The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-09-06
n. Coun.ess OF waIdeerave ON Wo.

1hs Couutess Of WRIdeGFaNe on ho.
mans Dress.
The Newcastle CEngland) DAILY Cglroli-
;.Ls saws: at Is not often that the world
q favored with SO much good sense
from woman of eighty as that which
was contained in an address recently
delivered at wigton by the venerable
Countess OF waldegrsve. But Lady
waldegrave has probably by this time
no relish whatever for the vagaries of
fashion. AT all events, tile nest little
speech she addressed 10 the school
girls of wigton was Just an earnest
protest against what she herself called
unnecessary and Us less tineTy.'
1.-The young ladies of the present
day. said Lady Waldegraye, are a
great deal too fond of 6neFy. Indeed,
5t1e mad observed that the passion for
fnery had been on the increase durlnS
all her life.i The gravity OF the ac cI-
=atiOn contained in tins IasE ZEN az n
can scarcely be OTer-estitnalst. IOl
eighty years our English girls nave
crown gradually more and more eA-
I 77rsysvsnt iu dress! Our graudmotheTs
were bad enough; our mothers ana
6iyes we're worse; but our daughters
+. p. worst of all = Such, stated in other
words, is the result of Lady Wade
yraye's experience. And molhersi salu
hsr Isdyship, are probably good zeal
20 blame for the love of tnery eSinced
by the present generation of girls. In
stead OF endeavoring to check they
sometimes help to encourage the pas
sion for tawdry Taiment. The resources
Of the girls, and sometimes those OF
their mothers as well, are wasted in the
qualification of "a foolish vanity.
must saw said Lady "aldegaTe, i
think II a great mistake on The part OF
mothers TO dress their children to the
utmost extent of their means, Instead
of inducing them to lay by their pence
for what Is called rainy day. the re-
suit is that the mistakes made by moth
ers have afterwards to be corrected, If
thew are ever corrected at all, by the
more careful training OF the mistress the
girls are destined to erve.
Lady WaldeggAve spoke as mis-
trees. whine children she said, are
taught to spend all the money they can
get together on little bits OF hnery, the
rirst thinga mistress mas 10 teach ne5
Young servant is to dress neatly and
properly and respectfully Lady
WaidegraVe hoped that the mothers
who heard her would earnestly strive
TO give their daughters that degree of
propriety and neatness in their dress
which is always respectable, useful and
efficieut' But her ladysbip, sensibly
as she spoke when giving advice, was
herself not superior TO the conventional
cant ofthe age. We gather the impress
sion from her remarks that IL WAS not
so much fnery she abhored as the
nnery of poor folks. Did she not
tell her audience that most mis-
| tresses would object TO that kind OF fin
cry which was not suitable to the sta
Ition in which it had pleased God to
J plRce'-servRnts Is not extravagant
| finery objectiOna ble, Whatever the rank
of the people who wear it? That which
is n vice IN tie servant can hardly be
considered a virtue in the mistress.
Folly is not less folly because the Sta
tion in which Il has pleased God to
place the fool happens 10 be an exalted
one. Besides, it ought not TO be forgot
ten that tLe poor learn OF the rich, ser
wants OF their mistresses, that love of
excessive adornment which appears 10
| peryade all ranks OF society. Is it not
| said that imitation is the sincerest form
of tiattery? Can mistresses complain
If servants should seek to hatter them
by, Initiating even their follies2 Lady
| Waldegrave condemns the finery of the
poor; but Justice requires that we should
also condemn the tnery of the rich"