Nebraska advertiser., 1869-10-28
FashiOnabIe women.

Mr.. Editor TRUSTING in the usual
fairness with which you deal with all
reform questions, and the boldness
with which you confront error, ven
ture a few words on that hiddeOus
thing-a fashionable women.
Just here / want to correct a little
misunderstanding. This has reached
my ears a number of times: "Mrs.
Harding better not write against
fashion. for she is the most fashionable
women in LOudOn." This has been
said by worthy ladies who deserve
respect, and l do respect them. Let
me set them right, here. Let them
want a little, and l will tell them
what mean by fashionable women.
am happy to record the fact that no
such curse is to be found in London.
Now, what is a fashionable women ?
These facts are not as often found
in young States as in older ones. Yet,
az society grows out of the rude and
uncOuth into the polished and re-
fined, it is very apt to adopt many of
the errors and fOllies Of fashionable
life. e
A man or women with educated in
tellect, refined manner and cultured
syeech, without the silly absurd and
ruinOus notions Of fashion, is truly a
rare and noble being.
There is nothing so very cOmmen-
dable in extreme plaineness of dress.
Yet, if people prefer that style, let
Eem have it.
AACleanlinesso of person is a virtue, and
neglect of this deserves censure.
A person without any taste in dress
is to be pittied. Taste and elegance
should be studied i'm dressing the per-
son when the occupation and Oeca-
sion are suitable. FIofr
Neatness should ever be cultivated
Much refinement of either head or
heart need never be expected where
there is neglect Of cleanliness of per-
son and a neglect in dress.
A fashionable women is an outrage
upon elegance in dress, q genteel and
modest toilette, q graceful and digni-
fed appearance. She is a sickly,
good-fOr- r-nOthing cumberer of society.
She considers it a disgrace to cook her
husbands dinner; thinks it shame
to nurse her children looks upon it
as meanness to keep her house in
order. Her very hired servant is her
superior i'll every sense.
A truly accomplished women will
know how to play the piano and bake
bread and make good butter, read
French and make shirts and darn
stockings, be familiar with poetry
and philosophy, cultivate flowers, SUI
perintend the garden and attend to
the orchard, be religious and go on to
perfection in housekeeping. y g
A fashionable women comes very
far short of this standard. Perhaps it
would be we'll enough to treat her
with the contempt she deserves and
leave her alone with her chignOn,
stays, trails, lilly white, carmine pOis-
Oned paints, dyes, powders and all
manner of "false appearances"
If the folly and evil ended with her,
but it only begins there; her children
grow up around her, and it is against
all the laws of nature and God that
such mother should have intelligent
children. Her offspring are always
material and earthly, nothing high
toned and spiritual christianity and
morality have not much material to
work upon with, them. You cannot
make industrious, intelligent, refined,
religious men and women out of them.
How very important it is that wO-
man should stand in her true position
before the world, and sustain with
dignity and honor, her relation to so
ciety. Not a useless creature,
painted DOLL nor mans share, but a
''help-mate" for him-that Is, a COM
paniOn. worthy of him; his equal.
She should be educated into an ODE
dience of the laws of health. Then
vast amount of crime, drunkenness,
debauchery, revealing and all man.
ner of evil would not be enacted, be-
cause her sons and daughters would
be more intellectual, higher-tOned in
morals, more religious, more spiritual.
There should be no mOck-mOdesty
about this-certainly not, when their
effected mOdesty is bought with the
ruin, physical and moral of men and
women. JENNETTE HARDING.
London, Ne6.