Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-09-06
Advice to Young Ladies.

Under this interesting and suggestive
title, a respectable and influential religious
paper, the Boston Congregational, gives
some wholesome truth, statedDin terms
more terse, perhaps, than courteous:
First, you are perfect idiots to 60 on in
this way. Your bodies are the most beau
tiful of Gods creation. In tine Continen-
tai galleries l always saw groups Of peO-
pie gather about the pictures of women.
1t was nova passion {; the gazers were
just as likely to be women as men; it was
because of the wonderful beauty of wo-
mans body.
Now, stand with me at my Office win
dow. and see a lady pass: There goes
one! Now, isn't that a pretty-looking
object? A big hump, three big Jumps, a
wilderness of crimps and frills, hauling
up of the dress here and there, an enor-
nous, hideous mass of hair or bark piled
on the top of her head, surmounted by a
little flat, ornamented by bits of lace,
birds tails, etc. The shop windows tell
you all day long Of the paddings, whale
bones and steel springs which occupy
most of the space within the outside rig.
In the name of all the simple, sweet SEN
timents which cluster about home,
would ask, how is man to fall in love
with such q piece of compound double
| twisted, touch-me-not artificiality as you
see in that wriggling curiosity?
Secondly, with the wasp-waist squeez-
ing your lungs, stomach, liver, and other
vital organs into one-half their natural
size, how can any man of sense, who
knows that life is made up of use, Of sense,
of service, of work, take to such part
ner? He must be desperate, indeed, to
unite himself for life to such fettered,
half-breathing ornament.
| Thirdly, your bad dress and lack of ex-
ercise lead to bad health, and men wisely
fear that, instead of helpmate, they
would get an invalid to take care of.
This bad health In you, just as in men,
makes the mind as well as the body fad.
died and effeminate. You have no power,
and use big adjectives, such as "splen-
did," No magnetism! l know you gig
gle freely, lawful" but then this don't
deceive us we can see through 1t all.
You are superficial, affected, silly; you
have none of that womanly strength and
warmth which are so assuring and at
tractive to man. Why, you become so
childish and weak-minded that you re-
fuse to wear decent names even, and in
sist upon baby names. Instead of Helen,
Margaret and Elizabeth, you affect Mel
lie, Maggie and Lizzie. When your broth
ers were babies you called them Bobby,
Dickey and Johnnie, but when they
grow up to manhood, no more of that
silly trash, If you please. Bat know a
big as both my grandmOthers put to-
gether, who insists upon being called
Kitty, and her real name is Catharine /;
and although her brain is big enough to
conduct 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 a life-partner-
ship to such a silly goose? My dear girls,
you must, If you get husbands, and de-
cent ones, dress in plain, neat, becoming
garments, and talk like sensible, earnest
sisters.
You say that the most sensible men
are crazy after these butterflies of fashion.
Ibeg your pardon, it is not SO. Occa-
sionally man of brilliant successes may
marry silly, weak woman; but, as
have heard women say a hundred times
that the most sensible men choose women
without sense, is simply absurd. Nine
teen times in twenty sensible men choose
sensible women. l grant you that, In
company, they are very likely to chat and
toy with these Overdressed and forward
cTcdtuTeS, DuI bncy uOu dsh seucm W ~
to the altar with them.
FOurthly, among young men in the
matrimonial market, only small number
are independently rich, and in Americs
, such very rarely make good husbands
But the number of those who are just be
ginning in life, who are filled with noble
ambition, who have future, is very
large. These are worth having. Blu
, such will not, they dare not, ask you Il
join them while they see you so idle, silly
/ and so gorgeously attired. Let them Sc
{ that you are Industrious, economical
with habits that secure your health ant
strength, that your life is earnest and real
that you would be willing to begin at tn
, beginning in life with the man you woul
r consent to marry, then marriage will be
: come therule, and not as now, the exceI
, ton.