The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1876-08-20
an ELEGANTLY USELESS YOUNG LADY

OF this class of young ladies we fad the
following specimen in work called Fam
lily Secrets - " isabel advanced along the
path of life with feeble and Uncertain steps;
for in addition to her constitutional deli
cacy, she had to contend with will Undi-
sci iplined, and with endless longings after
personal qualification unchecked, unregu-
lated, and consequently incapable of being
gratificd to their full extent. In6ulged as
favorite child, the greater part of her
life was spent in kind of dreamy ldleness,
from which she was seldom reused, except
by some awakening desire for personal
qualification, some omplaint of mental
bodily uneasness, or some scheme for mo-
nentary amusement, which she was gene
rally too languid OF too ipdolent to carry
into effect. The consequence of all this
wac, that Isabel arrived at the age of eigh-
| teen a victim to dyspepsia, amateur in
medicine, artyr to nervous maladies, and
as elegantly discontented with life, and all it
had to- offer, as any other young lady of her
age could think becoming her character and
station. The worst of ali was, that, by
this system of itjudicious treatment, false
sastes had been created, unnatural cravings
excited for bodily as we'll as mental stimu-
lhnts, which, under the name of curdials :,
tonice, and reetoTat!Vra, were bat too plea
tfuiiy supplied. Isabel had not, like her
ers, been permitted to go to school,
though hers WAS a chse in which school
discipline might have been highly esica.
cious she had not oven been considered
capable of enduring the usual process of
mental instruction at home. Thus, her
education, even-that inferior part which
relates to the understanding and the mem
ory, was as vague and Irregular as could
well be imagined. She was, however, an
| extensive though superficial reader and
| those who conversed with her only for q
short time, believed her to be much bet
ter informed person than she really was.
| We have said that, with all her dised van
| tages, Isabel was not absolutely disagree
able. SO far from this, she generally at
tracted attention in company by her easy
and lady-like manners, and by q counter
ance, which, perhaps, was less beautiful
than Interesting and expressive. Unas-
sailed by any OF those severe trials which
| put TO the test the real principles upon
which we act, she had not made the discov-
cry herself, nor had any of her friends made
1t for her, that she was III reality selfish
and unamIaOle; for while every one minis
tered to her qualification, she had only to
express her gratitude, affect little wiling
ness to deny herself, and CApatiate on her
| regret at beng the cause of 20 much trOu-
Bile, and all went on exactly gs she wished
the trouble was incurred, the attempted
self denial was frustrated, and the kindness
! for which she expressed her gratitude was
repeated and increased.
What a lesson do we learn by sudden
reverse of this order of things "a Lesson
perhaps, the mOst severe that experience
ever teaches; while, at the same time, our
dependence upon animal and selfish graft
hcanon, our lrritability, imPatienCe, and
wounded feeling, when these are denied,
show US but too faithfully the living picture
of those passions of which we believed our
selves incapable, simply because indulgence
had hitherto lullcd them to rest"
This listless and spoiled child, the story
goes on to cay, is married, but having nc
mental resources to fall back upon, and nc
taste for the active duties of life, she seeks
artificial excitement the result is such al
t might have been expected-she loses caste
and sinks into obscuritY.