The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-10-07
The weIr.pre.sod woman.
Providence Journal.l

nal forests and fields and then turn to
gaze at their rivals, the gay shop-windOws
OF the city's streets. Dressed in hues
such a. Solomon would have enyied and
the Tyrian Overs yainly tried 70 fashion,
with glossy satins and sbimmering silks.
brocaded plushes and soft cashmeres.
delicate ribbons, and bright flowers that
seem almost to expand their petals a. you
look mt them-the dry-goods stores and
milliners' shops stand inyitingly open
and are thronged with visitors Of the
fairer sort. The love Of beauty and re-
finement belongs TO every true woman.
She ought to desire lin m0deratiOn) pretty
dresses, and delight in exquisite cOlors
and graceful fabrics. She ought to take Il
certain. not too excessive, pride in herself,
and be solicitous TO have all belonging 10
her well chosen and In good taste; TO care
for the perfect ordering OF her house, the
harmony and fitness OF her furniture, the
cleanliness OF her surroundings, the good
style of her arrangements. She ought not
to like singularity either OF habit or
appearances, or be able to stand out
against a fashion, when fashion has be-
come custom. She ought TO make herself
conspicuous only by the perfection OF
her taste. by the grace and harmony Of her
dress. the mobtrusive good breeding Of
her manners. She ought to set the seal OF
gentlewoman on every square inch OF life,
and shed the radiance OF her own beauty
and refinement on every material object
about her. The woman who cares for
none OF this-who makes worse thing do
when by a little thought and cOntriyance
she might have better-whO despises APP
pearances, takes no pride in her person, Is
careless Of dress, and puts certain amount
of surly virtue into her Indifference to i'll
lifting gowns and faded ribbOns-whO
thinks all time spent on personal adOrn-
ment or the identifying of home simply
vanity and veXation OF spirit-the woman
who ignores her Office as the rCtiner OF do
nestle life and the artist OF the social world,
too often loses that better inward grace,
that purer spiritual harmony, which the
love OF beauty and refinement Ouiwardly
symbolizeS and expresses. The beautiful
soul will make itself beautiful outward
life, a. naturally and as inevitable as the
germ OF the lily will shape itself into the
grace and loneliness OF the flower.
Where there is real love OF beauty, it
runs through the whole character. II is
shown not only by an appreciation OF sue
ceSSful millinery, or an artistic eye for col
Ors, but il penetrates To the deepest core OF
the moral life. and finds nothing too small
or insignificant for its shaping. Neither j.
it dependent on amount Of income. nor TO
be- cOnfOunded in any manner with luXu-
robustness. and that kind Of textile or me
chanical loveincSS always to be- had from
mere wealth, and Oitentimrs connected
with the intrnsest vlIlgarty; but it be-
longs wholly to the mind OF the person, and
may be - distinctly, il not rs broadly,
shown in the Scwing-girl's room a. in the
Iady's parlor
There are women who spend very little
on the dress, yet who are always lovely.
There are others with mlllincrs' bills
reaching from Providence to Paris. yet
who are never beautiful. and surely not
TO be taken as models or examples.
The fault does not lie i'm the fashion. blii
the selection. The wcll-drcSsed woman
needs the harmony OF her eOlor>. and is
careful that the forms adopted suit the
lines OF her face and figure. II She is tall.
she does not drape herself in meagre
clothing; il short, she i not flounced
around like fancy pen-wiper. II her
skin is fair, and her hair lies i'm curves
and ripples Oi light brown against the
creamy white, she will not put straw-cOlOr
IN her hat. III she is ruddy, and warm,
and dark. she Will not frame herself in
waXen blue, or the tender shades of pink
The tasteless woman, on the contrary,
thinks only OF the one thing, not OF its
harmony with the rest. Ii she affects arti-
fetal flowers, she piles a whole cOnserya-
tory on her head. Ii she approves one
special color she wears il, no matter against
what other color, rs scarlet and pink, yio-
let and blue. together. Ii an India shawl
is the object OF her ambition. she trails
one after her, though her height be only
Tour foot nothing. Ii she is mad for
short sacks, she will not be persuaded.
though she might enlist IN the grcnadiers
and be appointed drum-majOr rs the
talest OF the corps. This is the woman
who put, old Dresden and imitation
Parian side by side: who wears diamond
on one finger sometimes outside her glOyc)
and Il French pearl on the other; who
makes her parlOr as hdcous a. Patago-
MAN. hut by excess and incongruitv, or
leaves il naked and starved for want OF
color and ornament; who chooses all the
ugly patterns everywhere. and delights in
nothing 80 much A. a complication OF lines
NiAilNhi INV vi anu IL tDll-
course OF cOlorS which offend against eve
~ law Of nature. Such woman is with
out the real sense Of beauty and fitness. in
capable OF some OF the loftiest positions OF
her sex, and misses her way egregiOusly |
when She SETS herself up. Is is sometimes
the case to be queen of society.
But there Is Il woman whose whole ma |
ture is beautiful, and being beautiful. is |
noble, chaste, and true; whose life is the |
outward expression OF the inward thought, |
and who cannot choose but set forth the |
lessons OF loyeliness drunk i'm with her |
very being; whose mind makes itself seen |
rs much in the graceful fashion Of her |
dress ~ in the sweet words which fall from |
her lips, as much in the rhythmic ordering |
Of her household As in the glorious teaching |
OF her children. Such woman gathers |
round her forms Of beauty. both outward |
rs well as spiritual. as flowers gather dew |
10y night TO fashion it into living food by |
day. She il never heard 10 use vulgar |
word, never known 10 do 4 gr1celcss deed,
nor seen To prefer a meaner taste. Her
soul is noble lyric set 10 gentle music; a
low, sweet chant with words OF love for
the cathedral verses. This is the woman
who eeyates and pnritics. and whose les
sons OF beauty and outward harmony have |
a deeper meaning than lies on the surface.
and spring from nObler source than mere