Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1816-04-17
a.. q. Av.r,ye. That the luxury o.

Iress should be in proportion to rank al'
/ 1rtune: whilst this proposition IS follow
d, it is useful pomp winch supPors
| he industry of the poor at the expense o
| e rich, and every thingis IN It's pfoPe
| lace A wom4n of rank arfayed IKE
Itbe wife Of INV farmer, or the wife OF my
armer like woman Of rank, would be
LIS ridiculous as sublime thousnt ~
| h;me. or the burden ola ballad ID alex
fl,drine verse.
We recommend to women whs man;
lain the first rank by their birth and
beauty, the taste of an elegant simplicity
| / subject which is sufficient OF i.sell mas
10 need Of foreign ornament. Art may
lii.fgure the finest form, Il cannot hope
Ito improve it. But a beautiful woman
icing The most beautiful Object OF beautl-
lful nature, should adopt style OF dress
Ientirely Epic, but Epic like the muse o.
Virgil, noble. modest, and Without the
slightest mixture of tinsel. we forbie
Iher therefore, and it is under the penal.
tiles that belong to it, every specles OF
ltrinket. in word every thing which may
RESEMBLE the coneetti' OF modern lite
! .ature. We exhort her to remember
Ithat it is with dress as with expression.
1.-The most simple is that alone which takes
othing from The sublimlty OF the luea ;
the most happy is that which beng con,
founded with the idea cannot be perceiv-
led. 1t is never necessa, y to speak Vi
beautiful woman's toile', if we conceive
size should be ever any thns
lout beautiful. And we must here rem
(1er justice to the most celebrated beau
lite of England and France we nave met
with, that their dress, Ut their whois sex,
has been the farthest removed from ridi-
,lcule and study. The good sense OF De-
liza is shewn even in her garments. one
does net appear either too Negligent, or
loo care.ul, but simple and decent, IN
I hat Just medium which is equally distant
from the exa operations o fashion, from
Irht sinsolarty which seeks observation,
or that scornful negligence which an
Inoances beauty too proud OF her pow
IerS.
Our precepts viii be less severe to
Those women who are only pretty, to
Ithose WHOSE charms arise rat er irSm a
!certain air, spread over their whole per,
II, than from the regularity OF Their
or the dignity of their figure. =
! Ne abandon to them all he resources oi
sthe art, we will ey pardon theRi the m
Inconsistencies which arise from lively
land pla, ful imagination. These are sub
.Iiects of fancy, susceptible OF all the
Icharms, which the magic OF style, the va
Itjety of tones, can give. Lei them lmi-
,tate in their attire sometimes the taste
!of the sonnet, sometimes that OF the ma
Ilrigal or rondeau, all the lesser 9 aces.
! Let the young FiaTia be q, If model, tie
'lcare of her toilet is not indeed her most
Import nj business, but it is he sweetest
itof her amusenents. However brilliant
|her attire. we never see in it any thing
unnecessary the charae ter OF her lace
Supports all the poiap with which she IS
lsurrounded. IL she owes to her Jewes
lazy lustre which she would not have had
Withoul them, it may Also be SAID, that
lshe gives them in return grace which
they would have sought in vain else,
twhere.
| There is a third order Of women, whom
| shall beg leave to distinguish by the
name of neuter faces these women are
neither beautiful nor ugly. and their on
" merit consists in a little DELICATE fl
cure, with lively sparkling eyes All
that can do for them is to permit them
to initiate in their dress that brief, live,
lly and natural turn which shGuld charac'
terize the Epigram-nothing more; +
After having thus determined whatI
belongs to the three classes OF my tart
country women who are permitted toy
I make use of ornaments, viz. those Who'll
| are beautiful, those who ars pretty, andf
| those who hold a certain medium be-
tween ugliness and beauty, l add that
this privilege is limited by common sense
Ito certain number of years, after whichI
| term 1t must be regarded as void. 4 riv-I
ed at that degree of latitude, where there
are no more favorable winds, it is tlmel
to gain the first port, and lower the
fsaiis.
| Ihave now reached the most melan-
choly division of my subjects, and \
tremble at the displeasure which thei
| ireedons Of my remarks may bring on me,
Gan 4 however avoid speakinSS-ano |