The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1858-03-10
grasping that fair sceptre of youth, which
they never suspect is the merest rag of

soyereIgnty-so sovereignty deposed. -
Nor can the most sensible woman. put
aside her youth, all it has enjoyed, or lost,
or missed--its hopes and interests, oinis-
sions and commissions, doings and stuff
erings-satsfed that it is henceforth to
be considered entirely as thing gone by
without momentary spasm of the
heart. Young people forget this as COM
plctely as they forget that they themselves
may one day experience the same, or
they would not be 50 ready to laugh at
even the foolishest of these foolish old vir-
gins, who deems herself jdvenile long af-
ter everybody else has ceased to share in
the pleasing delusion, and thereby makes
both useless and ridiculous that season
of early autumn which ought to be the
most peaceful, abundant, safe, and sacred
time in q woman's whole existence
They would not, with the proyerbial
harsh judgment Of youth, scorn so cruelty
those poor little absurdities, of which the
unlucky person who INDUCES therein is
is probably quite unaware-merely dress
es as she has always done, and carries on
the harmless coquetries, of her teens; I'M
conscious how exceedingly ludicrous they
appear in lady of--say forty Yet in
this sort of exhibition, which society too
often sees and enjoys, any honest heart
cannot but often feel that of all the actors
engaged init, the one who plays the least
Objectionable und disgraceful part is she
who only makes fool of herself:
Yet why should she do it, Why cling
50 desperately to the youth that will not
stay; and which after all, is not such a
very precious or even happy thing why
give herself such world oftrouble to de
ny or conceal her exact age, when half
her acquaintance must either know it, or
guess at it, or be, supremacy indifferent
about it! Why appear dressed-un
dressed cyncs would say after the pat
tern of her niece, the belle Of the ball; an
noyirg the eye with beauty either half
withered, or long overblown, and which
in its prime would have been all the lov-
licr for more concealment!
In this matter Of dress, word or two.
There arc two styles ofcostume which Ia
dies past their premiere jeunesse are most
prone to fall into; one hardly knows
which is the worst. Perhaps though, It
is the ultra-juvenile : such as the insane
iuxtaposition Of a yellow skin and white
tarlante, or the anomalous adjoining of
gray hair with artificial flowers. 1t may
be questioned whether at any age beyond
twenty ball costume is really becoming;
but after thirty it the very last sort Of
attire that lad can assume with impu
nifty. It's said you can only make your
self look younger by dress older than you
are, and truly l have seen many woman
look withered and old in the customary
evening dress which, being unmarried, she
thinks necessary to SILVER in, who would
have appeared fair as q sunshiny October
day, if she would only have done nature
the Justice to assume in her autumn time
autumnal livery. If she would have the
sense to believe that gray hair was meant
to soften wrinkles and brighten faded
cheeks, giving the same effect for which
onr youthful grandmo.hers wore powder !;
that fimsy light colored gowns, ripper
led over with trimmings, only suit airy
figures and active motions; that sober
tinted substantial gown and pretty cap,
will any day take away ten years from a
lady's appearance. Above all, if she
will observe this one grand rule of the tot
let, alway $ advisable, but after youth in
dispensable-that though good personal
points are by no means warrant for I'M
due exhibition thereof no point that is
positively unbeautiful ought ever, by any
pretenee of custom or fashion, to be
shown. iA
The other sort of dress, which, it must
be owned, is less frequent is the dowdy
style. People say = though not very
soon-"Oh l am not a young woman now
1t does not signify what wear
Whether they quite believe it, is another
question; but they say it--and act upon
| it when laziness or indifference prompts.
Foolish women! they forget that if we
have reason at any time more than anoth-
er to mind onr looks, it is when our looks
are departing from us. Youth can do al
most anything in the toilet-middle age
cannot; yet is none the less bound to
present to her friends and society the
most pleasing exterior she can. 1t is easy
to do this when we have these about us
who love us, and take notice of what we
wear, and in whose eyes we would like to
appear lovely and gracious to the last, SO
| far ms nature allows; moi easy when it is