Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1890-06-04
MAIDENLY DECORUM.
ssWhat Is decorum -?

"what Is deoorum
The speaker was a bright wltted,
,pretty girl, well on in her teens. She
was talking with an old gentleman, VINO
possibly might have been drawing her
Attention to little acts which he had
called 'breaches of maidenly de
looked astonlshed that such question
sbould not answer itself and then Il
genial smile spread over his fine fea-
tures, as his slender fingers gently
caressed the young girls cheek, while
he said.
"Well, my dear, you are not so de-
ficient in the thing, as your WORDS
would imply. Perhaps the term Is old
fashioned, but it is a very good one,
and NAV mean many things, for that
which is decorous at one time, and In
one place, may not be SO at every time,
and In all places. For instance, al
though am your old grandfather, and
thus have extraordinary privileges, 1t
would not be decorous for me to put
nv arm about your waist, (as do now
and kiss YOU (Gs / do now II we were
at the Presidents levee- There Is
nothing IN the least wrong IN the act
ion. but IN a public place 1t would not
be fitting, and hence 1t would not be
decorous- You are Just now dressed
with perfect propricty for the solitude
of our garden, or for country walks,
end mountain climbing, but your rather
short dress of plain and sensible mater
ial for It's actual uses, would be very
ont of place in ball room. And man
ners. like dresses, must be suited both
to person and to places"
Then what is maidenly decorum !?
Why Is not decorum alike for all ,
.'My dear" replied the silver haired
Grand ather, smiling down upon her
from iiis stately height of years and OF
-ta,ure-''s young girl is a very pre-
ious thing, and must respect herself
accurdingly; and maidenly decorum is
the outrrowth of u maiden's modest and
p.oper sense of her purity and self
respect.
This conversation took place long
ago, and the beautiful old man has
many years been gathered to his
fathers, but his words are living yet
N the life of his whIlOm listener and
IL the lives of her charming daughters
These daughters were never self
conscious, were not prudlsh, were not
ignorant of the evil that is in the world; (;
4
from constraint, but they always and
" rywhere conducted themselves with
a maidenly decorum that was full of
charm, even to those who apparently
cared the least for Ii. They went
about with their brothers and their
brothers friends in perfect equality OF
comradeshIp. hat never was there the
slightest violation of decorum. We
look nt them as they are nov-hvely
and beautiful young matrOns-wlth a
wistful regret that all of their once girl
companions, have not Jared as happily
rs thev. and with an inner feeling that
perhaps some of the unfortunate N It
ings, and the almost equally unfortun-
ale Splnster-hoods, might have been
avoided had these others been early
taught the self respect, the maidenly
decorum, that would have restrained
them from certain breaches of pro-
priety which, small and innocent in
themselves, were mistaken by their rs
soclates as indications of frivolIty of
character or looseness of principle.
1t is impossible that even the most
chIvalrous of men or the most chari-
table of women shall feel quite the Ger
taintv in regard TO the natures OF those
who do not respect themselves, that
they will naturally feel for those whose
behavior is always marked by a sense OF
propriety-
Every human being, and especially
every woman is supplied with faculties
of observation and with an inward
monitor, which never fails to give
warming. A young girl who uses
her wits, and heeds the inner warn
ings which she will surely receive,
can never go far wrong. 1t is a
safe rule to leave undone anything
whose perfect propriety Is not assured, |,
| unless some larger interest is involved.
There are cases where a noble and un-
selfish aim Will atone for short comings
in the merely external forms of pro-
pr1ety, but these cases seldom occur,
and even these few entail many disad.
vantages. "Decorum" says Webster
sis that which is becoming in outward
set and appearance; and we may ap'
ply to it the words of the old catechisms
In regard to baptism-it Is ''an out
ward sign of an inward grace"