Windham County Democrat. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1836-1853, 1849-11-28
The Pathology of Lady OF Fashion

The Pathology of IA Lady OF Fashion.
"But aching head, though a sofa, may never feel
BY pathology, mean the systematized knowl-
edge or science of disease. BY fashionable lady,
we mean woman who has been brought up, aud
lives in the habits practices, and pursuits OF that
portion of society, whose aim and end Is to please
and be pleased If man and woman were in their
right moral and mental condition, to please and he
pleased would be the true end OF their existence
but mankind are not in their proper condition.
their pleasures may be very Injurious.
Health, whether of mind OF body, consists in the
complete soundness of the organization, aud the
appropriate performance of the functions. A flaw
defect in the one, failure in the other, is dis
9aKe ,iaa,there wAsh NRag.. oRsHsa ,pg@
piled with produce disease Fashion, which Of all
things may to he capricious and awless, is
subject to, and educes laws, certainly any 9th
er phase of society.
Every human being is possessed Of triple ma
ture and each part requires its own culture and en-
poyment. The highest part is the SPIRITUAL which
gives the feelings or intentions. The next part is
the mental, which gives the ideas knowledge
The third part is the physical the acting portion of
our being When each one of these parts is in or
der health and happiness are the result. When
one Of them is out of order, and still more when
all of them are, disease aud misery the neva-
BILE results.
The first element Of fashionable life is the mega
tive one of aburing all abor-the abstinence from
doing anything for subsistence or use. Thus
in her kitchen garden for the purpose of producing
food, as planting corn, sowing turnips hoeing
wedding a vegetable bed, rut~trees She will
attend to her iowerbeds and blOssom-trees, and do
as much work it she in her kitchen garden ;
hut it is not accounted labor. There is no necessity
TO do it. 1t is acknowledgements.
She would not for the world be known TO do any
thing IN her kitchen, because that wonld be account
ed labor-necessary work but she would perform
twice the quantity of actual work, in the arrange
ment of her drawing-room or boudoir, because that
is entirely optional and conventional 10 spend
day in the useful offices of washing and ironing
would be death TO her reputation but 10 spend one
third of every day in the iatigues of the toilet
would be matter of course and consequence.
To be seen a few hours in the occupation OF
shrt-making, or mendiug stockings, would be an
unspeakabe disgrace; while to he engaged for
weeks in curious netting, working lace, or embroi-
dering, would be matter Of proud satisfaction, and
n lauduble object of ambition. To paint TO color,
or to whitewash amy part of her house, would be
degradation never 10 be recovered; but to paint
flowers or scenes, persons or places, would be an
art sought after, with the avidy and cupidiy of Il
search for an Ell Dorado.
Now, in all those empoyments which they dis
dain there is a satisfaction in their performance
which is source of mental, moral and physical
health 10 millions; while in the occupations which
they adopt there is emptiness in their course
and WEAKNESS and dissatisfaction at their end
which are fruitful source of misery and disease tc
thousands.
lady of fashionable life, on account of two of he
beautiful daughters, who were as sylph-like sym
metric as fashion could make them, but who show
ed too plainly that their forms and constitutions
were as fraii debility could mar them, whou
actually manilesling some specific form Of disease
80, what shall | do for my beautiful girls" eXcaim
ed the mother. "Gve them strength" | replied
"And how shall that be done?" said She dc
them mike their own beds, carry their water "a
stairs and down, and sweep their own rooms, AM
perchance the parlor and drawing-room 60 t
market and bring baskets of provisions home, gar
den wash and iron" Looking at me with snr
prise, she said, 'What sort of minds would the
have, what sort of bodies 2" ] answered, "lhe
would have as healthy and happy ones your SCI
wants. You now give all the health and happnes
to your domestics. Be mercill 10 your daughters
and let them have share"
Work, without useful aim or end, is not occupf
ton nor employment When the tread-nill wa
introduced ms II mode of punishment, the wretche
prisoners felt themselves more degraded 10y 'doin
nothing" they called it, Than by their crime
How many Indies in fashionable life are doome
for years TO feel the bitterness of "dong nothing
What wonder if they nervous irritable, an
diseased. Useful work, satisfactory emplo
ment is essential to the health of the mind
10 that of the body.
The first and strongest principle of our natlIr
is that of rectitude, or what ought TO be. Eve
human being is possessed of this lofty but awf
teeling-lhe deep sense of recttude or prophet
A feeling which is never satisfied, is perpeu
source Ol MISERY, Ike ulldppeaSetl, or app
ute uncatered for. Can any woman, surveying h
body, or considering her mind, seriously and co
scientiously conclude, that she is not called up
for any useful work, necessary contribution
society and that to he adorned and admired is
her duty and her destiny? This would exclu
her from the republic of mind and morals, and ella
her with pet animals and flowers.
The same error which leads her to avoid all I
useful occupations induces her TO escape all
useful pursuits. That sort of knowledge, viii
can he usefully applied, and only usefnly display
is an undesirable attainment in her estimation; a
therefore entirely neglected, only far sought
1t may subserve the end of her being-displ
Science, therefore, or sysematzed knowledge
not any part of her desire.
The employment of the intellect, without sa
factory direction, is one of the most common err
of the day. TO obtain some knowledge of j
guages, without making them available, means
instruction and improvement; acquire some 5
in music, without intending to employ it as an
sirument of emotional purity and elevation to
tain TO excellence in the arts of drawing and pa
ing, without aiming TO enrich our ideas and thoue