Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1852-09-08
TRYING TO BE GENTEEL.


once boarded in genteel boarding house."
in Louisville; there were two ladies and a pi-
ano in the house-hall and parlor handsomely
furnished The eldest young lady, the belle,
wore summer bonnet at ten dollars--a silk
and blond concern that could not last more than
three months--sk and satin dresses at two,
three and four dollars per yard, and five dollars
for making them and the entire family, women,
boys and babies, slept in one small room, with
two dirty bags of pine shavings, two straw
holsters, and three dirty quilts, for bedding and
there on the wall hung the pea-green and white
satin, the rich silk lawn dresses. These ladies'
did not work, but played on the piano, accorde-
on and cards; and nearly broke their hearts the
week we were there, because another, 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 Labimbs, the
belle could eat no supper, and had mt OF sulks
TO console her for the want of a chain.
We fear this description would suit the lat-
tude of other places besides Louisville. The
endeavor to be "genteel," is the curse of too
many Of the inhabitants of our cities and villa
ges. Weak mothers will frequently do the
most menial offices, and deny themselves COM
forts absolutely necessary to health, in order
that selfish daughters may dress above their
means, and spend their time in idleness and in
fashionable gossip The inducement to all this
is, that the daughters may make splendid
matches in other words, marry young men
with more money than brains, and more credit
than either In nine cases out of ten the effort
fails, and the girls remain unmarried, thus in
creasing the number of those dscontented old
maids, who mstakingy think single life pos
sesses nothing honorable but who have only
themselves to blame for their fate, since they
despised the honest men who would have had
them, in the vain hope to get others who scorn-
ed them in turn.
There is nothing more foolish, indeed, than
this trying to be "genteel" The word itself
is vulgar, and has no real meaning, at least in
a republican country. We have no gentility
here, as they have in England Every man is
on equality. The honest day laborer, who
serves his God, pays his debts, and does his du-
ty to his neighbor, is as worthy of respect as
the richest citizen. A respectable operative,
though poor, is far more estimable than either
the fashionable dandy, who lives by cheating his
tailor, or the extravagant merchant, who spends
more than his income. In common parlance,
genteel people" more generally belong to the
spendthrift class than the real wealthy to the
vain and empty fools, who live for show, than
to the intelligent, honorable and worthy. 10
endeavor to ape the rich by an extravagant ex-
penditure of narrow means, is what most weak
persons do, who wish to be considered "gen-
tee" 1t is our deliberate opinion that no
young woman can live this life of petty hypoc-
risy, this constant struggle to seem to be what
she is not, without losing that strict regard for
truth which is one of the brightest ornaments
of female character. Better, far better, be
frank and honest Poverty is nothing to be
ashamed of, which deceit and extravaganza are.
If we were young man, we would avoid all
families in which we detected this effort to be
" genteel;' for we should be sure we would
run great danger of marrying an extravagant
and foolish wife, if nothing worse.
Said bed-bug to mosquito,whom he chanc-
ed to meet =" How is it you make out to ex-
tract so much more Of lifes current than myself,
when can bite as severely as you! How can
you explain it!"
"For particulars, see small bills" quoted the
mosquito, with dignity.
A QUANpARY-A baker with both arms in
the dough up to his elbows, and a flea in the
leg of his trousers.