Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1877-12-22
AMERICAN SOCIAL LIFE.
beme Of It's SIN. Against Health and
Morals

is in the tendency TO luxury and ette,, ~inac,
among the wellto-do young women of o.
aineIlcah eitles and large towns. They do not
IsanZe now this dreadful mania for expensive
Pleasures, and life OF alternate fdeness and
amusement Is destroying their health abolish
ing true marriage; feeding the flame OF gross
Sehsualty and lntemperance among Young
men, and saddening the hopes of the best
parent OF the land. Some of them never will
Know II in this world. But most OF them have
ITO feaI purpose to waste their lives in this
Mreiched way. And il is a high crime in
mothers, teachers, ministers of religion and
Ine pubic press TO pander to this insanity.
thousands OF good-hearted young girls are
SacIIhced every year when a little wise and
loving guidance could save them But we feel
mat they should be told that unless they
change this life they win pas, away like the
class occupy their places American society
Will shed every class of triflers male or female
mat do not do its work, rs the forests shed
, ,heir %i.nered leaves Let them awake from
live out OF doors; to build up their health: to
cultivate more simple tastes i'm dress and
more moderation in pleasure; study domestic
economy; study social skill and tact: fit them
selves for the n0blest positions ever yet offered
To their sex, and learn that woman is the soul
OF American life. not the tinsel on its gar
ment--l CnfuersdtiSt Quarterly.
DANCING A sTINULANT or THE PASSIONS.
one unhygienic result Of dancing is the pre-
mature development of the passions. These
are latent up To a certain age, and are designed
10 take their proper place in the regular order
OF development In this nature is often frIls-
trated by the Intervention of artificial means
10 hasten the process. when irreparable dam
age Is done. Dancing Is not one of the least
oL me means that are employed to accomplish
this end. There are enough things that tend
In This direction without any assistance from a
paSsi0n-prOy0king practice like dancing. In
ballroom there IS promscuons crowd.
Many are strangers to each other. The ''seis''
are formed, the music strikes up and the dance
begins. The pantomime that now commences
Is of such nature "a To express the emotional
language OF the passions. All may not be able
10 interpret its true meaning. but the effect is
all the same. Again. in the waltz liberties are
taken that would be regarded as being highly
Improper under any other circumstances. II
allows the gentleman to clasp his partner
about the waist. when he holds her i'm a close
embrace through long series of rapid evolu-
tons, until she Is glad to rest upon his shoulder
in this respect may be altogether different
when practiced in the home circle between
members OF the family, but even here there
may be taste formed i'm the young that
amounts to an absorbing fatuatiOn, which
soon seeks qualification in more public place.
No greater misfortune can befall a boy or girl
than to be subjected to such a forcing process.
Ii causes them to become developed in ad-
vance of their age, and, being naturally i'm
pulsive, they are easily led beyond the bounds
Of prOpriety and into sln.-LDr. MaRk.
THE SURROUNDINGS OF BILLIARDS
are ANYTHING but satisfactory. a public bill,
place, and frequen;ed by individuals of any
thing but pleasant type. Stale rakeS, who,
having been fieeced themselves, are longing to
prey upon others, and cunning vagabOndS of
low origin and low tastes, find their way to it /:
and they soon rub the gilt off the more limo
cent beings who come i'm immediate contact
with them. He must be very sirons-natured
man who can frequent a billiard-room of the
worst kind and escape more or less cOntami-
nation. III there is greed within him the place
Will bring ii out, and in time he will learn TO do
he performs with sense of the deepest shame.
He is taught by its influence to look after him
self, and to care not jOt who else goes TO the
bad lessons which, though very valuable from
one point of view. are not likely to cOnduce to
his permanent benefit in the highest sense.
When all this can be written with iruth-when
ii can be confidently stated that billiards are
surrounded by mass of vagabOndage, knave-
ry, dissipation, and other influences which
tend to mems moral deterioration, and are
calculated to place people in the greatest
purists who hold up their hands i'm disgust and
condemn the game altOgether.-[ Liberal Re
rter.
PARALYSIS CAUSED BY COSMETICS.
One cause of acquired defOrmity is the slow
poisoning of the system by certain metallic
pOisOns. Chief among these are the salts of
lead, and one OF the most characteristic de-
fOrmities, produced i'm consequence of poison
ing by these salts. is what is commonly known
as "wristdrOp," caused by the use of Laird
" Bloom of Youth, and other villainOus cos
metics. The use of cosmetics has within a
few years become so very common, even
among the better class of society, and as
most, if not all of them, are equally as dan
gerOus to use as the particular one described
III this report. have deemed il my duty to
place these cases before the profession, that
knowing their injurious effects, they may
guard their patients against thus voluntarily
This defOrmity, incOmpletey developed, can
be seen every day upon the streets of this city,
for there Is many fashionable lady who sui
Her hands are held in peculiar, yet fashion
able position. a sort of kangaroo style, and
many of them fancy that they are Initiating
obGed TO carrV iher Sands 'ie are srR
because the extensOr muscles are not strong
enough to hold them up. The polish they put
on their faces has manifested itself in prOduc-
ing partial paralysis of the extensOr muscles
of the forearm, and the fashion has been intro
duced to accommodate the defOrmty.-[Dr DR..
CurbdUu.
THE YOUNG MAN AND HIS SOCIETY.
A young man, just launching into business,
should make it point not to mix with those
whom he would be ashamed of i'm years to
come. There are many who start i'm life with
faith and lead honest and upright lives, and
would undoubtedly have done SO had they as
sociated with men Of unSullied character,
whose names We're above reproach; but no, the
pleasures and frivOlities Of the other picture
they were unable to- understand. Society can
be appropriately termed temptation. If per-
son Intentions are good. and he should I'M
fortunately fall into bad society, he would
eventually, from being thrown continually
into such company, acquire like habits, and
finally find himself in a position from which it
would be impossible for him to extricate him
self. Such eases as these are daily occurring
within our midst How many of us know OF
men who have lad golden opportunities; men
who lost wealth. position and honor through
the influence of immoral society. Look at the
numbers of well-educated men, travelling
from door TO door i'm search of fOod-men who
have lost their name and standing i'm the
world, and have fallen SO low that they have
lost all shame. We think we have drawn this
picture well enough to satisfy the young nan
that now is the time-nOw is their harves,
and if they fail to take these advantages. they
will rue the day when they did not take the
warning in time and become a credit TO their
families and to the community. But if i'm
moral society Is a temptation 10 evil courses
the influence of proper associates is equally
strong in the opposite direction. Society may
be temptat ion for good as well as evil. To a
young man, who, from any circumstances
may be momentarily inclined to turn aside
from paths OF honor and rectitude, the pres
ence Of an upright person will act as a rebuke
and save him from falling, while the very at
mOsphere of society of this kind will keep his
morals interrupted, keep his thoughts fan
away from improper channels, and be q moral
fence around him. eflectually preventing him