Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1870-02-11
From The New Covenant
The Moral Evils of Fashion.
BY HORACE KNAPP, n. D.

BY HORACE KNAPP, n. D.
The corner stone of our homes is
the virtue Of woman, and her fitness
for the position Of wife and mother
And ON these, more than on any
thing else, depend mans goodness,
humanity, and deeds of noble dar-
ing; and his confidence in, and his
respect and love for, and fidelity to
woman. And on all of these rest
society, our social well being, in
church and state. and all the other
blessings of civilization. For true
home, guarded by conjugal, filial,
and parental love, is the corner
stone of church and state, since
without such homes we should have
neither.
Such home is the sanctum sane
forum of earth, a praadise below,
and an earnest and foretaste OF
heaven, and the birthplace of virtu-
Gus impulses, and every sacred
thought and feeling. Hence they.
and woman's modesty, virtue and
purity, on which they rest, and
which alone command mans con-
fidence and love for woman. must
be protected at all hazards, against
all enemies, whether they come in
the shape Of vice or fashions. For
there is nothing else that will so
soon. and so surely destroy our
homes, their peace and happiness,
and Il people and nation, as the
loss of manhood, and the departure
of modesty and virtue from woman.
Yet, it must. be apparent to the
most casual observer of what is
transpiring around us, that these
all are now endangered by the rule
and reign of fashions, which monopo-
lie woman's thoughts, conversa-
ton, feelings, head and heart to the
exclusion of her true mission in
life
The great trouble is, most women,
especially those who lead in society,
and control and direct public
thought, and opinion, have become
SO enamored with the demoralizing,
health and life destroying, soul,
mind, and body dwarfing fashions,
that they prefer them, and the no.
tice they attract, to the confidence.
respect and love of true, pure, intel
| ligent men, who cannot stoop so
low, and be so mean, as to fatter
woman and who love woman, if at
all, for herself. her intelligence,
goodness and fidelity, to honor,
truth, duty, man, and God; rather
than admire her for what she wears,
and the house and style she lives
| in.
Yet, it is true, that many women
so neglect the cultivation of their
minds and hearts, in consequence
| of their devotion to fashions, that,
but for passions and fashions, they
would be destitute of all charms
and attentions to men. God has
given woman higher, and more
important mission in life, than to
devote themselves to silly fashions.
Their God-given mission is one OF
love and humanity, to make men
and the world better, and increase
the sum OIL human happiness, by di-
minishing vice and crime, sorrow
and suffering. 1t is hers to lead
in every good work, and by her
kind persuasive words, and living
faith in God and goodness, lead
men up to purer and more spirit
ual life. She should be first in the
chufch, as she is first in our homes,
and hearts, and was first at the
grave of Christ; and should be the
last to desert the good and the err
ing. as she was last at the cross of
Jesus, and by hel Christian life, in
duce men to enter the sacred fold
of Christ.
Such women, in whatever walks
of life they are found, not only
make happy wives, and happy
homes, but noble, Christian moth
ers, and always command tue conf
deIce of men. Then when we
think how women have given them
selves up to fashions, we cease to
wonder that men have lost conf
dence in and respect and love for
them, and that they fail to make
themselves agreeable and interest
ing companions for men, and hap
py, pleasant homes and that men
prefer saloons, and club rooms, to
such homes, and the companion
ship of men to the society of fash
ionable women.
Fashions have so nearly destroyed
woman modes:y which is her best
friend and the greatest protection
to her virtue, as it is her most at
tractive charm, that, unblushingly,
many expose to the public gaze of
men,-what God intended should
be sacred and unseen. Such exp y
sures subject women TO low, OBJ
scene remarks, and vulgar jests,
which would make the ears OF a