, 1877-08-17
World Without a Glass.

World Without n Glass.
What would lot of men and women
do if there were no looking.glasses to tell
them that they were beautiful or some.
thing else' Plain persons might, proba-
bly,, scrape along in dismal sort of way
without mirrors, but good looking hu-
manity would be driven to the verge of
distraction if they were now to be de-
prived of their rejecting agencies. How
would u fascinating beau trim his whis-
kers, curl his mOustaChe, and brush his
hair in manner that he felt would de-
light all beholders, if he were deprived
Of the assistance of II lOoking-glass. How
could beauty make magnificent colt
fure aud apply little cosmetic or color
to her face effectively if she had no re-
tiector to aid her in her work2 As mat
ter of fact, without looking glasses beau
ties and beaux would be in the position
of mariners stranded On deserted island.
Indeed, it is to be feared that if there
were no looking glasses many beautiful
women and handsome men would 90
through the world without ever discov-
ering that they were beautiful and hand.
some. Then, even if they were told by
their flatterinc admirers that they were
vastly pleasant to the sight, they would
still be in an awful dilemma. They
would be racked by conjectures as to
what their faces were like, whether these
were as charming as people represented
them to be, and what could be done to
improve their charms. Now, this would
undoubtedly be very terrible. Let any
tender-hearted person try to realize the
pangs which would be experienced by a
successful tlirt if she were deprived of
the opportunity of herself gazing into the
sweetly fringed liquid depths-more
commonly called eyes-which she is
aware have caused much destruction to
men possessed of soft hearts and proba-
bly, equally soft heads. Then let the
tender-hearted person endeavor to picture
the condition Of "curled darling" who
could not, either by hook or by crook,
see his dainty moustache and his artisti-
cally.treated locks. of course it may be
urged that if there were no looking-glass
es large section of humanity would
necessarily not be so conceited as it is
that female beauty would be less arro-
CANT and its successful admirers tritle
less self-assured. 1t may also be urged
that the feelings of plain people who, as
it is, are constrained to contemplate their
own hideousness, would not be wounded
as they now are-that, indeed, plain peo-
pie might go through the world without
ever discovering that they were positively
ill-favored. But, on the other hand, it
may be pointed out that if there were no
looking. glasses, lovers of the beautiful in
their neighbors would pine after the
beautiful in vain, since humanity gener-
ally would, it is to be feared, become un-
kempt and slovenly in its appearance
1t may, perhaps, be asserted with some
show of reason that looking glasses are
among the great safeguards of civiliza-
ton, that they are second only to clothes
in their influence, and that they supply a
natural want of men and women. At the
same time one cannot be blind to the
nuisances which they cause at times, and
the ugly twists which, in some cases, they
give to human nature. This being so,
we are justified in recommending their
more abject worshippers to considerably
lessen their devotions, and to contine
these latter, so far as possible, to the se'
clusion of their own chambers. The
naiads of old, if we are to believe ro-
mancers and poets, contemplated their
personal charms beside Sequestered pools
and solitary rivers where none but nature
kept them company. Nor is there any
reason to believe that they improved"
themselves-or tried to do so-every time
that they came across reforming power.
Men and women of to-day might, then,
advantageouSly initiate the naiads of old
in this respect, and we devoutly hope
that they will do so.