Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1853-09-14
From the Home Journal.
A Discourse on Wearing Jewelry.

Rings, from one to four on each fnger-ear
rings, large and showy-necklaces, two or thre
in number, with hearts and crosses dependent from
q the same-bracelets, many and huge, casing th
, arms half way to the ebow-a minute watch af
, fixed to the waist and moored to the neck with
golden cable, four times as long and thick as i
need be-a world of little knicknacks called
, "charms," heavy, inelegant and stupid-a bou
| quet handle, worn at the side like huntsman'
horn-pins, brooches, miniatures-arid all ,corr
t at once!! Does the unsophisticated reader doub
5 it2 Let him HE to any second-rate watering
place, and he will perceive many jewellers shoI
: strollng about, of which the above is an imper
feet inventory.
How everybody laughs when some one, fresh
from California, describes those Indians who weal
every garment they possess at the same time. Il
a wardrobe consists of cravat and a pair of slip
pers, he wears his cravat and pair of slippers, and
goes about, satisfied and happy. -GiveOne oftheH
seven pair of pantaloons, three vests, two coats.
and half dozen shirts, he dons them all, regard
less of the thermometer which now is (lO9o In
the shade,) and of that which is to come (zero.)
To let the public know the extent of his posses
sons, he rolls up his seven pair Of combinations,
one little above the other, and he looks like a
man supported by two inverted coils of rope. He
wears his smallest vest outside, that the others
may be visible. And so he waddles about the
settlement, stunning the dandies of his tribe with
the magnifcence of his getting up, captivating
madens, and performing all the other duties OF
his position, as the Brummel of the day. His
friend in the cravat and slippers, just now hap
py man, is ready to die with envy. Well--we
laugh at all this. We call these Indian benight-
ed savages, and put money in the plate Tor the
missionaries. Yet the woman at Saratoga who
covers herself with jewery, just because she hap
pens to have it, and accumulates ornament on or.
nament, without the slightest regard to time,
place, or propriety, is, in her heart, as uncvlzed
person as our friend of the combinations, and is
quite as ridiculous an object.
Perhaps, more ridiculous We have heard it
whispered scandal people talk that part
of the preparation for watering place campaign
is to 90 about among less ambitious friends, and
bolro1u their surplus jewelry for the season.;
There is, we know, class of ladies who would
rather perish ANONYMOUSLY, and on the scaffold,
than appear twice in the same attire in public
room of watering place hotel and, therefore, if
they remain ten days, their ingenuity is tasked,
and their wardrobe may well be overtasked, in
providing from thirty to fifty totally different
styles of dress and decoration. Such ladies, it is
plumes, and shine with lustres not their own.-
We might say word, too, in this place, if we
had time, about the absolutely incredible quantl-
ties of shan, jewelry which find sale now -a-days
Sham iewelry is now imported of very superior
quality, Calculated to deceive the most expert
enced eye," and which can be sold at about a
tenth of the price of the real article. We had no
idea until lately what splendid diamond brooch
can be bought for seven dollars and half; nor
how impossible it is 10 tell, by the eye alone, the
difference between the new, ,double-washed sham
gold chains and the real California golden ones,
twenty-five carats fine; nor what prodlglous
quantity of the sham is got rid of by our Broad
way jewellers. Think of brass earrings, they
are sold in large quantities. In short, when we
see Jamsel or matron all sparkling and blazing
with jewels and gold, from comb to shoe-lace, we
are plunged, at once into considerations touching
both the nature and the source of her splendour.
Is it sham, or is it borrowed2 we ask-concluding,
of course, that it is one of the two; as when the
young impertinents of Broadway meet a gaudily-
dressed woman walking in that celebrated thor
. oughfare, they conclude at once that she is not
person of responsibility, and employ their undiyl-
ded minds in conecturing to ,uhich of the disrepu
table classes she belongs. (We mention this fact
-disagreeable as it is-becausei is desirable that
ii should be generally known.)
1t is the desire to appear equal to others in for
tune and position. that gives rise to the excessive
fondness for decoration which prevails among u.s.
+ Jefferson was partly the cause Of it. He very
properly desired to begin the Declaration OF lnde-
pendence, by dealing blow at hereditary rank
aud privileges aud to accomplish this, he must
needs declare that call men are born free and E.
qual"-a remark, which must not be taken quite
literally. Freedom is the dearest and greatest at
tribute of man but it has to be achieved by each
individual for himsef-treedom from Want, from
Habit from Prejudice, from Fear, and from De-
sire. And with regard to equality, there is nc
such thing in the universe! In a stack of wheat
as high as the great pyramid, no two grains arc
equal. In the most populous country, no two men
, are equal but each individual stands, as il were
between two great bodies, TO all the people in one
of which he is inferior, and to all in the other, SUI
perinr No one will deny so obvious truth; yet
E few, in these modern days, practically and heart
, lily believe it. The decorations of which we com
plain are barbarous, because they imply that i
Mrs Jones is equal to Mrs. Smith in the trivia
circumstance of fortune; therefore, Mrs. Jones ant
Mrs. Smith are equals. They imply fixed be-
lief that wealth is the grand distinction between
man and man. and particularly between woman
and woman ; (Which" as Euclid thousand times
observes, sis not the case'' The sting of power
!, ty is gone, the moment it is avowed the prestige
of wealth vanishes as soon as it is paraded
= But should jewels never be worn? Certainly
f they should. 1t is the duty of every one, and
is the desire of all healthy minded persons to ar
ray themselves in becoming and tasteful attire
One general law respecting the Ornamental is this
Whatever is merely ornamental, is barbarous
lar net min
pin something every ring mean something eve
, ry pendant have use, or be an emblem or re
! minder. Beautiful is the wedding ring, glisten
ng among the folds of the infants dress; an,
: beautiful the ring on the maden's finger, when
is worn in remembrance of the absent lover. Pleas
ing to see, also whether upon shirt or cheniisete
are the golden studs which serve for buttons, AM
8 the diamond pin when it seems to perform a sim
liar Office Even bracelet may be tolerated,
it contains or records something but when 1t doe
= not, it properly belongs to the arm of an Africa
princess. Happy, too, are some of those contrl
3 vances which at once bind the hair and adorn .th
. head and blessed be those necklaces from whlc
something hangs which keeps the heart warm.
Il Another law is, that the ornamental must b.
real. Mere inexperence or ignorance, or custom
may induce person to indulge in an excess ofor
nament but to wear sham or borrowed jewelry
indicates weakness of character, which is sim
e ply pitiful.
A SIsrER's INrLUENcE.-"I was drunk once,
e said Young man to us, the other day, sand
: shall never forget it. In company with severa
iovial fellows, was induced to drink pretty free
h ly, and by the time got home, | scarcely kneN
where / was or what was doing. was put
bed, and how long laid there do not know
but when awoke, my sister was sitting besid
Il. II ass.a.-al In saminn Tho rnornnnt he