The Women Of Our Time.

women are unsatisfactory in one way , some in another . But there often comes over us , in society , a sense of unsatisfactoriness as regards this daughter of Eve , or that daughter of Eve , which we perhaps find difficult ourselves to analyze or explain ,

but still it exists , and acts upon us , and dominates alike our sympathies and behaviour . Of course we ought always to be on our guard against prejudice , hasty prepossessions , self-opinionated dislikes . If it be true , as some has said , that the world is

full of prejudices , and that most people are prejudiced in it , admitting the truth in the abstract of this old assertion , yet we should on higher grounds , and animated by a truer teaching , always set our faces against rash and premature prejudices . Second impressions are sometimes better than , first , or rather first impressions are modified by subsequent knowledge and more matured

experience . But putting all prejudice out of the question , it is impossible , I think , to deny that , as a general rule , we are all more or less struck by , —just as we " spot , " to use a slang word of our young men to-day , — the unsatisfactory woman . If we can

hardly explain it ourselves , still there she is , as large as life , and most unsatisfactory to us . " Oh , most unsatisfactory of women ! " we mentally exclaim , "May your shadow never grow less , but may I never see your blessed face again . " And if

the stern philosopher may say , in exactness she is only subjectively unsatisfactory to you—not objectively , remember—be it so . We deal for the most part as individuals

with subjective trifles and realities . The objective we leave , and must leave , to what somebody has termed your " first-princi ple people , " who , by the way , often appear to me to act on second principles , if indeed they do act on any principles at all .

The unsatisfactory woman then , who is now before us , is unsatisfactory in and by numerous ways and means . She is unsatisfactory in her " morale , " or her manners , her temper or her tea parties , her words or her waysher habit or her h ' sher dress

, , or her drawing-room , her " tricks of the stage , " or her " tout-ensemble . " She may bully her husband or her children , she may slight her relations or her friends , she may defy the rules of society , or disobey the moral code of Mrs . Grundy ( low even as it

be ) , or else she may give so bad a tone to her own circle , and so mislead the nei ghbourhood in which she takes a prominent part that the whole moral atmosphere around her is impregnated with the odours of what is " maquin , " uncomfortable ,

unsatisfactory , unbecoming . Then there is that unsatisfactory woman , so common weak at home , childish abroad , who is sort of " waiter upon Providence , " the toady of her richer neighbours . She always is repeating what Mrs . Twoshoes has said , or

is lost in admiration at what Mrs . Giddy has done . She is always second-hand , never ori ginal ; and if you talk to her , it is like speaking to a parrot , for she does nothing but repeat to you stock sentences which have no meaning in themselves , and which she positively does not understand herself .

Then , again , we have that very unsatisfactory woman who is above , as she calls them , " the cold conveutionalites of society . " " She does not care what the world says or what people think , not she , " and accordingly you hear from her very

astounding sentiment often , and note in her many very peculiar proceedings . A good deal of all this is put on , no doubt , —female bravado , — " falutin , " — swagger , — " fastness , " which she foolishly thinks please men , and attract masculine admiration . But

you who like to see a woman self-possassed and self-respecting , who desiderate reserve and restraint in the woman of your heart , you move away with a sigh of regret , from a boldness which only alarms , and from an unfemininity which greatly depresses .

Once more , we have the unsatisfactory woman who will always lecture and preach in season and out of season . I for one equally object to a woman dogmaticall y laying down the law , as well as always "testifying " and " ejaculating . " No good that 1 am aware

of ever came from hyper-profession , and I am certain that in the case of a woman it leads to unreality of life and action , throwing the colouring of a blatant p harasaism oyer what should be the active , consistent piety of the humbleunostentatioussilent

, , , religious woman ! And what a blessing a truly reli gious woman is and may be in a family and a nei ghbourhood . We all of us know how great her worth , aud her intense usefulness to society , and we have some of us full experience and pleasant memories