The mountain Democrat., 1864-12-10
AbsorbanK Devotion to Dr.s..
" Timothy Titcomb," in his letter to
Grs. Royal Purple Jones'" thus hand

"Timothy Titcomb," in his letter to
"Mrs. Royal Purple Jones'" thus hand
49, ~ -@a~,~NesE d. ---~--@;c->- L. -
to fashion on the part of the feminine
portion of the community:
Whenever the soul arises to true
appreciation Of it's own worth, it pays
honor to the body which bears it. Up to
certain point of beauty Of fabric aRd
elaboratcneSs Of fornamentation, dress can
be carried legitimately and with no vic.
lence to personal dignity; but beyond
that point there must always come a re-
sort to the barbaric idea which must ne
cessarily bring personal degradatior.-
You will see, therefore, that whenever
fashion carries dress to extremes, or be-
yond the point of giving the body grace
full and becoming covering, it always re.
sorts to barbarism to help it QUITO par.
tial nakedness, or to jewels, and precious
. stones, and trinkets, ani ribbons, and
laces, and all possible sorts of ornaments.
The fashionable belle Of Newport and
Saratoga enters the assembly room or the
dining ball only to show that she is sister
Of the South Sea Islander, and that the
same idea controls them both. The sense
Of personal modesty and dignity which
flies to dress for refuge has really no place
in you.
You, madam, and all of your asso-
ciates, have in your devotion to the dress
ing and bedizzening Of your persons, de-
graded yourselves pitifulIy. The whole
number of fashionable female souls are
but slaves to the fading bodies in which
they live. When look in on a fashiona-
bic watering place and see how dress and
personal adornment absolutely monopo-
lizc the time and the thoughts Of the fash
iOnable women assembled there-when
witness the rivalry among them-the at
tempts to outshine each other in diamonds
and all the tributaries to costly dress
when | see their jealousies and hear their
ill.natured criticisms Of each other, and
then realize that these women are mothers
and those Of whom mothers will be made,
have opened to Inc gulf of barbarous
sclfishneSs-a scene Of gilded mcanness
and misery-from which shrink back
heart.sick and disgusted. Good Heaven,
madam What and who are you? Are
you all body and no soul? Is it decent
/ business for decent soul to be constant
" engaged--absorbingy occupied in
ornamenting and showing off for the graf
ification Of personal vanity, the body it
inhabits? Do you realize that you are
come to the small and indecent business
Of getting up your person to be looked at,
admired, praised that the most grateful
satisfaction Of your life is found in this
business, and that the business itself is
but single moral remove from prosti,
tuition?
"Will you look among your fashiona.
ble female acquaintances, and find one
who is making any intellectual progress
The thing is impossible. The mind that
engages in no higher business, or that
finds its highest delight in no higher pur.
suit than that Of grooming and displaying
a beautiful body, can make no progress
into nobler life.
at cannot be otherwise, and | cannot
conceive Of type Of ScltishncSS more
nearly perfect than that which the char
acter of almost any fashionable woman
illustrates.
Madam, | look anywhere in Gods
world for genuine refinement and lady
Hhc lilStll US uIll tIluuIlSIS Id(ICI llldll "
fashionable society. True refinement and
gentle manners can never find their homo
in any society in which seltishnesS reigns.
True refinement has brains. True refine.
ment always makes room in the world for
others. True refinement does not find its
satisfaction in the display and adornment
Of the body. True refinement refuses to
be governed by fashion, having within
itself higher and purcr law.
Yet mark the impudcnt hypocrisy of the
thing. You and your set assume to be
the leaders of society-the ton-pattcrn
women of the nation--so far refined that
all other women are counted vulgar -
How can you help becoming low when
you have thought Of nothing for years
but your person? You are vulgar. Your
rivals and associates are vulgar. Your
rivals and associates are vulgar as those
of the horse Jockey. You degrade your.
self to the position Of snowy creature,
good for nothing but to spend money
You teach men contempt for your sex,
and it is only the modest and intelligent
women whom you despise that redeem it
to admiration and love-"
THE RnINoCERos' FRIEND. The Rhi-