The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1858-04-10
From the Springfield (Aass.) Republican. gslYs .
TIMOTHY TlTCOMB'S LETTERS TO YOUNG

source. ~ 1t 10 Tor tins reason t00s gll OI
q young woman is very sacred thing to me.
IL for this reason that silly young woman
or vicious ono makes me sigh or shuddef.
1t is for this reason that pray that ! may
write worthily to young women. syas.t
In getting at piece of work it is often
necessary, as a preliminary, to clear away
the rubbish and I say at first that ! do not
write to masculine' young women deem
masculine women abnormal women, and
therefore refer all those women who wish
to vote. who delight in the public exhibition
Of themselves, who bemoan the fate which
drapes them in petticoats, who quarrel with
St. Paul and their lot, who own more rights
than they possess, and fail to fulfil the du-
ties of their sphere while seeking for it's en-
largement-I refer all these to the eight let
ters recently addressed to young men. They
will find some practical remarks IN those
letters upon masculine development and q
manly discharge of life's duties. My theory
may Be very unsound, but it is my belief that
the first natural division of the human racs
is marked by the line that distinguishes the
sexes. believe that true woman is just
as different from Q true man as trne man
is different from a true woman. The nature
and the constitution Of the masculine are
one, and the nature and the constitution Of
the feminine are another. So of the glory
attached to each; SO Of the functions; so Of
the sphere. Therefore if there be ssstrong-
minded women" who read these letters,
bid: them, With all, kindness, 10 turn to she
other series for that which will most benefit
them. 80 - .-.,,=,zr - 4
shall talk first Of that thing which, wor-
thily or most unworthily, engages the minds
of all young women, viz. dress. speak oi
this first, because it is part of the rubbish
which wish to get out Of the way before
commencing more serious work md yet
this is not altogether trivial. believe in
dress. believe that God delights in beau
t,ful things. and as he has never made any.
thing mere beautiful than woman, believe
that that mode of dressing the form and
face which best harmonizes with their beauty
is that which pleases him best. believe
the mode of female dress presalent among
the Shaker women is absolute desecration
To take anything which infinite ingenuity
and power have made beautiful, and capable
BY the gracefulness of its form and the har.
mony Of its parts Of producing the purest
pleasure to the observer, and clothe it with
a meal bag and crown it with q sugar-scooE
is an irreverent trihing with sacred thing,
which should be punished by mulcs and i'm.
prisonment. 1t is a shame to any woman
who has the means to dress well, to dress
meanly, and it is a particular shame for any
woman to do this in the name of religion. i
have seen women who, believing the fash.
ionable devotion to dress to be sinful, as il
doubtless is, 90 to that extreme in plainnes,
Of attire which, if it proves anything touch.
ing the power that governs thems proves
that it is power which is at war with mans
purest instincts, and most elevated tastes,
| say it is shame for a woman to dress
unattractively who has it in her power to
dress we'll. 1t is every woman's duty to
make herself pleasant and attractive by such
raiment and ornament as shall best accord
with the style Of beauty Nth which she is
endowed. The beauty of woman's person
was intended to be source Of pleasure
the fitting accompaniment Of that which in
humanity is the most nearly allied to the
angelic. Surely if God plants flowers upon
clod they may rest upon o woman's bo-
som, or glorify woman's hair. ~
But dress is a subordinate thing, because
beauty is not the essential thing. Beauty ID
very desirable; it is very great blessing
it is misfortune to possess an unattractive
person; but there are multitudes of women
with priceless excellences of heart and mind
who are not beautiful. Beauty, so far as it
is dependent upon form and colors, is ma
terial thing, and belongs to the grosser ma
ture. Therefore dress is a subject which
should occupy comparatively few of the
thoughts of a true woman, whether beauti.
full or not. To dress we'll, becomingly, even
richly, if it can be afforded, is q woman's
duty. To make the dress Of the person the
exponent of personal taste, is q wonan's
privilege. But to make dress the grand
object Of life; to think Of nothing and talk
of nothing but that which pertains to the
drapery and artificial ornament Of the per-
son, is but to transform the trick Of . oour-
texan into amusement for q fool. There
are multitudes Of women with whom dress
10 the all prevalent thought. They think Of
it, dream Of it, live for It. It is enough to
make horse sick to hear them talk about
it. 1t goes with them from the gayety Of
the bali room into the weeds of the house Of
death. They use it as means Of splitting
grief into vulgar fractions, and are led out
from great bereavements into the consola-
tions Of vanity, by the hands of numerators
and denominators. They Aatter one anoth-'
er, envy one another, hate one another-aN
on the score Of dress. They 20 upon the
street to show their dresses. They enter
the house of God to display their bonnets.
They actually prize themselves more highly
FOR what they wear than for any charm Of
person or mind which they may possess -
One of the most vulgar and unbecoming
.hings in all Gods world, is this devotion'
70 dress, which, in many minds, grows into
a form Of insanity, and leads to the worship
Of dry goods and dress makers. Now it win
be impossible for me to give you special di-
rections upon this subject of dress. Your
dress-maker and your books, and, better
than al, your own taste and experience, will
Tell you what colorsy become Jour complex
ion, Whist styleof make best accords with
your form and style of movement. shall
only speak generally; and Isay first, dress
m0destly 1t is well enough fol little girls
70 show their necks, but for woman I'd
make her appearance in the society Of young
men with such displays of person az are made
in what Is 90 mistakenly called ssfull drass,, :,
10 shame to her. know what fashion Al
lows in this matter, and fashion hns MANY
'insto answer for. Thousands Of girls dress
n manner that they would discard with
horror and disgust il they knew the trains
II thought which ere suggestsd~ By thsir
presence. know young men, and I know
here is not one in one hundred who attends
! ssfnll dress party" and comes out ~ pure
md worthy a. he went in. There q not
me in one hundred who does not hold the