, 1869-04-02


I" Those that are good manners At. the court,
are as ridiculous In the country, as the behavior
In the country d most nockabls at the court" ~
SAakPsare.
SO spoke the great interpreter of nature
the grand delineator Of human eharacter-
the heroic exeoriator Of fools aud madmen.
The lsrges, proportion Of life is consumed 10
the study ofstyle. How to appear well seems
to be the chief thing. Outside show is the
great show Of this world. Costumes and
cosmetics-high heads and high heels
band>box bellies aud tight-skinHed gentle
meo-perfumed grease and blacksned boots
-Grecian bends Oh the streets and cat backs
in the parlOr-plsintive girls at the piano
and back. bending mothers at the tub-boys
spending money that they never earned, and
fathers growing gray in footing up accounts
and meeting bills,-in circle like this the
world Of fashion whrl in giddy mazes down
to death. The whole circle Of life consists
in the constant act Of conforming To this
world. What a vast amount Of this life is
wasted on the observance of meaningless de.
tails, and on foolish and sickening conven-
tionaIities The sweetest fragrance Of the
human heart is lost, and that which might
be considered the richest deeds of Christian
love, is frittered away on mere parade, on
gaudy attire, on iusipid objects, on mere
noeking pleasure.
There is cheap estimate put on those
rare jewels of character, goodness, genteness,
integrity, purity, humility, if invested in a
gray suit of coarse cloth, or if habited in q
dress of cheap calico These must all slink
away in solemn fear from the presence Of
envy, malice, caprice, hypocrisy, and goated
sel6shness !; which seryitors Of the devil
appear in 40 atmosphere of perfumed sweet
ness-stlired in shining suits, and be decked
with unpaid jewels-soft in voice, but bard
in heart--eomplaisant in manners, but mur,
derous in thought-pretentious in Offices of
| love, but clandestine in deeds of malevolence
-sympathetic 10 semblance, but most selfish
in the sordid soul.
The verdict has passed the court of the
beau monde, possibly we should say the
denli nlonde-that the person who eau not
appear in current style, must be cashiered-
must be set 10 the back rows Of society.
Genteel men and genteel,ladies pass current I;
but gentie-men and gentle women, though
sweet 10 temper and pure in heart, if they
come not up to the style of the thing, cannot
pass iu review before the connoissesrs Of
public manners. Even Christian women
whirl along in the dance of fashion and 6irta.
tion. See them pass along to the sanctuary
of God in full regalia-chignoned, or furious.
ly frizzed, founced, fringed, ribboned, but
toned, studded, padded, dragging a dirty
trail over dirt /" Be not conformed to this
world" is a divine injunction that has be.
come almost obsolete. Simplicity of man
ners stands at a ruinous discount Werespect
the term aristocracy. Its meaning is that
the best rule, that is, the best people Of society
lin the true sense of that term), rule the
world. Such a state of things may have
existed once, but its purifying presence is
seldom seen now. The aping of the so-cal-
led aristocracy is the principal thing now.
Common things are all set aside. The great
strife is to become uncommon; not ordinary
but extraordinary; not to be of the people,
but to belong to clan Of patricians The
royal blood of hereditary descent is sought
after with greater zeal than the pure blood
of honesty and manly toll. We have liter
ary clans, where no untaught rustic dare
show his shaggy locks, and were be to OBJ
trude his uncean presence, maledlctons
would fall upon him thick and fast. We
have cole Ee clans, the elite members OF which
while they are quite willing to receive pa
tronage aud support from the rank and hle
of the toiling masses, are, at the same time,
yery reluctant to descend to the low level OF
common fraternity. We have political clans,
the astute members of which, while, before
the time Of election, they spend much time
and breath in stealing the hearts of the hon,
est masses, by the various arts Of fattery and
palayer and diplomacy, yet afterward, when
once they have attained the high position
sought after, draw around them their official
gowns, and with a patrician sniff, walk be>
yond the foul touch of their 5oorish constitu,
euts. How soon q rustic representative OF
the people is mctamorphosed into a glossy
uabob Of senatorial sanctity. Blessed Is the
man that pushes beyond the reach OF the
common herd. See how the wives of sena-
torial dignitaries, and the daughters OF dlplo-
matte ducks, sweep away from the presence
of their rural friends, and float into the redo
lent region of spiced breezes and aromatic
breathings. With many such the great COM
summation of life is to follow Saratoga
trunk and fondle poodle pupl 0 the sim
ulicity ofrepublican manners o the charms
of democratic equality l-ChristiaH Rerieto'
|
EVERY intelligent person in the United
States knows that the Government IS shame,