Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1881-01-08

oCCaSAOuht eISuI u - yo~hS 6hA
simply aud girlishly dressed 10 like a
sight of . white rose after a bewilder.
ing walk through lines of hollyhocks
and sunfswers. 1t 10 generally con-
csded that early tastes leave indeli-
Bile results in character. What may
be prophssied for the future Of our
girls with their banged, betrizzed
hair, jingling ornaments and other
fashions, which some one has well
characterized 40 screaming fash.
ions p
1t is not that there il any harm In
thinking about dress, Or in wishing
to be tasteiully attired ; it Is only thai
personal appearance GENES TO be IN
the minds Of 50 many ofyou the one
subject, lo which everything else IL
subordinate. This weakness. if in.
dulged, must belittle and degrade
you. - -
l do not think that the girls, OF
their mothers, are wholly to blame
for this absorbing devotion to dress.
The vanity Of woman is stimulated
by the fs%olishness of men. A young
woman who 10 modestly and plainly
clad is much! less likely to attract the
notice Of young men than enc who il
gorgsously arrayed. From bright.
Intelligent, finely cultured, sensible
girls, whose chief aderning 10 not
the adorning of braided hair, Or
! golden ornaments, or of gay clothing,
the young men often turn away in
quest of some creature g%littering in
silks and jewelry, with . dull mind
aud . selfish heart. But I beseeoh
you to remember, girls, that . young
man who cares for nothing bat
"styls" in . woman isa young man
whose admiration yeu. can we'll A.
ford to do without. If that is all he
cares for In you, you cannet trust Lis
fidelity ; whom you aud your dnery
have faded, SEINE, bird in gayer
feathers. than you, are wearing will
easily e1tice him away from you,
aud the sacred ties of marriage and
parentage will prove no barrier to
Ills hayward fancies. The girl who
catches a husband too often finds that
the prize she has won 10 . broken
heart.
Aaothsr mistake that many Of onr
girls are making is in devotinE too
much Of their time to novsl-reading.
The reading Of an oc%casional novel of
pure and hsalthful tone may be net
only an innocent diversion, but .
good mental stimulant ; but the read
ing of the lighter sort of novels
(Which, if they do not teach bad
morality, do represent life in a NOR
bid and unreal light, and awaken
cravings that never can DO satisfied),
and the reading n or two or three
Of them in q week, az 10 the common
habit of many Of eur girls, must
prove %grievously injurious to their
minds and hearts. 1t is mental die
sipation Of very dangerous sort /; Ito
influence 10 more insidious than, but l
am not sure that it is not quite as
fatal 20 character a. the yhabitual use
OF streng drink. Certainly the mon
tai dissipation of n0vsl-reading IL
vastly more prevalent than the other
sort of dissipation, not only in "ths
best society,"" but in the second best.
as well; and five women's lives are
ruined by the Que whore one life 10
wrecked by the other. "Ruinsd," do
say2 Yes, no weaker wsrd tells
the whole truth. This Incorporate
craving for sensational fiction weak
ems the mental grasp, destroys the
love of coed reading. and the power
of sober and rational thinking, takes
away all relish from the realities of
lille, breeds discomfort aud incidence
aud s%elf1shness and makes the one
whe 10 addicted to it 4 weak, friyol-
Gus, petulant, miserable being. see
girls all around me in whom these
results are working Themselves out
steadily and fatally.
Another mistake which our girls
are naking-or which their parents
are making-is . tee early initiation
into the excitements and frivolitles
Of what 10 called society. 1t was
formerly the rule for girls to wait
until their school days were ever
before they made their appearance in
fashionable society. AT what age,
let us inquire, does the average
young lady OF our cities now make
her dsbutP From my observation,
l should. answer At about the age OF
three. They are not older than that
whom they begin to 60 to children's
parties, for which they are dressed az
deliberately al they would be for .
fancy ball. From this age onward
they are never out Of society ; by the
time they arc six or eight years old
they are members Of clubs, and spend
frequent evenings out, and the de.
lnands of social diversions and dis
play multiply with their years.
am sure that the early contact OF
our girls with the vanities aud the
insincerities and the excitemants OF
social life il doing a great injury to
many of them. Girls of from twelve
TO sixtesn years of age. who ought to
be in bed every night at nine O'Clock,
are out at parties till midnight, and
sometimes later, thus destroying
their health and keeping their young
heads filled with thoughts which are
not conductive to healthy mental OF
moral growth.
If a little company Of children
could be brought together in the at.
terpoon or in the early evening, al
plainly dressed, 50 that they nigh
romp and play to their hearts content
aud take no thought for thsir raimen1
If they could be healthiIy fed, anc
wisely amused, with no resort tc
kissing-gamss, and ne suggestions o.
beaux that would be innocent
enough ; but to dress these children
in silks and laces, in kid gloves anc
kid slippers, with frizzed hair ano
je welry-to parade them up anc
down the draWing.reoms for the fool
ish mothers who are in attendance Il
comment on their dresses in theil
hearing. saying, 20, you desr LITTLE
thing How sweet you leok! VIVA
a beautiful dressl How that colol
becomes her J" then to chat then
about their lovers and swesthearts
and laugh at their precocious dirta
sions-oh, 1t is pitiful pitiful l sa!
to you. mothers, that if there are any
children for whom my heart aches i
is thoac innocent, beautiful children
} who ara being sacrificed on the al
lars Of foolish fashion. The children
of Inc poor, thinly clad, poorly fed
rudely taught, are not any mere Il
bs pitied than are many of the child
rem of the rich their bodies ma,
snffer more. bnt their souls r no
any mere likely TO be pampered an,
corrupted and destroyed,
Isuppose that many of us who ar
parents yield, with many misgiving
l and protests, to this bad custom
which drags our children into socla
life and its exeitements at such al
3 early age. We give III to it bscaus
8 sill the rest do, and because 1t 10 harl
to deny to our children what sll thei
companions are allowed. Aud some
. times 1 suspect you might 60 into
| company Of girls aud boys who ar
. Keeping late hours. aud carrying
their social diversions to al injuriou