Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1850-10-24
THE Tim ES
TRYING TO BE GENTEEL

TRYING TO BE GENTEEL.
| once boarded at "genteel board
ing house," in Louisville; there were
two ladies and piano in the house
hall and parlor Handsomely furnished.
The eldest young lady, the belle. wore
a summer bonnet at ten dollar-a silk
and blond concern that could not last
more than three monlhs-silk and ga
tin dresses at Two, three and four dol
lars per yard, and five dollars apiece
for making them; and The entire family.
women. boys, and babies, slept in one
small room, with two dirty bags ot
pine shavings, two straw holsters, and
three dirty quilts, for bedding. no slips;
and there on the wall hung the pea
green and white satin; the rich silk lawn
-dreses. These ladies' did not work,
bu, played on the piano; accordion and
cards. and nearly broke their hearts
the week we were there, because ano.
Their. who presume lived just as they
did. called on them, with great clumsy
gold chain on her neck. None of them
had one, and Miss La ,linds, the belle,
could eat no supper, and had fl oi
su!ks, 80 console her Tor the want Of a
chain.--PHisbug SATURDAY, Visitor.
We fear this description w"nld suit
the latitude of other places besides
Louisville. The endeavor To be gen
teel' is the curse Of too many of The
nhabnants of our cities and villages. -
Weak mothers VII! frequently do the
most menial offices, and deny ,hemscl'
YES comforts necessary 10 health, in
order that selfish daughters may dress
above their means, and spend their time
in dleness and fashionable gossip. The
inducement to all this is. that the daUgh.
ters may make splendid matches; in
other words, marry young men with
more money than brains. and more
credit than either. In nine cases ou,
of ten, the effort fails, and the girls re-
main unmarried, thus increasing the
number of those disconienled old maids,
who mistakenly think sing lie life pos.
sesses nothing honorable, but who
have only themselves to blame for their
fate, since they despised the honest men
who would have have had them, in the
vain hope to get others who scornod
them in turn.
There is nothing more foolish, ,indee',
than this trying TO be "genteeI." The
word itself is vulgar, and has no real
meaning, a, least in republican coun.
try. We have no gentii'y here, as
they have in England. Every man is
~ an equality. The homes, day labor.
er, who serves his God. pays bis debts;
and does his duty to hIs neighhor, is as
worthy of rcspec, az The richest ci'i.
zen. A respectable operative, though
poor, is far more esimable than the
fashionable dandy, who lives by cheat
ing his tailor. or The extravigant mer-
chant, who spends more than his in
come. IL common parlance, "gen,cel
people" more generally belong 10 the
spend,hrift class than the really veal.
Thy. 10 the vain and empty fools, who
live for show, than To tie intelligent
honorable and worthy. To endeavor
TO ape the rich, by an exrravagant ex.
pendilure Of narrow means, is wha,
most weak persons do, who wish to be
"gepteel" |; is our deliberate opinion
that no young woman can live this life
of petty hypocrisy, this constant strug
gle to seem 10 he what she is not, with
out losing that strict regard for ,ru,I
which is one of the brightest ornamenl'
: of females character. Better, faI
be frank and honesl Poverty is moth
ing to he ashamed Of, while deceit anC
extravaganza are. II we wero uyoun;
man, we would avoid all fnmilies il
which we detected this ehor, To be gen
leel, for We should be sure that we rur
great danger of marrying an exlrav
,gant and foolish wife. if nothing " orse