes the wearer could hardly go through a doorway.

Then came the hat crowned with birds' feathers, some ladies even placing
the complete bird on their hats -- a most ridiculousexhibition" target="_blank" title="n.展览；显示；表演">exhibition of bad taste.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals should take up
the question of the destruction of birds for their plumage,

and agitate until the law makes it illegal to wear a bird on a hat.
Some may say that if people kill animals and birds for food

they might just as well wear a dead bird on their hats, if they wish
to be so silly, although the large majority of America's population,

I am sorry to find, sincerely believe meat to be a necessary article of diet;
yet who will claim that a dead bird on a hat is an indispensable article

of wearing apparel? Why do we dress at all? First, I suppose,
for protection against cold and heat; secondly, for comfort; thirdly,

for decency; and, fourthly, for ornament. Now does the dress of Americans
meet these requirements?

First, as regards the weather, does woman's dress protect her from the cold?
The fact that a large number of persons daily suffer from colds

arouses the suspicion that their dress is at fault. The body is neither
equally nor evenly covered, the upper portion being as a rule nearly bare,

or very thinly clad, so that the slightest exposure to a draught,
or a sudden change of temperature, subjects the wearer

to the unpleasant experience of catching cold, unless she is
so physicallyrobust and healthy that she can resist all the dangers

to which her clothing, or rather her lack of clothing, subjects her.
Indeed ladies' dress, instead of affording protection sometimes

endangers their lives. The following extract from the "London Times"
-- and the facts cannot be doubted -- is a warning to the fair sex.

"The strong gale which swept over Bradford resulted in
an extraordinary accident by which a girl lost her life.

Mary Bailey, aged 16, the daughter of an electrician,
who is a pupil at the Hanson Secondary School, was in the school yard

when she was suddenly lifted up into the air by a violent gust of wind
which got under her clothes converting them into a sort of parachute.

After being carried to a height estimated by spectators at 20 feet,
she turned over in the air and fell to the ground striking the concreted floor

of the yard with great force. She was terribly injured and died
half an hour later." Had the poor girl been wearing Chinese clothing

this terrible occurrence could not have happened; her life would not
have been sacrificed to fashion.

As to the second point, comfort, I do not believe that the wearer of
a fashionablecostume is either comfortable or contented. I will say nothing

of the unnecessary garments which the average woman affects,