The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1872-07-17


goings of the morning and evening to re-
joicc." Shall God adorn g clod with
daisy, and shall His immortal child be
forbidden to put q rose in her hair? But
the worshipper of Fashion is anidolater.
Not content with the outward adorning
that expresses gentle nature, q loving
heart, She seeks to dazzle all beholders
by strikinGly contrived and splendldly
arrayed styles. The materials must be
fine, costly, and the fashion of the dis
play must, by its conformities and lts
departures from nature-We almost said
shocking departures from nature-klndle
the admiration of surprise as well as that
of 3 gratitied taste. Dress with her IS
every thing. She lives to dress. Dress
is the everlasting subject of thought ana
topic Of conversation, the end OF ali Ell
fort, the summit OF all aspiration. This
is to make the soul the servant of the
body-to matcrialiZc it. This is to de-
vcloD selfshness and cnthrone vanity rs
mistress Of the mind. The ruling pas
sion Of the fashionist is not q pure desire
to fulfil high mission, to live q noble
life, to he blessed in blessing, to be led by
the guiding hand Of Heaven back to the
Eden CT lost perfection and blessedness,
but The passion Of Q perverted nature III
love with it's own physica! charms ana
bending its energies to increase tic num-
Der of idolaters. It is deplorable to OBJ
serve the decentralization Of society IS
seen in The excessive and absurd dressing
Of the pannicred followers Of Partisan
pea-fowls. The disease is epidemic. TO
dress fashionably, to cut q figure, to
shine, becomes the ardent longing OF the
poor. Many refuse to attend the service
OF the sanctuaries where the wealthy
worship the Lord and mamlDon. Many
wander from homo Of honest poverty
and lot Of simplicity and toll, to gain
glitter and gloss for the body at the fear,
full cost Of honor and peace. Drink and
dress are the great enemies OF society
The cne ruins the men and the other
the women!
Weak, mistaken is the parental love
that fiatters, that DEVELOPS the vanity OF
a child by arraying it in costly apparel
teaching it to compress its form into q
more attractive slenderness of waist and
conform its carriage to the ungraceful
gait of the latest bend of French folly.
The true woman dresses tastefu!ly and
controls her natural tendency to seek ad-
miration, that she may be the better pre-
pared to do her work, the work OF a souI
of b eauty, q joy forever:
Since every maiden crystaliEes into q
woman, true or false, by the time she
bids her teens farewell, and will, without
al extraordinary gracious change, either
glorify or make miserable her home
how important is the
thorough training that fits the gentle
girl by and by to do the work, live the
life and wear the crown Of true woman
hood. The physical, the mental, the
spiritual faculties, all should be educat-
cd. The young girl having left what DR..
Holland calls the chaotic dispcnsation,
and passing through the transitional,
should learn that life has meaning-a
deep meaning-that its meaning is 0uiy
in the HGht Of redec3Ri1sg ioue. She should
wear the cross not as mere ornamental
fastening for the lace about the neck,
but the symbol Of loving obedience and
unsclfsh devotion. Indeed, the very first
lesson leaned in childhood should be
selt-denial, generosity, the happiness of
making others happy. In that way the
little, hungry, human animals elevated
into loving human soul. The germ OF
womanlness is in the infants breast.
Judicious training, practical and perceep-
tive, with God's blessing, develops the
germ and gives it the victory over the
ileart-thorns of fallen but redeemed ma
ture. Part of this training is the work
Of parents and teachers, part is her own
work, and in it all and through it all the
grace of God is felt. 1t begins in the
cradle and is carried on at home. at
school, in the playground, in society
and in the church, and it is affected by
ali the surroundings and associations,
the occurrences and occasions of life.
In the passage to young Womanhood
it is exceedingly unfortunate to hold
mistaken views of life. With some
about the time the long dress diplaces
the short one, and the tendency to cat
slate pencils and build castles-in-the-air,
is apparent, the mind is principally eX--
ercised about beauX; and the grand
achievement of life to such is to escape
the horrors of the spinster's fate. This
should be regulated. The young girl
should by pleasant employment, by
wholesome maidenly action, avoid the
realm of dreams, and in the ministry OF
the daughter and the sister seek to pre-
pare herself TO be true woman, Heaven
bless her! married or single. She
should feel that the lasting beauty OF the
sex is the expression of a womanly soul,
not the mere regularity Of features, fair
ness and snoothness of brow and cheek
and symmetry of form, all OF which a
wax doll may display most triumphant
". The upDermost idea in her mind
should be to prepare to live truly and
gloriously. Old maids are, in my opin-
ion, ladies, shamefnlly slandcred. In
how many homes are they mlnlsterlng
angels, without whose atlectionate aid
the mother of the family would be over
whelmed with the burdens OF the house
hold, and to whom father, mother and
children are indebted for daily kind
nesses! In how maly communities are
they active, sympathetic sisters OF char
ity! In how many churches are they
the most faithful members, combining
the spirituality OF Mary with Martha's
generous care for the temporal comfort
Of the pastor and the poor. They are
single because they are not handsome,
or, because they were not sought by con-
genial spirits, or to discharge s. sacred
duty to dependent relatives, or to follow
tho strong preference Of q strong soul.
1t is infinitely better to be q plain old
maid with that winning charm Of low
inrness which makes her lovely than to
be
"mated with q clown,
The grossness Of whose nature will have
weight to drag them down."
In the training Of the true woman, o
sensible regard for the health and due
developemeIt of the body, forbids all
fashionable fetters. Let the young mai
den bound along in innocent play and
healthful exercise, that the young
uor,on nav have some physical VigOr