Smyrna times., 1869-05-26
" FashiOnabIe'' Young Women.

The London Saturday Rerie,o published,
some time since, an article entitled The Girl
of the Period" in which the author declares
that the fair young English girl of the past
the ideal of womanhOOd, of home, birth and
breeding-has passed away, and is rep laced by
creature who dyes her hair, and paints her
face, as the first article of her personal religion;
whose sole idea of life is pleasure and luxury,
and whose dress is the object of such intellect
as she possesses The article is mainly devo
ted to such description of this being as would
sicken any true woman who could believe 1t to
embody the character of the woman OF any
civilized nation. While the extravaganza, love
| of show and dress, and want of principle, that
are here exhibited in glowing cOlOrs, are doubt
less too common among the sex, In England as
elsewhere, no one should feel willing to admit,
with the author, that the young women OF
| England as a class, have thus so grossly de-
generated. The RerieC article can only be re-
garded as a strong presentation of the'eXtrav-
agances and follies Of many Of the young
fashiOnablcs. The many reforms now going on
in England, so strongly pointing to an increas ed
liberaty, and progressive morality in the ma
ton, forbid the idea that the entire female sex,
usually considered as the great moral power OF
a community, can be changing these from all
, that is noble and admirable to all that is most
trivial and foolish.
While we are not ready to believe in such
wholesale deterioration of the sex in any civil
/ lied country, yet that there is a large amount
I of extravaganza in the expenditure of both
, time and money by the fashionable and would
5 be-fashiOnable young women OF the present
3 day, and great want Of serious and elevated
views as to the value and objects of lite Is toe
true. Perhaps no woman Of either ancient ol
n modern times has ever gone to such lengths il
$ the matter of personal apparel as the Empress
hn nj fn d1VVI
;, debaSe the women of France, by wearing rapiC
|. succession of gorgeous costumes, the mere de
: scriptiOn of the fashions she sets being now
o. branch of literature, employing numerOu
" writer's and supporting fifty periodicals. He
r. example unfortunately reaches beyond the con
,e fines Of her own country, and thousands o
= women in all lands are more or less Influence
d by it. Even in our own city we see often
4 lavish expenditure that sometimes touches o
- the ludcrous. In a New York paper las
er winter the public were informed of a famil
n in affliction from novel and distressing cause
1e A veil of real point lace had been ordered frol
m Paris for a wedding but had not arrived, an
ID the brides family were much " concerned,
fearing that tulle would have to be subst
tuted. This and other similar occurrence
il have led to the saying, that many of tt
he ladies have entirely run to clothes, as cucun
ng bers run to seed"
"a The time consumed in dress is more fatal
O. wasted than the money. Many young cir
en- spend most of the day at the toilet; and MAI
w. others of moderate means, who cannot attol
81 to pay for both expensive materials and Il
cir cost Of making them up, expend all the
ev means upon the former, and devote the grea
a er portion of their lives to the latter.
W. course the physical frame, the mental capaC
en- ties, and the moral nature must all suffer
or, such absorbing devotion to the decorati
ms of the person and the occupation of providil
tie habiimentsltor the body. The views OF I
an value OF life would dlSslpate TINS practlc
rs, Every womanly life has noble work to a
tel complish. She only is true woman, W
tu- does her best faithfully to discharge the duti
lie that fall to her lot When right ideas prev
ley among young womon, dress will occupy
lis true and subordinate position, and no questi
ese will be raised as to the possible deterioration
m the seX-I&iId. Ledger.