The Mirror of the Graces: Containing General Instructions for Combining Elegance, Simplicity, and Economy with Fashion in Dress; Hints on Female Accomplishments and Manners; and Directions for the Preservation of Health and Beauty — John Shaqi
The Mirror of the Graces: Containing General Instructions for Combining Elegance, Simplicity, and Economy with Fashion in Dress; Hints on Female Accomplishments and Manners; and Directions for the Preservation of Health and BeautyLady of distinction, active 19th century
History
The Mirror of the Graces: Containing General Instructions for Combining Elegance, Simplicity, and Economy with Fashion in Dress; Hints on Female Accomplishments and Manners; and Directions for the Preservation of Health and Beauty
Lady of distinction, active 19th century
Beauty, Personal; Clothing and dress -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century; Etiquette -- Great Britain
The rules which I would lay down for the preservation of the bloom of
beauty, during its natural life, are few, and easy of access. And,
besides having advantage of speaking from my own wide and minute
observation, I have the authorities of the most eminent physicians of
every age, to support my argument.
The secret of preserving beauty lies in three things,--temperance,
exercise, and cleanliness.--From these few heads, I hope much good
instruction may be deduced. _Temperance_ includes moderation at
table, and in the enjoyment of what the world calls pleasure. A young
beauty, were she fair as Hebe, and elegant as the Goddess of Love
herself, would soon lose these charms by a course of inordinate eating,
drinking, and late hours.
I guess that my delicate young readers will start at this last
sentence, and wonder how it can be that any well-bred woman should
think it possible that pretty ladies could be guilty of either of
the two first-mentioned excesses. But, when I speak of _inordinate_
eating, &c., I do not mean feasting like a glutton, or drinking to
intoxication. My objection is not more against the quantity than the
quality of the dishes which constitute the usual repast of women of
fashion. Their breakfasts not only set forth tea and coffee, but
chocolate, and _hot_ bread and butter. Both of these latter articles,
when taken constantly, are hostile to health and female delicacy.
The heated grease, which is their principal ingredient, deranges the
stomach; and, by creating or increasing bilious disorders, gradually
overspreads the fair skin with a wan or yellow hue. After this meal,
a long and exhausting fast not unfrequently succeeds, from ten in the
morning till six or seven in the evening, when dinner is served up;
and the half-famished beauty sits down to sate a keen appetite with
Cayenne soups, fish, French patées steaming with garlic, roast and
boiled meat, game, tarts, sweetmeats, ices, fruits, &c. &c. &c. How
must the constitution suffer under the digestion of this _melange_!
How does the heated complexion bear witness to the combustion within!
And, when we consider that the beverage she takes to dilute this mass
of food, and assuage the consequent fever in her stomach, is not merely
water from the spring, but champagne, madeira, and other wines, foreign
and domestic, you cannot wonder that I should warn the inexperienced
creature against intemperance. The superabundance of aliment which
she takes in at this time, is not only destructive of beauty, but the
period of such repletion is full of other dangers. Long fasting wastes
the powers of digestion, and weakens the springs of life. In this
enfeebled state, at the hour when nature intends we should prepare for
general repose, we put our stomach and animal spirits to extraordinary
exertion. Our vital functions are overtasked and overloaded;--we become
hectic--for observation strongly declares that invalid and delicate
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