THE YOUNG GIRL 



For the first few years the young girl's life does 

 not differ materially from that of the boy. The same 

 desire for bodily exertion and for constant motion ; 

 the same manifestation of the joy of living are 

 shown in each. As the intellect opens, the inherited 

 memories from the parent whose physical conforma- 

 tion she reproduces, manifest themselves. As her 

 muscular strength is less, her sports and games are 

 gentler, too. The instinctive love for dress and 

 adornment replaces that of the boy for mimic war. 

 Dolls give her the delight that the drum and the toy 

 gun give to her brother. The years advance more 

 quickly with her. At thirteen or fourteen she abandons 

 the ruder plays she has shared with him ; the culture 

 of her personal graces, which she had given lit- 

 tle or no attention to, now absorb her time and 

 thoughts. She is quick to learn and often ambitious 

 to excel. Less apt to be drawn aside by outside dis- 

 tractions, she would frequently outspeed her brother 

 in his studies for the next few years, were it not that 

 so much time is often taken to acquire accomplish- 

 ments that room is not left either in hours or in men- 

 tal training for the sterner work that he has to do. 

 Meanwhile her growth advances ; in two or three 

 years more her figure reaches its full height and its 

 full development. Her mind and faculties likewise 

 mature. In character she is more impressionable than 



