The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1878-05-16
Our Young People
The Model Girl.
LESSON THIRTEENTH.

Win q rove LOT Tue Jfues the DGtuti Il
full and good. Nothing is SO adDi
rable in youth as moral excellence.
1t possesses charms which attract
the wise and good and which must
in the end win the fairest and most
enviable fame. Virtue must be re
warded with the appreciation of the
grod Of earth and of the Father in
Heaven. Our young friends will al
low me in this lesson to present a
picture of the model girl.
She is not the vain and foolish
child of fashion. She is not a vapid
devotee at the shrine of pleasure
a giIded butterfly slipping nectar
from every opening flower. Neither
is she a follower of those who seek
to occupy mans position and who
are forever clamOring for woman ;
rights. She has no ambition to
make a display at the bar ar to ap
pear on the hustings. She is no
candidate tor offices which expose
her to public gaze. or which require
her tounsex herself. She is mod
est. She is free from brazen impu
dence and bold efrontery. The
shrinking violet is The beautiful
symbol of her character. Yet she
is not unnecessarily timid. She is
as free from awk 8ardness as she is
from forwardness. Modesty is that
charming virtue which puts her at
perfect ease in all company; which
never allows an unseemly attitude
which frees her from false shame ;
which secures dignity of conduct
and perfect cOmposure OF behavior.
1t prevents her from seeking the
admiration of the other sex by
making undue aud improper ad-
vances, and still it does not cause
her to hide herself when her com
pany is sought. 1t combines dig
nifty with grace and elegance with
ease of manner. 1t is ever respect
full, and never rude. 1t looks up
with reverence to the aged, is ever
agreeable to equals, and always
careful of the feelings OF interiors.
No man loves an immodest woman
She may have intelligence, wealth
and beauty Of person, but without
modesty she cannot win the esteem
of any man whose opinion is worth
seeking. To modesty our model
girl unites intelligence. She reads
good books and gains knowledge
from all available sources. She re-
ceives much benefit from the con
versation of intelligent people. She
is a close observer of nature, and
gathers inspiration from her beau
ties and knowledge from her laws.
She looks in upon herself and
learns much from self conscious
ness. She studies the characters
with whom she associates, and thus
becomes acquainted with human ma
ture. She becomes conversant with
passing events by reading their cur
rent history in the newspapers.
Thus her lips are not sealed when
she enters society. She converses
with becoming modesty and yet
with rare intelligence. She does not
obtrude her opinions with forward
ness, nor withhold them with fool
ish diffidence. Then the model girl
is industrious. She is full of vital
energy. She works with a will
Sloth is contempt Die, and lazy
woman is iatolerable. She is a
poor daughter, an unworthy sister,
an indifferent scholar, an unpleas-
ant visitor, and must make a sad
wife and a miserable mother. 1t
was said by Horace Greeley, in one
of his attacks upon the South, that
our women were entirely destitute
of energy and that they spent their
time in idle gossiping and filthy
dipping. ! never believed this &C
cusation to be just on the contrary,
L knew it To be false. The women
of the South exhibited during the
terrible civil war not only the great
est self-denial, but the most untir-
ing industry. They took the car
pets from their floors and convert
ed them into blankets for their SOL
dier brothers and husbands. They
took the curtains from their win
dows and made soldiers shirts.
They spun and wove and cut and
made into comfortable suits the IA
nous grey which distinguished the
Confederate soldier, Women un-
used to toll worked with almost un
equaIed industry to sustain a cause
which they believed holy. They
were found in the hospitals minis
tering with patriotic devotion to
the wants o: the sick and wounded
soldier. !, Southern man, can
pay this just tribute to the women
of this sunny land.
l am sure that there are many
readers of these lessons who are
willing to help their mothers in the
duties of tue domestic circle In
dustry is a noble virtue. Energy
moves the world. Angels move on
active wings to do the will of God.
The model girl is up betimes and
with ready hands and active will is
helping in the work which makes
uOue happy
Prudence is also one of the car
dinal virtues of our model girl. She
never gossips. She does not in
dulge in tale bearing. She usters
no SANDERS She is not harsh in
her judgments, unchaFitable in her
opinions or violent IN her express
sions. She is not the terror of the
neigh borhood because of tile fool
ish and slanderous utterances which
are so destructive of domestic
peace. She does not cause divis-
ions nor produce jars. Like the
rainbow she is the symbol of peace
even when the storm is raging Her
is one of love, and she full
fills it with the highest dignity and
the noblest grace. Then she is
amiable. She is the very embodi-
ment of gentleness. Her spirit is
lamb like. She assimilates the dove.
Her words are full Of tenderness.
She is not passionate. Anger is
never welcome guest to her bo
som. Malice is never allowed al
to her heart. Wrath never
clouds her brow or fires lIer eve.
Like God given charity she think
eth no evil. She suffers long aad I
is kind. She beareth ali things,
1s.,sE al fbfpna audnrari al i