Year: 1859

Alice Vernon was the daughter Of veal.
thy merchant in the town of L.. When
scarcely sixteen she had completed her edu-
cation, and had returned home, for the pur.'
pose Of being initiated into those mysteries
Of fashionable life, knowledge of which is
considered in this enlightened age, an es-
seDtal part Of female education. Not that
education which teaches them to perform, in
the best manner, all the duties of life; which
teaches them to act the part which God has
assigned them in the social sphere and the
domestic circle; which will make them good
wives, good mothers and good christians,
and prerssse them by the proper improvement
of this present life, for the a1Iatumrutu uf uu-
ending happiness in the Gland of the here
AFTER" No, not this. But it is part of
that education, which teaches them to use
every effort in their power to deaden and
paralyEe the most sacred feelings of their ma
ture to regard the heart as playthiag, and
life as a play ground; by which they are
taught to tamper lightly, not only with their
present peace and happiness, but with their
eternal well-being; which teaches them to re-
gard others merely as auxiliaries to the at
tainment of their own selfish ends !; and to
perform the most important acts 'of their
lives, with an Indifference and utter reck-
lessness Of consequences, more becoming
lunatics and dreamers than persons in their
sober senses; which teaches them to regard
marriage as lottery, or only as refuge
from. the horrors of old maidenhood, and to
enter into matrimonial alliances merely as
matters 0: convenience, or for the gratifca-
ton of selfish or ambitious views; often, and
justly rendering their whole future lives one
scene of wretchedncss and misery. Alice
Vernon had no such views of life. She look
ed upon the scene which she was about to
enter as enchanted ground, and .;nnocently
thought that virtue, not vice, was the chief
actorthere. Pure and guileless by nature,
she looked into her own heart for knowl-
edge of the motives by which the actions of
others were governed. She had only seen
the sunny side of life-its shadows had sell
dom fallen across her path was it Unnatural
then, that she should indulge in such fond,
childish dreams of the innocence and beauty
of the world around her. Sweet dreamer
Alas! how soon will thy dream of peace be
DER, and thou awake to the sad, sad reality.


The evening of Mrs. Clayton's ball was
an cventful one in the life of Alice Vernon.
She was to make her debut in fashionable so.
ciety on that momentous occasion, and many
were the misgivings; thick and fast were the
pulsations of her young heart as she again
and again consulted her mirror before setting
out for the festive scene And here let US
sketch the picture which was reflected in the
mirror as she stood before it. Light hair,
blue eyes, and complexion beautifullysoft
and clear; mouth and chin that Greclan
sculptor might have envied as model, and
thrown over the whole, an expression of such
sweet simplicity and freshness, of such child
like trust and confidence, and such bouyant
enjoyment of life, that it was difficult for the
beholder to withhold the verdict of beauti-
full Dressed with tasteful and elegant SIM
plicity, there was no superAuous jewelry
dangling from her ears nor glittering on her
arms and fingers; nature had clothed her in
robe of beauty to which art could add moth
ing. With all these attractions Of person,
the soul whose dwelling place it was, was
more beautiful still. Mrs. Ternon's heart
swelled with maternal pride and affection,
when she gazed upon her lovely daughter,
as they stood in the parlor previous to setting
out for Mrs. Clayton's.


On the evening of Mrs. Clayton's ball,
the beautiful Mary was in her glory; exert