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Literary
October 13, 1869
Vermont Watchman And State Journal
Montpelier, Washington County, Vermont
What is this article about?
Moral essay urging women to value inner virtues, conscience, and Christian duties over excessive focus on dress, which sacrifices higher beauty for lower adornments and leads to a pagan lifestyle.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
The True Standard of Dress.
We are always excessive when we sacrifice higher beauty to attain the lower one. A woman who would sacrifice domestic affection, conscience, self-respect, honor, to love of dress, we all agree, loves dress too much. She loses the higher beauty of womanhood for the lower beauty of gems and flowers and finery. A girl who sacrifices to dress all her time, all her strength, all her money, to the neglect of the cultivation of her mind and heart, and to the neglect of the claims of others on her helpfulness, sacrifices the higher to the lower beauty.
Her fault is not the love of beauty, but loving the wrong and inferior kind. In fact, girls, you may try yourselves by this standard: You love dress too much when you care more for your outward adornings than for your inward disposition; when it afflicts you more to have torn your dress than to have lost your temper; when you are more troubled by an ill-fitting gown than by a neglected duty; when you are less concerned at having made an unjust comment, or spread a malicious report, than at having worn a shabby bonnet; when you are less troubled at the thought of being at the last great feast without the wedding-garment, than at being lagged at the party to-night in the fashion of last year. No Christian woman, as I view it, ought to give such attention to her dress as to allow it to take up all of three very important things—namely, all her time, all her strength, all her money. Whoever does this, lives not the life of a Christian, but that of a pagan; worships not at the Christian's altar of our Lord Jesus, but at the shrine of those lower nymphs of Corinth and Rome.
We are always excessive when we sacrifice higher beauty to attain the lower one. A woman who would sacrifice domestic affection, conscience, self-respect, honor, to love of dress, we all agree, loves dress too much. She loses the higher beauty of womanhood for the lower beauty of gems and flowers and finery. A girl who sacrifices to dress all her time, all her strength, all her money, to the neglect of the cultivation of her mind and heart, and to the neglect of the claims of others on her helpfulness, sacrifices the higher to the lower beauty.
Her fault is not the love of beauty, but loving the wrong and inferior kind. In fact, girls, you may try yourselves by this standard: You love dress too much when you care more for your outward adornings than for your inward disposition; when it afflicts you more to have torn your dress than to have lost your temper; when you are more troubled by an ill-fitting gown than by a neglected duty; when you are less concerned at having made an unjust comment, or spread a malicious report, than at having worn a shabby bonnet; when you are less troubled at the thought of being at the last great feast without the wedding-garment, than at being lagged at the party to-night in the fashion of last year. No Christian woman, as I view it, ought to give such attention to her dress as to allow it to take up all of three very important things—namely, all her time, all her strength, all her money. Whoever does this, lives not the life of a Christian, but that of a pagan; worships not at the Christian's altar of our Lord Jesus, but at the shrine of those lower nymphs of Corinth and Rome.
What sub-type of article is it?
Essay
What themes does it cover?
Moral Virtue
Temperance
Social Manners
What keywords are associated?
Moral Standards
Dress Love
Christian Virtue
Inner Beauty
Women Advice
Literary Details
Title
The True Standard Of Dress.
Subject
Advice Against Excessive Love Of Dress
Key Lines
You Love Dress Too Much When You Care More For Your Outward Adornings Than For Your Inward Disposition; When It Afflicts You More To Have Torn Your Dress Than To Have Lost Your Temper; When You Are More Troubled By An Ill Fitting Gown Than By A Neglected Duty; When You Are Less Concerned At Having Made An Unjust Comment, Or Spread A Malicious Report, Than At Having Worn A Shabby Bonnet; When You Are Less Troubled At The Thought Of Being At The Last Great Feast Without The Wedding Garment, Than At Being Lagged At The Party To Night In The Fashion Of Last Year.
No Christian Woman, As I View It, Ought To Give Such Attention To Her Dress As To Allow It To Take Up All Of Three Very Important Things—Namely, All Her Time, All Her Strength, All Her Money.