The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-10-02
A GRACE AND IT'S SIGN.
Beauty of the Bud and Blossom
The Virtue of Dissertation.

The Wise Man of Israel long ago
compared a fair woman without dis
creation to "a jewel in a swine's
snout." The phrase has a coarseness
of sound offensive to modern ears.
but it would be hard to find another
of adequate force.
What is d~iscretion2 1t is the power
which unerringly sees what conduct
is fitting to any given time, place or
circumstance; the sense OF propriety
which is innate with a few, which can
be taught to more, and which is essen
tial to all. 1t is possible tor some to
possess this power without the in
ward graces 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
inestimable gift the fairer or the more
brilliant the woman, the more is she
pitiable.
In Solomon's time, and later, as the
powers of,women were not yet known,
and she was not supposed to be capa-
BILE 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
W destroyer. Now that genera
tions of noble women have proved to
the world woman's right to be trusted
with her own guidance, there has
grown up a tendency to over-conti-
dence, 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 Rose
in bloom as beautiful Is once wal
her aged grandmother, knows much
more of some things than the latter
has ever dreamed of; for manners
have changed as we'll as fashions, and
science has made such rapid advances
that the veriest Ounce of a schoolgirl
would be astonished at Newton's
ignorance; but of the worlds greatest
problem-human nature-the grand
mother, if she be possessed OF but Or
binary wit, must know vastly more
than dear, sweet and overtrustful lit
tie Rose, therefore the latter should
heed the voice of age when it speaks
of and words which are dis
Greet or indiscreet, proper OF i'm
proper.
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 it's presence
and its absence known, and is as essen
tial to every womanly woman, no
matter what her age, intellectual ac-
complishments, beauty, or social posi-
ton, as is its perfume to perfection OF
the rose.
Tue oma who has this precious
gift is by it alone protected from harm
as by an invisible armor of proof. She
NAV not be safe from the tongue OF
Islander, for the finest armor may be
splashed with mud, but she will be
safe from any real injury. Mud can
be washed away. Only wounds leave
scars.
The Youngest or most friendless girl
who uses her wits and needs the warn
ings which she will surely receive
from her inward sense of propriety
whenever she is tempted to violate
| the laws, can never go very far wrong.
| 1t is a safe rule to leave undone every
thing whose perfect proprietv is not
| certain, unless some larger onsidera-
tion is involved. There are cases
where a noble and unself1sh aim will
atone for breaking the laws of pro
priety, but they seldom occur, and
even the few that do, bring many evils
upon the law breakers. In a good
cause one must be willing to suffer
but let no one imagine that suffering
of one sort or another will not follow
every breach of the laws of a genuine
or even an artificial code of propriety.
-Haapeg's Bazaar.