Aims and Aids for Girls and Young Women: On the Various Duties of Life, Physical, Intellectual, And; Moral Development; Self-Culture, Improvement, Dress, Beauty,; Fashion, Employment, Education, The Home Relations, Their; Duties To Young Men, Marriage, Womanhood And Happiness.Weaver, G. S. (George Sumner)
Science
Aims and Aids for Girls and Young Women: On the Various Duties of Life, Physical, Intellectual, And; Moral Development; Self-Culture, Improvement, Dress, Beauty,; Fashion, Employment, Education, The Home Relations, Their; Duties To Young Men, Marriage, Womanhood And Happiness.
Weaver, G. S. (George Sumner)
Conduct of life; Young women
Could the grave-yards all over the country speak, they
would utter fearful tales of this suicidal abuse of Dress.
The second question is, Do our ideas of Dress corrupt our hearts? One
may almost worship at the shrine of Dress. Many are the young ladies
whose thoughts rise no higher than the dress they wear and the bonnet
that decks their heads. If they can be hung over with gewgaws and
tinselry, if plumes shall tremble on their heads, silks shall rustle
about them, and jewels shine wherever they go, to catch every eye and
bewilder every passer-by, they fancy they are in the upper-ten of
womanhood. Vain! The peacock, whose little heart is one beating pulse of
vanity, is not half so vain as they. Giddy, trifling, empty, vapid,
cold, moonshine women, whose souls can perch on a plume, and whose only
ambition is to be a traveling advertisement for the men and women who
traffic in what they wear, are many who flaunt in satins and glitter in
diamonds. How many such there are we would not say. But I doubt not,
that not a little like them are many who are otherwise women. They love
Dress; love it inordinately; love it when they ought to love something
worthier; and spend their time, and thoughts, and mind, and heart, and
money on what they shall wear. The fashion-plate is their profoundest
study. The science of dressing is the only one they care to know. The
cut of a collar is a matter of sublime importance. How much of this
foolish vanity there is in the world! How many otherwise good women does
it spoil! And now the question with every young woman should be, How do
I feel about my dress? Is it a matter too bright in my eye--a subject
too important in my mind? Am I vain of my dress? Does it corrupt my
heart, take my attention from virtue, from mental improvement, from the
graces of a good life, from religion, from my Saviour, and my God? Do I
devote thoughts to Dress that ought to be given to the great problems of
duty, life, womanhood, to the development and culture of my powers of
heart and mind; to science, conversation, language, and the objects of
living? Why am I? Why do I live? To what end? Is there a great object in
my being? Have I any thing to do in its attainments? Does my love of
Dress interfere with the true objects of woman-life? This is the
questioning mind which every young woman should possess. Now let me ask,
Does not your love of Dress lead you from the great ends of woman-life?
Are you not taken captives by the glitter of Dress? sold bond-slaves to
your bonnets and shoes?
Oh, what a fearful waste of time and talent is given to the frivolity
and vanity of dress! what a sacrifice of soul and body, principle and
life, is made upon its altar!
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