Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1891-09-14
A Grace and Its Sign.

The Wise Man of Israel long ago com
pared fair woman without discretion to
"a jewel in a swine's snout" The phrase
has coarseness of sound offeneive to
modern ears, but it would be hard to find
another of adequate force.
What is discretionl 1t is the power
which unerringly sees what corduct is fit
ting to any given time, place or circum-
stance; the sense of propriety which is in
nate with few, which can be taught to
more, and which is essential to all. 1t is
possible for some to possess this power
without the inward graees of purity and
truth; and it is also possible for some of
the finest traits of character to exist in
one who has it not; but without this ines
timable gift the fairer or the more brilliant
the woman, the more is she pitiable
In Solomon's time, and later, as the
powers of woman were not yet known
and she was not supposed to be capable of
exercising discretion in her own behalf, it
was considered necessary to seclude her
from the world in harem or in convent,
lest she become her own destroyer Now
that generations of noble women have
proved to the world woman's right to be
trusted with her own guidance, there has
grown up tendency to over confidence,
and too many young girls are left without
the help which they so need, and older
women could SO easily give them.
Youth should not be considered to be
above or beyond instruction The world
truly moves, and sweet Crosse in bloom" :"
as beautiful as once was her aged grand
mother, knows much more of some things
than the latter has ever dreamed of: for
manners have changed as well as fashions
and science has made such rapid advances
that the veriest Ounce of a schoolgirl
would be astonished at Newton's igno-
rance; but of the worlds greatest problem
human nature-the grandmother, if she
be possessed of but ordinary wit. must
know vastly more than dear, sweet and
overtrustful little Rose, therefore the lat
ter should heed the voice of age when it
speaks of manners and words which are
discreet or indiscreet, proper or improper
Discretion or a sense of propriety-by
either term is the virtue known-is like a
perfume. 1t cannot be touched, seen,
weighed or described, but it exists, and
makes its presence and its absence known,
and is as essential to every womanly wo-
man, no matter what her age, intellectual
accomplishments, beauty or social posi-
ton, as is its perfume to perfection of the
rose.
The woman who has this precious gift
is by it alone protected from hahn as by
an invisible armor of proef. She may not
be safe from the tongue of slander, for the
finest armos may be splashed with mud,
but she will be safe from snv real injury.
Mud can be washed away. Only wounds
leave scars.
The youngest or most friendless girl
who uses her wits and heeds the warnings
which she will surely receive from her in
ward sense of propriety wherever she is
tempted to violate its laws, can never 60
very far wrong. 1t is a safe rule to leave
undone everything whose perfect proprie-
ty is not certain, unless some larger con-
sideration is involved. There are cases
where a noble and unselfish aim will atone
for breaking the laws of propriety, but
they seldom occur, and even the few that
do bring many evils upon the lsw-break-
ers. In good cause one must be willing
to suffer; but let no one imagine that suf
fering of one sort or another will not fol-
low every breach of the laws of genuine
or even an artificial code of propriety.