Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1853-03-24
Social FestivitiAs and Late
HourSA


Social Festivities and Late
Hours
The flush of youth soon pa&ses from the face.
The spells of fancy from tfN mind depart;
The form may loose its symmetry and grace,
II natures ways be yieldedPp to art.
II is said that certain fasIHonables of New
York are about 10 attempt & important re-
form in the social festivities @thal city, name
ly, a change in the hours ofFassembIing and
departing from The brillianH parties lhmAarr
given from time TO time. # is 20 be hoped
that the effort will be atlended with success,
and that the leaders of toa&n Philadelphia
will follow SO cOmmendab& an example.+ =
The existing system is inabed deplorabIe
and, unfortunately il is AoE confined 10 tile
fashionables, but extends 10 almost every
phase in society. Social feM ivals, Which are
participated in by both se8es, RARELY com
mence before ten or elevetfao'clock, and sell
dom break Up before tw DS three ia The
morning. The effects are &rnicious ia eve
ry point Of view. The heaAh of the fair and
deIicare cannot but suffer, 8hlle young men
and DID, who are engaged H business opera
lions, The next day are rendered peevisll and
fretful, and are wholly ungbed for their or
binary avucatiOns. 4
When, too, as il often hatnpens, several Of
these en,ertainments,iake lce in rapid sue
cessioO, caused by wedtfiR g, the return of
a relative from a long abseaee, or some sim
liar circumstance, the tax HRon the time. the
energy and the health 0ESAh hose who feel
bound to attend, is indeed lf2svy Nav, sick
ness and death are ofeiI f8oduced III the
lrCth could be ascerIained. HE bills oC NOR
tality wOu d tell fearful stdfy upon This sub
I'ject. Many fair creature Hill of youth and
hope, has absolutely dancedAerseIf 10 death
In other words, she has beEbme excited by
the exhilaratIne movenentsRf the polka and
the quadrlie. aud while in aSIeafed and ex-
hausIed Stale has exposed ferself 10 some
current of air, or has hurrief away, long at
ter midnight, without carf8g Sufficiently for
her wardrobe, and has ihuS39nyited cold, a
cough, aud all the sad consequences. The
gidiy, tboYghless, and inexa aerienced seldom
consider these things unlifEoo late. They
are in some sense not accotRtable. But the
parents and guardians wig influence and
control are sadly culpabTe, Vhen they do not
exercise due authority. 4 a
1t is mistake, moreoyeABon the part of
the parents, 10 encOura &c &heir sons aud
daughters 10 participate, nj sk after night, in
this description Of fashiona& & dissipation
The constitution will not tMAr ii. Disease
aud debility are inevitable Nsfhe consequent
ces, if the system be long IA sued, except in
rare cases. Let any one VII a thronged as
sembly, and single out the anguid aud faded
bellies, who, YET quite yo@hg, seem prema-
turely old. Let him then i9Siitue The prop
er inquiries, aud he will dis9Uver the causes
to exist in late hours, and dfTequent attend
ance al social festivals. 1hkhunan macIiine
requires not only the ecOnofdicaI action of It's
vital powers but regularity & eating, drink
ing exercise and sleeping, These aIe among
Tie essentials Of healthy. Existence and 4.
long life. But how can the BE atliieretf 10,
under the fashionable ana ti,fttakeh FssysFefil
OF the present day? lnnnotaa Apbint fvftw;
the error is one that needs re6srn. In look
ing after our own enioymeniA we should nur
forget The comfort Of Others. EThe cook. lie
waiting maids, the coachme& the cabmen,
and especially the poor horses tare sad suffer
ers in consequence Of these midnight and
morning reveIs. T.
friend OF ours sometime slce pronOunc..
ed a very bitter philippe up& ihe head Of a
fashionable lady, who during 4lne of the cod
est days of the present iaer kept her
coachman waiting nearly am #our before the
door of a popular dry goods Establishment
he said thar woman c04ld have little
theught, less considerations bmd no human
sympathy, who would hi Hi unnecessarily
punish another, however hubble bis position
for the mere Indulgence Of Hprice aud curl
osiiy.' Do unto others, &c is doctrine
that cannot be too frequent remembered or
100 sedulously practsed. Fhe man or The
woman who has proper fee&ngs and consid-
eraiioOs Tor those ~ his or 4er service, nay,
for The horses and The dOga$pf tlleit respects
i've establishments, is imbgB with the true
spirit Of gentiIity and phi Nhihropy, aud de-
serves the blessing which Mbenefcient Prov
idence has poured out viii $50 liberal hand.
Aud this doctrine is espe@blly applicable to
social festiv tiles. friendty re-unions, family
or fashionable parties. .i-a tf4f, ta
There is no reason fokfhe continuance Of
the present policy. It's @orm would benefit
all concerned. A llttleaburage, TOO, OH the
pari of a few, and successful change would
readily be accOmplished$ ltis the complaint
with foreigners that american ladies are
less robust than they sthould be, and that
their physical deveiopn&nt generally is not
so inlI as physicians cod Eder compatible with
health and vigor. Thq4easons assigned are
thin shoes, inadequa te Exercise, late hours al
social festivals, and u4ffcessary exposure 10
the night or norniug@ @Air, on returning Ia
their places Of abode.
Surely some remedE Should be applied
some reform should bshttempted. We are
among those who be lke that the true way
to enjoy life is TO yiolae as liule as possible
The dlcIates Of comm04 eense and llle require
ments OF nature and Especially to avoid the
pernicious though faslH9nable error OF Iurn-
ing night into day. \ Fly TO bed aud early
to RISE is an old and pneIy aphorsm, bnt
it is full Of truth and p psophy. The fresh
ness Of youth and tlfoses OF beauty are
gathered, not at theS eSHiidnight hour and
amidst giddy andexcic4N lhrongs, but through
wholesome Influences of air. exercise aud