The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1872-02-08
0aliee against velvet.

The majoroity Of American wo.
men every day wear calico, and are
content with it. But velvet, soft,
lussrous, luxurious, excites admira-
tion in every heart; and she who
cannot afford to. buy tits noble if she
does not envy her sister who can.
There is no natural antagonism be-
tween velvet and calico. In . mod
est apartment, plainly ourtained and
carpeted, with rush.bottom chairs
and pleasing though not costly pic
lures, how out of place would . vel
vet robe appear. Bnt make tho
room spacious, spread the floor with
tapestry, shade the windows with
damask, illuminate the walls with
the paintings of Correggio and ii.
tian, of Rembrandt and Landseer,
and would not calico feel out of
place in 20 much splendor2 Yet be-
meath shilling prints what warm,
womanly hearts arc beating, what
lovely traits Of character are devel.
oped, what sterling virtues are illus
trated, what exquisite sensibilities
respond to the touch Of nature |
There are thousands who hold this
paper with hands that are not soft,
and fancy that if they could don 4
hundred dollar velvet CLOAK, and
the empress cloth or gros grain be-
low il were tho very day dress|;
and the hat and plume, the fars and
gems were oil Of . piece; II tho car
pet on which they tread were as
soft - the lamps are bright, and the
couch ~ luxurious ~ the rooms
were spacious--such . life would be
al music. II WAS ever . lover of
happy human face" " says gentle Olli
yer Goldsmith. If that child Of
genius and poverty we're TO walk
Broadway would he sse under the
ostrich plumes and the point lace
wells the taees that had power to
make him glad2 There are in
stances in the world, thank God,
there are lives in this great metrop-
oils whore the finest natural ability,
the highest culture, and evidences Of
tho free indulgence Of exquisite taste
blend in . union - rare ~ it 10 de-
lightfnl. There are Maintenons
who love satins and laces, yet the
,Aoart beiQw the gloss 10 warm with
love Of vir1ae and pisty for orphans.
There are Ssvigpes whogaaap the
gay world ffom tk6F 1oop-A ef
iitsrary leisure, and well-worn copies
of Browning and Of Tcnnyson lies
beside the casket and glove-box on
their dressing.tables. But these are
the rare and bright exceptions. A
thousand hearts are stung with envy
because their Thibet 10 not satin, be-
cause the muff of Siberian fox that
protects their hands ID not IN ermine
or . seal. In short, those who
spend $500 . year in dress look mp
with admiration to those who spend
$1,000, and down with disdain to
those who are tastefllly clad on less
than 500. Nov tho young woman
who earns the 800 on which she
dresses well for . year is . more valu-
able member Of society than she
who spends $500 comes from tho fat
bank account Of An indulgent father.
The enterprise that an industrious
girl discovers, the self reliance, the
patience of labor, the submission to
fortune are jewels that ont sparkle
garnets, or sapphires, or the onyx
stone. As rule, tho velvet sloaks
do nothing for the Advancement Of
the race; they may feebly push ont
one or two little white pawns on the
chess-boards of life, but the dark
knight who plays against them
pounces down, and oblivion closes
over mother and child. The girls
who are to be the mothers of the
able men Of 1900 are to-day earning
their calicoes and poplins BY wading
through snow-drifts to cold school
houses, and explaining fractions to
wooden head boys; they dip their
pens into ink that 10 icy; they
churn when the butter is long q
coming; they sweep when their
fingers are red and numb around the
broom handle. They have the IN
spring consciousness of being strong
and competent /; in the labors of life
they can carry one end of the log ;
in society they would bless and cheer
rather than shine, for
"'Tis only noble to be good:
Kind hearts are more than coronets.
And nlm nla faith than Norman hlood -