Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-08-03
TO MY ELDERLY FRIENDS.

pecialIy married ladies' are more given, / think,
than men, TO neglect their personal appearance,
when they arc conscious that the bloom OF their
youth is gone do not speak of state occa-
sions of set dinner parties and full dress balls,
butof the daily meetings of domestic life. Now,
however is the time, above all others when the
wife must determine to remain the pleasing wife,
and retain her John Anderson's affections to the
last, by neatness, taste, and appropriate variety
of dress. That lady has fast growing daug gh-
tiers, strapping sons, and n husband hard at
work at his Office all day long, is no reason why
she should ever enter the family circle with rum
pied hair, soiled cap, or unfastened gown. The
prettiest woman in the world would be spoiled by
such sins in her toilette. The morning duties,
even in stOre-room and kitchen, may be per-
formed in fitting, tiny costume, and then changed
for parlor hsbiliments, equally tidy and fitting.
The fashion Of the day should always be reflected
in a woman's dress, according to her position
and age; the eye Graves for variety as keenly as
the palate; and then, L honestly protest, what
ever her age, naturally goOd-lOoking woman is
always handsome. For, happily, there exists
more than one kind Of beauty. There is the
beauty Of infancy, the beauty of youth the beiu-
ty of maturity and, believe me- ladies and gen.
tlemen, the beauty of age, if you do not spoil it
by your own want of judgment. AT any age a
woman may be becOmingly and pleasingly
dressed.
The other error-the more pardonable of the
two, because it shows an amiable love of ap-
probation and desire to please, though it inn
plies weakness-is q continuation of the costume
and decorations of youth after they have ceased
to be fitting ornaments for the wearer's age. l
must say that ladies in general are less ad-
dicted to the mistake than men. Tho number
of quinquagenarian females who display them
selves in society in white muslin frocks, with
thoir locks in ringlets and q girls pink sash
tied behind, is considerably less than that of
old bucks with their padded substitute for
kbafr fhasr hair
perfumes, and even their rouge. Badness, in
men, Is neither Disagreement nor a disgrace.
To soothe your personal vanity, you may call
to mind that many young and handsome men
are bald; TO console your intellectual dignity,
remember that calm, pyompti," ready are
the bald-an invaluable quality in the affairs
of life. As rule, the harder we fogies try to
convert ourselves into bOyish cupids, the less
do We succeed. -ar
There is a great truth in Alphonse Karr's re-
marks that modern men are ugly, because they
don't wear their boards. Take a fine man Of
forty, with handsome round Medican beard,
not pointed Jews beard, look at him well, sot
as 10 retain his portrait in your minds eye =
and then shave him close, leaving him, per-
haps, out of charity, couple of mutton chop
whiskers, one on each cheek, and you will see
the humiliating difference. And if you select
an old man Of seventy for your experiment, and
convey a snowy-bearded head that might sit for
portrait in q historical picture, into a close
scraped, weaZen-faced visage, like an avariciOus
French peasant on his way to haggle for swine
at monthly franc-marche, the dess9nt from
the sublime to the ridiculous is still more pain
fully apparent. Beard or no beard, must re-
main at present an open question in England
there are social difficulties of practical nature
IN the way, however we may decide as to the
theory. A servant would hardly be allowed to
consider his beard as his own. A bearded
trsdesman might be thought by many custom
ers to be giving himself airs and to be assuming
undue consequence. Many find fault with
boards, as too sristocratic too vulgar, too for
eign, too phiiosophic, too symptOmatic Social
ism, in short, too, they don't quite know what;
forgetting all the while that the beard was
planted on the chin Of man by the same Power
that adorned the lion with his name, and the
peacock with his plume5- But, certainly, 1t is
the artistic interest Of US elderlies as far as our
own personal appearance is concerned, that
boards should at least be tolerated.
Perfumes are better altogether discarded by
well dressed gentlemen who are past the age of
dandihood. Extreme personal cleanliness is
the most judiciOus cosmetic we can use Our
money is more wisely laid out on Windsor soap
and huckaback towels than on eau de Cologne
and essence of mllleheurs. False teeth are
permissible or not, according TO their object
and their animus. An accidental deserter from
an otherwise even and goodly set may have
substitute bought for him without reasonable
blame. Teeth that really and truly help either
TO eat or to articulate, are no more than the
natural tools to carry on the business of life.
But II you cause your two or three remaining
stumps to be extracted, in order to make room
for q complete set Of pearly ivories, both top
and bottom, with patent spring hinges which
you want to display at the opera while you
smile at the girls in the boxes, or Ogle the dan
GERS on the stage through your binOcular glass,
then, you are no better than foolish old fell
low; and do not forget the true prOverb, There
Is no fool like an old fool"
take it for granted that you have made your
will Many elderlies (who grow old and older
every day, whether tbcy know it and like il or
not-) look upon will-making as an unpleasant
or painful operation, of the same class as bleed
ing or toOth-drawing. They will submit TO it
under the influence OF chloroform, not other
wise. assure you they are mistaken having
tried il myself and found il a very comfortable
auOdyne against several uneasy sensations; of
course, to have that healing virtue, the last will
and testament must be fair and Just one, with
nothing set down in malice or caprice. People
viii sometimes avenge themselves in their wills
OF anrOnts, little or great, real or fancied that
have been put on them. People also often re-
pent Of the harsh resolutions they may have
made. Now, if personal reconciliation has
taken place, or even if the offending party is
only forgiven in the secret chamber of the COM
plainants heart; the record of arrangement in
blac ( and white GU hit not TO remain uncanceled
yiously sending In his card, and may convert a
free pardon into yindictiVe sentence, thus
battling the dilatory testator, who thought and
meant To have made mis- peace with all men be
fore depsyting hence.
Mercifui change Of mind may come too late
70 De carried into execution-a strong reason
for not fixing on parchment any unmerciful
resolution in black and white. At the last
deathbed at which was present others had
retired, and was left alone with the sinking
patient. Consciousness and intellect remained
clear to the last but, as strength ebbed away
tho eyes alone remsined eloq uent, while the
lips continued TO move in the attempt TO speak,
without the faculty Of uttering a sound. /
guessed pretty nearly what the moribund per-
sOn was wishing TO say, at least / felt sure of
the tenor of it, because the previous converse
ton, while speech WAS possible, had been an
expression Of thanks and blessings, with good
advice and judiciOus observations. But, L
thought, had those unutterable last words BEEN
instead Of what they were, an unavailng ex-