Year: 1871

same tnlng IL true, only IN an lnteneer degree O


that mans wife or daughters. Indeed it is moi


lnfrequenily true that the wife and daugh hters o


the successful man are the secret cause and spui


OF all extravagance and aping, their restless am.


bltlon leading to follies he sees, though he may


not have the courage to resist. He buys wbat


domestic peace he has that way. And yet what


does he or they buy of the world Take The


dollars from many man in this city to- night


and in what honor would he walk down the


street tomorrow, and how many OF The dear


thousands even leave card to console wife OF


daughter? Young woman, do not make the ter


ribe mistake of supposng the highway to honor


lies in despising the little domestic virtues which


are true womanly ornaments, and the safeguards


OF home.


wonder if anybody has discovered why it


is that the love of dress is so universa sal, and


shows itself so early? Is it not to women what


the love of gold is said to be to men, the mon


ster passion, dragging in its train a whole host


of evils? As fine art, believe in dress, but


for dress as passion, l have no respect.


think women make great mistake, a dangerous


not infrequently a fatal mistake, in thinking


so much of and laying out SO much upon ap-


pearance. They do it not to please men, but


for fearof each other. The men do not require


it, but the women compel each other TO it. The


taste Of men is generally simple and easily


satisfied. The taste of women is largely artif-


cial and conventional. They dress fer each


other and judge each other by dress. Passing


through one of our streets one day, | noticed


two much-dresscd ladies meet at an awkward


crossing, and yet as they passed, the one, wit h


half turn, gave a sweeping glance at the


other, in which you felt that she saw and pro-


nounced judgment upon every article of the


elaborate toilet, had made out price and quality,


had summed her up, and the net result was


just as legible as if she had written il out. 1t


was only an instance of what you and | have


seen thousands of times, the cool impotence of


which woman only is guilty to woman. the sort


of inspection every woman knows she has got


to undergo from the eye ofevery Other woman.


No man ever does such a thing. 1t is the


dread of the ban of her own sex, the fact she


knows she is on parade for inspection on the


street, in the morning call, at parties, at church


even, that makes this wicked absurdity and


extravaganza of dress necessary. do not


wish to wink out of sight the extravaganza of


men in wines and horses and other things at


least doubtful. My point is now that the rage


of the women Of this land for adorn az their


persons is one which enters into and embar-


rasses finance and tariffs no less than fathers
and husbands, outrages all laws of beauty and
good taste, and substitutes the most neretr;-
clous adornings for those ornaments which,
Joubert says, 'were invented by modesty,''-


while it cankers many hearts, and debauches
life and soul. There is o reform needed here


which only women can effect. The poison
runs down clear through every grade in
society. The spirit of rivalry is in kitchens as
in parlors. To dress for the approval or envy
of her acquaintance is as much the necessity
OF the waiting woman as her mistress, while
the lower the social grade, the more imminent
the danger that such craving shall lead, as
facts prove that it largely does, to woman's
great sin.


Now ! think it commendable in a young
woman, as in any one else, to desire to please,
but think she grossly mistakes who supposes
herselfto please, to win any true, honest, sub
stantial regard, by overlooking her body. do
not think any man, unless utterly shallow
pated and worthless, ever rates a woman by
her dress, and if you have ever seen, as have,
the t1utter Ofadmration and genuine interest
aroused as some modest fresh girl. with plain
dress and untormented hair, quietly and un-
consciously took her place among elaborate
toilets, you would comprehend that we do not
like, however much in the end we yield to. the
whims and fick,eness and bad taste and
tyranny of female fashion. 1t is only the
simplest thing that becomes or enhances female
beauty,-a flower rather than a jewel, ribbon
rather than lace. Beauty is fact. an ele
ment, principle. 1t is in you it can't be
put upon you. 1t may be acquired, as charac-
ter develops, but it cannot be bought. You
may DuI Oh your DOuy anu Oh your lace WnaC
you please, and possibly produce the flash
etfecttof artifcial beauty, but you have not
produced beauty. Beauty is truth it can be
no lies Beauty is too pure thing to be con-
founded with shabby counterfeit. Beauty is
in nature, not in art, and the most consum-
matel4 got up woman, miracle Of toll and
cost, ynd vanity and lies, is only hideous
of that sweet creation of God which
we call woman. oh, the wretched slavery of
that life whose all in all is daily effort to
trick her person as to deceive, while she never
succeeds in doing it, for the quick eye ct home
in her own arts and mysteries reads clear
through the arts and mysteries of others. Why
must woman so stoop, and aim at and accept
the Fictitious beauty of fashion, of whim, pur-
chased sometimes at the cost of all that is
lovely and natural? The beauty that is made
never can be the beauty that is God. Nature
adorns her lilies and her violets and her roses
with beauty and a fragrance all their own.
Not less chary has she been to woman, to
whom, if she deny the outward graces of the
person, she grants the more worthy and en-
during and compensating virtues, the higher
of spirit and of heart. And they will
as every experience shows. The
eye may be the first and quickest judge, but it
is not the keenest. There is court of appeals,
to which it's verdict is always sooner or later
taken, and nothing receives its approval that
is not genuine. The prettiest girl, the most
girl, if she have neither heart nor
brains. may please we'll enough for an even
ing, but she never calls up one genuine,
honorable emotion in true man, or among
her own sex acquires any place. Young women.
believe me that "beauty when unadorned is
adorned the most )" that no adorning makes
beauty; that skin-deep beauty is the veriest
trash when it stands alone; and do please be
content in the mplicity and integrity of your
rather than become the puppet of
the dressmaker and the milliner. 1t is said
that nothing can stand against ridicule, but
woman's fashions seem to be the exception
to prove the rule; for l remember
that history tells that for two centuries the
whole English priesthood vainly expended its
strength against certain Insignificant fashions.
while at the same time they walked the world
to the wars of the Crusades.


While upon the matter of eXtrava gance. let
me say word of extravaganza of speech. Are
young women aware of the extent to which
they carry this Do they know how they
lavish EXPLANATIONS and superlatives. and give
to merest trifles the weight that only belongs
to weghty things? Have they any idea of the
vehemence and excitement with which they
discuss daily incidents and ordinary affairs ?
Do they know that they call into suspicion
their sincerity when they come to speak of
serious matters, because they have used just
such terms upon trivial things before?
should be accused of caricature were to relate
exactly what l have many times heard-the
the expressions, the eXclamations
over bonnet, a dress, an ornament, or the
number of times, according to her own state
ment, young woman has been nearly or quite
killed by this or that, she, in the mean time to
the observer, manifesting the most charming
resignation to her fate. Indeed, this is a serious
matter. fit be only trick to day, it is a
habit tomorrow, and, as know, the habit has


l.. l.
utterly untrustworthy. In one of bis letters,
Robertson speaks Of ga most dangerous habit
TO character,-to be able to cook up raptures
are the rage" This cooking-np of raptures is
a besetting feminine tenn mptation and flaw. |
conjure you abandon that which fearfully en-
croaches upon the sanctity of truth, which
1eprives language of its value as vehicle of
feeling, end which brings you into the suspi
,ion of great weakness or affectation. Reserve
strong statement and warm admiration and
vehement protestation for things and times
worthy.


| think young women are in danger from the
facile yielding to the opinions and influence of
older men of the world whom they meet in
society, and that they peculiarly need moral
courage to shield them here, as in many other
things in life. 1t is a game some men play at
this attempt to supplant maidenly instinct
with the sophisms of society. against which |
young women need to be warned. | hold that
is in woman's hand, if she will
keep true to herself that just what she pleases
she can make the law or act of society, or the |
principle of life, and that she can face down |
and make ashamed the man of the world and |
all his follies. In her instincts, her ntutions,
God has given her q safeguard ample to her
need. Only let her be brave. Shun the most
the most popular mau, if you
detect in him any grossness in deed or word |
Or if you know him to be corrupt Maintain |
your own integrity, and the integrity of virtue