Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1870-11-12
MISCELLANEOUS.
Advice to Young Ladies.
TALK By DR.. DIo LEWIS.


sermon, about an inch long. don't often
preach, but in this case nothing but sermon
will do.
Firstly. You are perfect idiots to 60 on this
way. Your bodies are the most beautiful OF
Gods creation. In the continental galleries
always saw groups of people gathered about
pictures of women. 1t was not passion; the
gazers were Just as likely to be women as men
it was because Of the wondrous beauty Of q
woman's body.
Now stand with me at my Office window and
see a lady pass. There goes one Now isn't
that pretty looking object? \ big hump
three big Jumps; a wilderness of crimps and
frills hauling up Of the dress here and there
an enormous. hideous mass of false hair or bark
piled on the top Of the head. surmOunted by a
little fat. ornamented with bits of lace, birds
tails, etc. ETC. The shop windows tell MS, all
day long, of the padiings, whalebones and
steel springs which occupy most of the space
within that outside ring.
In the name of the simple, sweet sentiments
which cluster about home, would ask, how
is man to fall in love with such piece oI
rmpound, doubled and twisted, touch-me-not
ar Fl .iality as yousee in the wrigSlins curiosi-
ty?
Secondly. With that wasp waist, squeez-
ing your lungs, stomach liver, and vital organs
into one half their natural size, and with that
long trail dragging on the ground, how can any
man of sense, who Knows that life is made up
of use, of service of work, take such part
ner? lie must be desperate, indeed, to unite
himself for life with such q iettered, half
breathing ornament!
Thirdly? Your bad dress and lack of exer-
else leads to bad health and men wisely fear
that instead of a helpmate they wond get an
invalid to take care Of This bad health in
you-just as in men-makes the mind as the
body faddled and cneminatc. You have no
power, no magnetism. know you gigge
freely and Use big adjectives, such as "splen-
did, lawful :" but then this don't deceive us;
we see through it all. You are superficial,
affected, silly you have none Of that woman
ly strength and warmth which are so assuring
and attractive to men. Why, you have be-
come so childish and weak minded that you
refuse to wear decent names even, and insist
upon baby names. Instead of HELEN, Marga-
ret aud Elizabeth you affect Nellie, Maggie
and Lizzie. When your brothers were babies
YOU called them Dolby, Dicky and Jony; but
when they grow up to manhood, no more Of
that silly trash, if you please But / know a
woman of twenty-five years, and she is as big
as both of my grandmothers put together, and
her real name is Cliharine, and though her
brain is big enongh to conduct the affairs Of
State she does nothing but giggle, cover up
her face with her fan, and exclaim once in four
minutes, Don't now, you are real mean"
How can man propose life partnership
to such silly goose? Ny dear girls, you
must, if you would get husbands, and decent
ones, dress in plain, neat, becoming garments,
and talk like sensible, earnest sisters.
You say that the most sensible men are era
zy after these butterflies Of fashion. beg
your pardon, it is not so. Occasionally a man
Of brilliant success may marry weak, silly
woman; but to say, as have heard women
say a hundred times, that the most sensible
men choose women without sense is simply alb
Surd. Nineteen times in twenty, sensible men
choose sensible wives. grant you that in
company they are very likely to chat and toy
with these ovcrdressed and forward creatures :;
but they don't ask them to 60 to the altar with
them.
Fourthly. Among the young men in the
matrimonial market, only very small mum
Der are independently rich, and in America
such rarely make good husbands But tie
number oftlose who are just beginning, who
are filed with noble ambition, who have a
future, is very large. These are worth having.
But such will not, dare not, ask you to join
them, while they see you 50 idle, silly, and 50
gorgenusly attired. Let them see that you are
industrious, economical, with habits that Sc
cure health aud strength, that your life is real,
that you would be willing to begin at the be-
ginning in life with the man you would con-
sent to marry, then marriage will become the
rule, and not as now, the exception.