St. Mary's beacon., 1858-07-29

The GAsTchBsda and ether religious Journals
of New YDrk are making terrible onslaught
aeailst the present naDie Of ffashionahlc female
EraSIng AccDtsiing "a these journals the only
ssls &C Which occnpies the attention OF Aineri-
can asouaaD 1T the present day is dress, dress.
Tht all iniportanf question with them, it Is
alleged hath. fag fhernseltes and their children
.--is 1Wl.ere vii bal shall we DC elotlssd.n One
cf fhese apeTz sess forth the allegations ef the
- y q ss5asa eeeal tszs'sas'
the sculllon. and from mamma-somofimes
alas, from Grand ma hcrself--to the littls lisp
ing household pet. this is the onsktopic-.the
one engrossiisg interest which never wears out
and never gets out of fashion, We have be=
come SO accustomed to this state of things that
we do not notice tive take it as a matter of
course; but let any sensible woman set herself
deliberately TO observe for one week how much
Of the mere casual conversation of herself and
friends is occupied'by this one subject and she
will be shocked at the result. You call upon
friend and In nine cases cut Of ten she enter
talnS you with half hour long complaint. Of
the abuminable way in which Miss or Madame
- has spoiled her last new gown, making
the waist too long or the sleeves too narrow, or
the basque "reaily quite old Eishioned--not
at all in the latest style" You pick up by
way of rcfreshment (for other peoples gowns
are, we all admit, little tediousy her rosy
little girl, and before she has fairly landed OF
your knee she prattles not OF dolls and toys and
story books but of the pity new dress" she
has, with fiounceS Just like mammals, 5, or grave
ly Informs you that she did not wear her best
bonnet to church yesterday because it rained,
which you will see next Sunday"
The writer then goes On to say that he can
not understand how parents can take their
children to the baptismal font, and then and
there promise, In Their name, to ':renounce the
devil and his works, the pumps and yanities of
| this wicked world. and all the sinful lusts OF
the flesh" all the while that their (the par
ent'sl thoughts run upon the miserable worldly
rags wherewith those children should he
clothed:
"If it is right to dress children as many
children are dressed now=a-days, and To foster
in their little hearts this love of display and
ostentatiDn, then We are told it is not right to
! use this clause ii the DaptIsrnal Service. Let
us be honest with ourselves-honest with God
| and let ',s not make 10 Him a promise,
against which the very clothing in which chill
dren are brought TO the Font is often a protest
and contradiction. In the old time, We read
| that Woman. as a sex.-was the slave of man,
the creature OF his whims and capriCes. We
| congratulate ourselves that this yoke lie broken
of, and that woman has risen to her proper
level as the companion Of man; but another
bondage has taken its place. aud very much
doubt, whether, Oh the whole, it Is 40 great an
improvement as we wonld iain persuade our
selves; for woman, Is a sex, is now the slave
of French millincrs, and the American women
especially land the American Churchwomen no
less then the res,,l from the stately drawing
rooms Of New York, to the log cabin Of
Oregon, bend to their lightcst caprices"
| This is pretty plain talk, and in n quarter
that will be regarded as influential and au-
thoritative among those who are disposed to
''hear the church." The Express, in COM
mcmtng on the above, concludes:
The war, then, against Flora McFlmsey
and her French nillincrs is thus to a. ON un-
Ill their ''fincry'' is eXtirpated, and the Dcri!
whom that fnery covers UPS driven out
Of existence But rely upon it, neither Flora
nor the Devil will surrender without struggle,
so let the church militant prepare for the tough
est sort Of fight