Page:Book of Etiquette, Volume 1, by Lilian Eichler.djvu/303

Rh than her sister of two or three decades ago ever was.

Life is no longer shown to the young daughter as a plaything by fond parents who plan no future except marriage and social success for the young woman whose future rests in their hands. To-day life is shown to her as it is shown to her brother—as something beautiful, something impressive, something worthy of deep thought and ambitious plans.

To-day the young girl is not only taught to dance gracefully, to enter a room correctly, and to conduct herself with ease and charm at the dinner table, but she is taught to develop her natural talents and abilities so that the world will be left a little better for her having lived in it. Her conduct, therefore, is tinged with a new dignity of purpose, a new desire to make the best of the gift of life. Instead of idle chatter her conversation assumes the proportion of intellectual discussions, and young men and women to-day discuss intelligently problems that would not have been mentioned in polite society a generation ago.

It is to help the young girl to prepare for the glorious future that awaits her that the following paragraphs are written,

There is nothing quite as charming in a young girl as repose of manner. A soft voice, a quiet, cultured manner is more to be admired than a pretty face, or an elaborate gown.

Let the young girl look to the ancient Greeks for inspiration. Here she will find the true conception of beauty—repose of manner and utter simplicity. She will find