,,the      ,,mirror ,,of ,,the ,,graces4
      ,,containing      ,,general       
,,instructions      ,,for ,,combining   
,,elegance1 ,,simplicity1 ,,and         
,,economy      ,,with ,,fashion ,,in    
,,dress2      ,,hints ,,on ,,female     
,,accomplishments ,,and ,,manners2      
,,and ,,directions ,,for ,,the          
,,preservation ,,of      ,,health ,,and 
,,beauty4      ,,by ,a ,,lady ,,of      
,,distinction4      8,if ,beauty be     
woman's weapon1 it must be feathered by 
the ,graces1    pointed by the eye of   
,discretion1 and shot by the hand of    
,virtue40      ,,from ,,the ,,london    
,,edition4      ,,boston3    ,,published
 ,,by ,,frederic ,s4 ,,hill1    ,,no4   
#g1 ,,water ,,street4      #ahca4       
,,contents4        ,preliminary         
,observations on the ,subject           
#e      ,general ,remarks on the        
,manners and ,fashions of the    ,past  
and ,present ,times                     
#ad      ,on the ,female ,form          
#ai      ,the same ,subject1 of ,female 

,beauty1 more explicitly    considered  
#cd      ,general ,thoughts on ,dress   
and ,personal ,decoration       #dh     
,on the ,peculiarities of ,dress1 with  
reference to the    ,station of the     
,wearer                                 
#fh      ,of the ,detail of ,dress      
#hb      ,on ,deportment                
#aje      ,peculiarities in ,carriage   
and ,demeanor                 #aaj      
,on the ,management of the ,person in   
,dancing1 and in    the exercise of     
other ,female ,accomplishments          
#abf      ,continuation of the same     
,subject                       #adi     
,conclusion                             
#aef        ,,appendix4      ,on the    
,use of ,corsets                        
#afc      ,on the ,ladies' ,passion for 
,levelling all ,distinction of    ,dress
                                        
#agc      ,recipes                      
#ahc           ,,mirror     ,,of        
,,the ,,graces4          ,,preliminary  
,,observations ,,on ,,the ,,subject4    

8,not equal1 as their sex not equal     
seemed2    ,for contemplation he1 and   
valor formed2    ,for softness she1 and 
sweet attractive grace2    ,he for ,god 
only1 she for ,god in him40             
,,milton4      ,in discoursing on the   
degree of consequence1 in the scale of  
creation1  that may be allowed to the   
human body1 two extremes are generally  
adopted4 ,epicureans1 for obvious       
reasons1 exalt our corporeal part to    
the first rank2 and ,stoics1 by opposite
 deductions1 degrade it to the  last4   
,but to neither of these opinions can   
the writer of these pages  concede4     
,the body is as much a part of the human
 creature as the mind2 by its  outward  
expression1 we convey to others a sense 
of our opinions1  hopes1 fears1 and     
affections--we communicate love1 and we 
excite it4  ,we enjoy1 not only the     
pleasures of the senses1 but the        
delights which  shoot from mind to mind1
 in the pressure of a hand1 the glance  
of an  eye1 and the whisper of the      

heart4 ,shall we then despise this ready
 and  obedient vehicle of all that      
passes within the invisible soul8 ,shall
  we contemn it as a lump of encumbering
 clay--as a piece of corruption1  fitter
 for the charnel-house than the bosom of
 affection8    ,these ascetic ideas may 
be consistent with the thankless        
superstition  of the ancient ,zenos1 or 
the modern fanatics1 who see neither    
beauty  nor joyfulness in the works of  
the bounteous ,lord of ,nature2 but the 
rational and fair-judging mind1 which   
acknowledges 8use and decency0  in all  
the ,creator's works1 while it turns    
from the pagan devotion  which the      
libertine pays to his own body1 regards 
that inferior part  of himself with the 
respect which is due to it in           
consideration of its  ,maker and its    
purpose4    8,reverence thyself60 says  
the philosopher1 not only with relation 
to  the mind which directs1 but to the  
body which executes4 ,god created the   
body1 not only for usefulness1 but      

adorned it with loveliness2 and what  he
 has made so pleasing1 shall we         
disesteem1 and refuse to apply to its   
admirable destination8--,the very       
approving and innocent complacency  we  
all feel in the contemplation of beauty1
 whether it be that of a  landscape or  
of a flower1 is a sufficient witness    
that the pleasure  which pervades our   
hearts at the sight of human charms1 was
 planted  there by the ,divine ,framer  
of all things1 as a principle of delight
 and  social attraction4 ,to this end1  
then1 ,i seek to turn your attention1   
my fair countrywomen1 upon              
,,yourselves6--not only to the          
cultivation of  your minds1 but to      
maintain in its intended station that   
inferior part  of yourselves1 which     
mistaken gravity would1 on the one hand1
 lead you  to neglect as altogether     
worthless2 and vanity1 on the other1    
incline  you too much to cherish1 and   
egregiously to over-value4    ,from this
 you will gather1 that the ,,person of a

 woman is the primary  subject of this  
discourse4    ,mothers1 perhaps1 7those 
estimable mothers who value the souls as
  the better parts of their daughters17 
may start at such a text4 ,but  ,i call 
them to recollect1 that it is 8good all 
things should be in  order60 ,this is a 
period when absurdity1 bad taste1       
shamelessness1 and  self-interest1 in   
the shapes of tire-men and tire-women1  
have arranged  themselves in close siege
 around the beauty1 and even chastity1  
of your  daughters2 and to preserve     
these graces in their original purity1  
,i1 a  woman of virtue and a ,christian1
 do not think it beneath my dignity to  
lift my pen4    ,dr4 ,knox will not     
refuse to be my auxiliary1 as a grave   
auxiliary  may be necessary to give     
consequence to a subject usually deemed 
so  trivial4 8,taste requires a         
congruity between the internal character
  and the external appearance10 says he2
 8and the imagination will              
involuntarily form to itself an idea of 

such a correspondence4 ,first  ideas are
 in general of considerable consequence2
 and ,i should1  therefore1 think it    
wise in the female world to take care   
that  their appearance should not convey
 a forbidding idea to the most          
superficial observer40    ,another      
author shall speak for me besides this  
respected moralist4  ,the very ,high    
,priest of the ,graces1 the             
discriminating ,chesterfield1  declared1
 that 8a prepossessing exterior is a    
perpetual letter of  recommendation40   
,to show how different such an exterior 
is from  affectation and extravagance1  
is one object of these pages2 and ,i    
hope  that my fair and candid readers   
will1 after perusal1 lay them down with 
a conviction that beauty is a blessing1 
and is to be used with maidenly         
discretion2 that modesty is grace2      
simplicity elegance2 and consistency    
the charm which rivets the attracted    
heart of well-judging men4    ,that you 
have sought my sentiments on these      

subjects makes it easier  to me to enter
 into the minute detail ,i meditate4    
,indeed1 ,i have  ever blamed1 as       
impolitic1 the austerity which condemns1
 without  distinction1 any attention to 
personal appearance4 ,it is surely  more
 reasonable to direct the youthful mind 
to that medium between  negligence and  
nicety which will preserve the person in
 health and  elegance1 than1 by leaving 
a young woman ignorant of the real and  
supposed advantages of these graces1    
render her liable to learn the  truth in
 the worst way from strangers1 who will 
either insult her  aggravated deformity1
 or teach her to set off her            
before-obscured  charms with1 perhaps1  
meretricious assistance4    ,it is      
unjust and dangerous to hold out false  
lights to young persons2  for1 finding  
that their guides have1 in one respect1 
designedly led  them astray1 they may be
 led likewise to reject as untrue all   
else  they have been taught2 and so     
nothing but disappointment1 error1 and  

rebellion can be the consequence4       
,let girls advancing to womanhood be    
told the true state of the world  with  
which they are to mingle4 ,let them know
 its real opinions on the  subjects     
connected with themselves as women1     
companions1 friends1  relatives4 ,hide  
not from them what society thinks and   
expects on all  these matters2 but fail 
not to show them1 at the same time1     
where the  fashions of the day would    
lead them wrong--where the laws of      
heaven and  man's approving 7though not 
always submitting7 reason1 would keep   
them  right4    ,let religion and       
morality be the foundation of the female
 character4  ,the artist may then adorn 
the structure without any danger to its 
safety4 ,when a girl is instructed on   
the great purposes of her               
existence1--that she is an immortal     
being1 as well as a mortal  woman1--you 
may1 without fearing ill impressions1   
show her1 that as we  admire the beauty 
of the rose1 as well as esteem its      

medicinal power1  so her personal charms
 will be dear in the eyes of him whose  
heart is  occupied by the graces of her 
yet more estimable mind4 ,we may safely 
teach a well-educated girl1 that virtue 
ought to wear an inviting  aspect--that 
it is due to her excellence to decorate 
her comely  apparel4 ,but we must never 
cease to remember that it is ,,virtue we
 seek  to adorn4 ,it must not be a      
merely beautiful form2 for that1 if it  
possess not the charm of intelligence1  
the bond of rational tenderness1  is a  
frame without a soul--a statue which we 
look on and admire1 pass  away and      
forget4 ,we must impress upon the yet   
ingenuous maid1 that  while beauty      
attracts1 its influence is transient1   
unless it presents  itself as the       
harbinger of that good sense and        
principle which can  alone secure the   
affection of a husband1 the esteem of   
friends1 and the  respect of the world4 
,show her that regularity of features   
and symmetry  of form are not essentials

 in the composition of the woman whom   
the  wise man would select as the       
partner of his life4 ,seek1 as an       
example1  some one of your less fair    
acquaintance1 whose sweet disposition1  
gentle manners1 and winning deportment1 
render her the delight of her  kindred1 
the dear solace of her husband4 ,show   
your young and lovely  pupil what use   
this amiable woman has made of her few  
talents2 and then  call on her to       
cultivate her more extraordinary        
endowments to the glory  of her         
,creator1 the honor of her parents1 and 
to the maintenance of her  own happiness
 in both worlds4 ,to do this1 requires  
that her aims should  be virtuous1 and  
the means she employs to reach them of  
the same nature4    ,we know1 from every
 record under heaven1 from the sacred   
page to  that of the heathen world1 that
 woman was made to be the help-mate  of 
man--that1 by rendering herself pleasing
 in his sight1 she is the  assuager of  
his pains1 the solacer of his wo1 the   

sharer of his joys1  the chief agent in 
the communication of his sublunary      
bliss4 ,this  is beautifully alluded to 
in the ,book of ,genesis1 where the work
 of  ,creation is represented as        
incomplete1 and the felicity of         
,paradise  itself imperfect1 till woman 
was bestowed to consummate its          
delights3--      8,the world was sad6   
the garden was a wild2    ,and man1 the 
hermit1 sighed--till woman smiled40     
,we have all read in the sacred oracles1
 that 8a woman's desire is unto  her    
husband60 and for that tender relation1 
the first on earth1 7for1  before the   
bonds of relationship1 man and woman    
became a wedded pair17  woman must leave
 father and mother1 and cleave unto him 
alone4 ,hence1  ,i shall no longer beg  
the question1 whether it be not right   
that a  chaste maid should adorn herself
 with the graces of youth and modesty1  
and1 with a sober reference to the      
duties of her sex1 present herself a    
candidate for the love and protection of

 manliness and virtue1 in the  most     
agreeable manner possible4    ,by making
 the fairness of the body the sign of   
the mind's purity1 man  is imperceptibly
 attracted to the object designed for   
him by ,heaven as  the partner of his   
life1 the future mother of his children1
 and the  angel which is to accompany   
him into eternity4 ,hence1 insignificant
  as the means may seem1 the end is     
great2 and poor as we may choose to     
consider them1 we all feel their        
effects1 and enjoy their sweetness4     
,having thus explained my subject1 my   
fair friends will readily  perceive1    
that there cannot be anything hostile to
 female delicacy in  the prosecution of 
my scheme4 ,i give to woman all her     
privileges2 ,i  allow her the empire of 
all her personal charms2 ,i will assist 
her to  increase their force3 but it    
must be with a constant reference to    
their  being the ensign of her more     
estimable mental attractions4 ,she must 
never suppose that when ,i insist on    

attention to person and manners1  ,i    
forget the mind and heart2 or when ,i   
commend external grace1 that ,i  pass   
unregarded the internal beauty of the   
virgin soul4    ,in order to give a     
regular and perspicuous elucidation of  
the several  branches of my subject1 ,i 
shall arrange them under separate heads4
  ,sometimes ,i may illustrate by       
observations drawn from abroad1 at other
  times by remarks collected at home4   
,having been a traveller in my  youth1  
whilst visiting foreign courts with my  
husband1 on an errand  connected with   
the general welfare of nations1 ,i could
 not overlook the  influence which the  
women of every country hold over the    
morals and  happiness of the opposite   
sex in every rank and degree4    ,fine  
taste in apparel ,i have ever seen the  
companion of pure morals1  whilst a     
licentious style of dress was as        
certainly the token of  the like laxity 
in manners and conduct4 ,to correct this
 dangerous  fashion1 ought to be the    

study and attempt of every mother--of   
every  daughter--of every woman4        
,,general ,,remarks ,,on ,,the ,,manners
 ,,and ,,fashions ,,of ,,the ,,past     
,,and ,,present  ,,times4      8,manners
 with fortunes1 humors turn with climes1
    ,tenets with books1 and principles  
with times40      ,,pope4      ,when    
,innocence left the world1 astonished   
man blushed at his own  and his         
partner's nakedness1 and coverings were 
soon invented4 ,for  many an age1 the   
twisted foliage of trees1 and the skins 
of beasts1  were the only garments which
 clothed our ancestors4 ,decoration was 
unknown1 excepting the wild flower1     
plucked from the luxuriant shrub1  the  
shell from the beach1 or the berry off  
the tree4 ,nature was then              
unsophisticated2 and the lover looked   
for no other attraction in his  bride1  
than the peach-bloom on her cheek--the  
downcast softness of her  consenting    
eye4    ,in after times1 when ,avarice  
ploughed the earth1 and ,ambition       

bestrode  it1 the gem and the silken    
fleece1 the various product of the loom1
  and the ,tyrian mystery of dyes1 all  
united to give embellishments to        
beauty1 and splendor to majesty of mien4
 ,but even at that period1 when  the    
east and south laid their decorating    
riches at the feet of woman1  we see1 by
 the sculpture yet remaining to us1 that
 the dames of ,greece  7the then        
exemplars of the world7 were true to the
 simple laws of just  taste4 ,the       
amply-folding robe1 cast round the      
harmonious form2 the  modest clasp and  
zone on the bosom2 the braided hair1 or 
the veiled  head2 these were the        
fashions alike of the wife of a         
,phocion1 and the  mistress of an       
,alcibiades4 ,a chastened taste ruled at
 their toilets2  and from that hour to  
this1 the forms and modes of ,greece    
have been  those of the poet1 the       
sculptor1 and the painter4    ,rome1    
queen of the world6 the proud dictatress
 to ,athenian and ,spartan  dames1      

disdained not to array herself in their 
dignified attire2 and  the statues of   
her virgins1 her matrons1 and her       
empresses1 show1 in  every portico of   
her ancient streets1 the graceful       
fashions of her  ,grecian province4     
,the irruption of the ,goths and        
,vandals made it needful for women to   
assume a more repulsive garb4 ,the      
flowing robe1 the easy shape1 the  soft1
 unfettered hair1 gave place to skirts1 
shortened for flight or  contest--to the
 hardened vest1 and head buckled in gold
 or silver4    ,thence1 by a natural    
descent1 have we the iron boddice1 stiff
  farthingale1 and spiral coiffure1 of  
the middle ages4 ,the courts of         
,charlemagne1 of our ,edwards1 ,henries1
 and ,elizabeth1 all exhibit  the       
figures of women as if in a state of    
siege4 ,such lines of  circumvallation  
and outworks2 such impregnable bulwarks 
of whale-bone1  wood1 and steel2 such   
impassable mazes of gold1 silver1 silk1 
and  furbelows1 met a man's view1 that1 

before he had time to guess it was  a   
woman that he saw1 she had passed from  
his sight2 and he only formed  a vague  
wish on the subject1 by hearing1 from an
 interested father or  brother1 that the
 moving castle was one of the softer    
sex4    ,these preposterous fashions    
disappeared1 in ,england1 a short time  
after  the ,restoration2 they had been a
 little on the wane during the more     
classic1 though distressful reign of    
,charles ,i42 and what the beautiful    
pencil of ,vandyke shows us1 in the     
graceful dress of ,lady ,carlisle and   
,sacharissa1 was rendered yet more      
correspondent to the soft undulations   
of nature1 in the garments of the       
lovely1 but frail beauties of the       
,second ,charles's court4 ,but as change
 too often is carried to extremes1  in  
this case the unzoned tastes of the     
,english ladies thought no  freedom too 
free2 their vestments were gradually    
unloosened of the  brace1 until another 
touch would have exposed the wearer to  

no thicker  covering than the ambient   
air4    ,the matron reign of ,anne1 in  
some measure1 corrected this indecency4 
,but it was not till the accession of   
the ,house of ,brunswick1 that it  was  
finally exploded1 and gave way by       
degrees to the ancient mode of  female  
fortification1 by introducing the       
hideous ,parisian fashion of  hoops1    
buckram stays1 waists to the hips1      
screwed to the circumference  of a wasp1
 brocaded silks stiff with gold1 shoes  
with heels so high as  to set the wearer
 on her toes2 and heads1 for quantity of
 false hair1  either horse or human1 and
 height to outweigh1 and perhaps        
outreach1  the ,tower of ,babel6 ,these 
were the figures which our grandmothers 
exhibited2 nay1 such was the appearance 
,i myself made in my early  youth2 and  
something like it may yet be seen at a  
drawing-room1 on  court-days4    ,when  
the arts of ,sculpture and ,painting1 in
 their fine specimens from  the chisels 
of ,greece and the pencils of ,italy1   

were brought into this  country1 taste  
began to mould the dress of our female  
youth after their  more graceful        
fashion4 ,the health-destroying boddice 
was laid aside2  brocades and whale-bone
 disappeared2 and the easy shape and    
flowing  drapery again resumed the      
rights of nature and of grace4 ,the     
bright  hues of auburn1 raven1 or golden
 tresses1 adorned the head in its       
native simplicity1 putting to shame the 
few powdered toupees1 which  yet        
lingered on the brow of prejudice and   
deformity4    ,thus1 for a short time1  
did the ,graces indeed preside at the   
toilet of  the ,british beauty2 but a   
strange caprice seems now to have       
dislodged  these gentle handmaids4 ,here
 stands affectation distorting the form 
into a thousand unnatural shapes2 and   
there1 ill-taste1 loading it  with      
grotesque ornaments1 gathered 7and      
mingled confusedly7 from  ,grecian and  
,roman models1 from ,egypt1 ,china1     
,turkey1 and ,hindostan4  ,all nations  

are ransacked to equip a modern fine    
lady2 and1 after all1  she may perhaps  
strike a contemporary beau as a fine    
lady1 but no  son of nature could1 at a 
glance1 possibly find out that she meant
 to  represent an elegant woman4    ,to 
impress upon your minds1 my fair        
friends1 that symmetry of figure  ought 
ever to be accompanied by harmony of    
dress1 and that there is a  certain     
propriety in habiliment adapted to form1
 age1 and degree1 shall  be the purport 
of my next observations4          ,,on  
,,the ,,female ,,form4      8,who doth  
not feel1 until his aching sight        
,faints into dimness with its own       
delight1    ,his changing cheek1 his    
sinking heart1 confess    ,the might1   
the majesty of loveliness80             
,,byron4      ,to preserve the health of
 the human form1 is the first object of 
consideration4 ,this is of primary      
importance1 for with its health we      
necessarily maintain its symmetry1 and  
improve its beauty4    ,the foundation  

of a just proportion1 in all its parts1 
must be laid  in infancy2 for1 8as the  
twig is bent1 the tree's inclined40 ,a  
light  dress1 which gives freedom to the
 functions of life and action1 is  the  
best adapted to permit unobstructed     
growth2 for thence the young  fibres1   
uninterrupted by obstacles of art1 will 
shoot harmoniously  into the form which 
nature drew4 ,the garb of childhood     
should in all  respects be easy2 not to 
impede its movements by ligatures on the
  chest1 the loins1 the legs1 or the    
arms4 ,by this liberty1 we shall  see   
the muscles of the limbs gradually      
assume the fine swell and  insertions   
which only unconstrained exercise can   
produce4 ,the shape  will sway          
gracefully on the firmly poised waist2  
the chest will rise  in noble and       
healthy expanse2 and the human figure   
will start forward  at the blooming age 
of youth1 maturing into the full        
perfection of  unsophisticated nature4  
,the lovely form of woman1 in           

particular1 thus educated1 or rather    
thus  left to its natural bias1 assumes 
a variety of interesting characters4    
,in one youthful figure1 we see the     
lineaments of a wood-nymph2 a form      
slight and elastic in all its parts4    
,the shape1      8,small by degrees1 and
 beautifully less1    ,from the soft    
bosom to the tender waist60    ,a foot  
light as that of her whose flying step  
scarcely brushed the  8unbending corn20 
and limbs1 whose agile grace moved in   
gay harmony  with the turns of her      
swan-like neck and sparkling eyes4      
,another fair one appears with the      
chastened dignity of a vestal4  ,her    
proportions are of a less arial outline4
 ,as she draws near1 we  perceive that  
the contour of her figure is on a       
broader and less  flexible scale than   
that of her more ethereal sister4       
,euphrosyne speaks  in the one1         
,melpomene in the other4    ,between    
these two lies the whole range of female
 character in form2  and1 in proportion 

as the figure approaches the one extreme
 or the  other1 we call it grave or gay1
 majestic or graceful4 ,not but that    
the same person may1 by a happy         
combination of charms1 unite these      
qualities in different degrees1 as we   
sometimes see graceful majesty  and     
majestic grace4 ,unless the commanding  
figure softens the amplitude  of its    
contour with a gentle elegance1 it may  
possess a sort of regal  consequence1   
but it will be that of a heavy and harsh
 importance2  and1 on the other hand1   
unless the slight and airy form1 full of
  youth and animal spirits1 superadds to
 these attractions the grace of  a      
restraining dignity1 her vivacity will  
be deemed levity1 and her  activity the 
romping of a wild hoyden4    ,young     
women1 therefore1 when they present     
themselves to the world1 must  not      
implicitly fashion their demeanors      
according to the levelling rules  of the
 generality of school-governesses2 but1 
considering the character  of their own 

figures1 allow their deportment1 and    
select their dress1  to follow and      
correct the bias of nature4    ,there is
 a class of female contour which bears  
such faint marks of any  positive       
character1 that the best advice ,i can  
give to them who have  it1 is to assume 
that of the sedate4 ,such an appearance 
is unobtrusive2  it is amiable1 and not 
only secure from animadversion1 but very
 likely  to awaken respect and love4    
,indeed1 in all cases1 a modest reserve 
is  essential to the perfection of      
feminine attraction4    ,as it has been 
observed1 that1 during the period of    
youth1 different  women wear a variety  
of characters1 such as the gay1 the     
grave1 c4  when it is found that even   
this loveliest season of life places its
  subjects in varying lights1 how       
necessary does it seem that women       
should carry this idea yet further by   
analogy1 and recollect that she  has a  
summer as well as a spring1 an autumn1  
and a winter6 ,as the  aspect of the    

earth alters with the changes of the    
year1 so does the  appearance of a woman
 adapt itself to the time which passes  
over her4  ,like the rose1 she buds1 she
 blooms1 she fades1 she dies6    ,when  
the freshness of virgin youth           
vanishes--when ,delia passes her  teens1
 and approaches her thirtieth year1 she 
may then consider her  day as at the    
meridian2 but the sun which shines so   
brightly on her  beauties1 declines     
while it displays them4 ,a few short    
years1 and the  jocund step1 the airy   
habit1 the sportive manner1 must all be 
exchanged  for 8faltering steps and     
slow40 ,before this happens1 it would be
 well  for her to remember that it is   
wiser to throw a shadow over her yet    
unimpaired charms1 than to hold them in 
the light till they are seen to  decay4 
,each age has an appropriate style of   
figure and pleasing2 and it is  the     
business of discernment and taste to    
discover and maintain those  advantages 
in their due seasons4    ,the general   

characteristics of youth1 are meek      
dignity1 chastened  sportiveness1 and   
gentle seriousness4 ,middle age has the 
privilege of  preserving1 unaltered1 the
 graceful majesty and tender gravity    
which  may have marked its earlier      
years4 ,but the gay manners of the comic
  muse must1 in the advance of life1 be 
discreetly softened down into  little   
more than cheerful amenity4 ,time       
marches on1 and another change  takes   
place4 ,amiable as the former           
characteristics may be1 they must  give 
way to the sober1 the venerable aspect  
with which age1 experience1  and 8a soul
 commercing with the skies10 ought to   
adorn the silver hairs  of the          
,christian matron4    ,nature having    
maintained a harmony between the figure 
of woman and  her years1 it is decorous 
that the consistency should extend to   
the materials and fashion of her        
apparel4 ,for youth to dress like  age1 
is an instance of bad taste seldom seen4
 ,but age1 affecting  the airy garments 

of youth1 the transparent drapery of    
,cos1 and  the sportiveness of a girl1  
is an anachronism as frequent as it is  
ridiculous4    ,virgin1 bridal ,beauty1 
when she arrays herself with taste1     
obeys an  end of her creation--that of  
increasing her charms in the eyes of    
some  virtuous lover1 or the husband of 
her bosom4 ,she is approved4 ,but when  
the wrinkled fair1 the hoary-headed     
matron1 attempts to equip herself  for  
conquest1 to awaken sentiments which1   
when the bloom on her cheek  has        
disappeared1 her rouge can never recall2
 and1 despite of all her  efforts1 we   
can perceive 8memento mori0 written on  
her face1 then  we cannot but deride her
 folly1 or1 in pity1 counsel her rather 
to  seek for charms1 the mental graces  
of ,madame de ,sevign1 than the         
meretricious arts of ,ninon de          
l',enclos4    ,but that1 in some cases1 
wrinkles may be long warded off1 and    
auburn  locks preserve a lengthened     
freshness1 is not to be denied2 and1    

where  nature prolongs the youth of a   
,helen or a ,sarah1 it is not for man   
to see her otherwise4 ,these are rare   
instances2 and1 in the minds of         
rational women1 ought rather to excite  
wonder1 than desire to emulate  their   
extended reign4 ,but what ought to be1  
we know is not always  adopted4 ,st4    
,evremond has told us1 that 8a woman's  
last sighs are for  her beauty20 and    
what this wit has advanced1 the sex has 
ever been  too ready to confirm4 ,a     
strange kind of art1 a sort of sorcery1 
is  prescribed by tradition1 and in     
books1 in the form of cosmetics1 c41  to
 preserve female charms in perpetual    
youth4 ,but ,i fear that1 until  these  
composts can be concocted in ,medea's   
caldron1 they will never  have any      
better effect than exercising the faith 
and patience of the  credulous dupes1   
who expect to find the elixir vit in any
 mixture  under heaven4    ,the rules   
which ,i would lay down for the         
preservation of the bloom of  beauty1   

during its natural life1 are few1 and   
easy of access4 ,and1  besides having   
advantage of speaking from my own wide  
and minute  observation1 ,i have the    
authorities of the most eminent         
physicians of  every age1 to support my 
argument4    ,the secret of preserving  
beauty lies in three                    
things1--temperance1  exercise1 and     
cleanliness4--,from these few heads1 ,i 
hope much good  instruction may be      
deduced4 ,temperance includes moderation
 at  table1 and in the enjoyment of what
 the world calls pleasure4 ,a young     
beauty1 were she fair as ,hebe1 and     
elegant as the ,goddess of ,love        
herself1 would soon lose these charms by
 a course of inordinate eating1         
drinking1 and late hours4    ,i guess   
that my delicate young readers will     
start at this last  sentence1 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 excesses4 ,but1    

when ,i speak of inordinate  eating1 c41
 ,i do not mean feasting like a glutton1
 or drinking to  intoxication4 ,my      
objection is not more against the       
quantity than the  quality of the dishes
 which constitute the usual repast of   
women of  fashion4 ,their breakfasts not
 only set forth tea and coffee1 but     
chocolate1 and hot bread and butter4    
,both of these latter articles1  when   
taken constantly1 are hostile to health 
and female delicacy4  ,the heated       
grease1 which is their principal        
ingredient1 deranges the  stomach2 and1 
by creating or increasing bilious       
disorders1 gradually  overspreads the   
fair skin with a wan or yellow hue4     
,after this meal1  a long and exhausting
 fast not unfrequently succeeds1 from   
ten in the  morning till six or seven in
 the evening1 when dinner is served up2 
and the half-famished beauty sits down  
to sate a keen appetite with  ,cayenne  
soups1 fish1 ,french pates steaming with
 garlic1 roast and  boiled meat1 game1  

tarts1 sweetmeats1 ices1 fruits1 c4 c4  
c4 ,how  must the constitution suffer   
under the digestion of this melange6    
,how does the heated complexion bear    
witness to the combustion within6  ,and1
 when we consider that the beverage she 
takes to dilute this mass  of food1 and 
assuage the consequent fever in her     
stomach1 is not merely  water from the  
spring1 but champagne1 madeira1 and     
other wines1 foreign  and domestic1 you 
cannot wonder that ,i should warn the   
inexperienced  creature against         
intemperance4 ,the superabundance of    
aliment which  she takes in at this     
time1 is not only destructive of beauty1
 but the  period of such repletion is   
full of other dangers4 ,long fasting    
wastes  the powers of digestion1 and    
weakens the springs of life4 ,in this   
enfeebled state1 at the hour when nature
 intends we should prepare for  general 
repose1 we put our stomach and animal   
spirits to extraordinary  exertion4 ,our
 vital functions are overtasked and     

overloaded2--we become  hectic--for     
observation strongly declares that      
invalid and delicate  persons should    
rarely eat solids after three o'clock in
 the day1 as  fever is generally the    
consequence2 and thus1 almost every     
complaint  that distresses and destroys 
the human frame1 may be engendered4     
8,when hunger calls1 obey2 nor often    
wait    ,till hunger sharpen to         
corrosive pain2    ,for the keen        
appetite will feast beyond    ,what     
nature well can bear2 and one extreme   
,ne'er without danger meets its own     
reverse40    ,besides1 when we add to   
this evil the present mode of bracing   
the  digestive part of the body1 in what
 is called long stays1 to what  an      
extent must reach the baneful effects of
 a protracted and abundant  repast8     
,indeed1 ,i am fully persuaded that long
 fasting1 late dining1  and the         
excessive repletion then taken into the 
exhausted stomach1  with the tight      
pressure of steel and whalebone on the  

most susceptible  parts of the frame    
then called into action1 and the        
midnight1 nay1  morning hours1 of       
lingering pleasure1 are the positive    
causes of colds  taken1 bilious fevers1 
consumptions1 and atrophies4 ,by the    
means  enumerated1 the firm texture of  
the constitution is broken1 and the     
principles of health being in a manner  
decomposed1 the finest parts  fly off1  
and the dregs maintain the poor survivor
 of herself1 in a sad  kind of          
artificial existence4 ,delicate         
proportion gives place either  to       
miserable leanness or shapeless fat4    
,the once fair skin assumes a  pallid   
rigidity1 or a bloated redness1 which   
the vain possessor would  still regard  
as the roses of health and beauty4      
,to repair these ravages1 comes the aid 
of padding1 to give shape where  there  
is none2 long stays1 to compress into   
form the chaos of flesh2  and paints of 
all hues1 to rectify the disorder of the
 complexion4 ,but  useless are these    

attempts4 ,if dissipation1 disease1 and 
immoderation1  have wrecked the fair    
vessel of female charms1 it is not in   
the power  of ,esculapius himself to    
refit the shattered bark2 or of the     
,syrens1  with all their songs and      
wiles1 to conjure its battered sides    
from the  rocks1 and make it ride the   
seas in gallant trim again4    ,it is   
with pleasure that ,i turn from this    
ruin of all that is  beauteous and      
lovely1 to the cheering hope of         
preserving every charm  unimpaired2 and 
by means which the most ingenuous mind  
need not blush  to acknowledge4    ,the 
rules1 ,i repeat1 are few4 ,first1      
,temperance3 a well-timed use of  the   
table1 and so moderate a pursuit of     
pleasure1 that the midnight  ball1      
assembly1 and theatre1 shall not too    
frequently recur4    ,my next specific  
is that of gentle and daily ,exercise in
 the open  air4 ,nature teaches us1 in  
the gambols and sportiveness of the     
young of  the lower animals1 that bodily

 exertion is necessary for the growth1  
vigor1 and symmetry of the animal frame2
 while the too studious  scholar1 and   
the indolent man of luxury1 exhibit in  
themselves the  pernicious consequences 
of the want of exercise4    ,this may be
 almost always obtained1 either on      
horseback or on foot1  in fine weather2 
and when that is denied1 in a carriage4 
,country  air in the fields1 or in      
gardens1 when breathed at proper hours1 
is an excellent bracer of the nerves1   
and a sure brightener of the            
complexion4 ,but these hours are neither
 under the mid-day sun in  summer1 when 
its beams scorch the skin and ferment   
the blood2 nor  beneath the dews of     
evening1 when the imperceptible damps1  
saturating  the thinly-clad body1 send  
the wanderer home infected with the     
disease  that is to lay her1 ere a      
returning spring1 in the silent tomb6   
,both  these periods are pregnant with  
danger to delicacy and carelessness4    
,the morning1 about two or three hours  

after sunrise1 is the most  salubrious  
time for a vigorous walk4 ,but1 as the  
day advances1 if  you choose to prolong 
the sweet enjoyment of the open air1    
then the  thick wood or shady lane will 
afford refreshing shelter from the too  
intense heat of the sun4 ,in short1 the 
morning and evening dew1 and the        
unrepelled blaze of a summer noon1 must 
alike be ever avoided as the  enemies of
 health and beauty4      8,fly1 if you  
can1 these violent extremes    ,of air2 
the wholesome is nor moist nor dry40    
,,armstrong4    ,cleanliness1 my last   
recipe1 7and which is1 like the others1 
applicable to all ages17 is of most     
powerful efficacy4 ,it maintains the    
limbs in their pliancy1 the skin in its 
softness1 the complexion in  its lustre1
 the eyes in their brightness1 the teeth
 in their purity1  and the constitution 
in its fairest vigor4 ,to promote       
cleanliness1 ,i  can recommend nothing  
preferable to bathing4    ,the frequent 
use of tepid baths is not more grateful 

to the sense than  it is salutary to the
 health1 and to beauty4 ,by such        
ablution1 all  accidental corporeal     
impurities are thrown off2 cutaneous    
obstructions  removed2 and while the    
surface of the body is preserved in its 
original  brightness1 many threatening  
disorders are removed or prevented4     
,colds  in the young1 and rheumatic and 
paralytic affections in the old1 are    
all dispersed by this simple and        
delightful antidote4 ,by such means the 
women of the ,east render their skins   
softer than that of the tenderest  babes
 in this climate1 and preserve that     
health which sedentary  confinement     
would otherwise destroy4    ,this       
delightful and delicate ,oriental       
fashion is now1 ,i am happy to  say1    
prevalent almost all over the continent4
 ,from the ,villas of ,italy1  to the   
,chateaux of ,france2 from the ,castles 
of ,germany1 to the ,palaces  of        
,muscovy2 we may everywhere find the    
marble bath under the vaulted  portico  

or the sheltering shade4 ,every house of
 every nobleman or  gentleman1 in every 
nation under the sun1 excepting         
,britain1 possesses  one of those genial
 friends to cleanliness and comfort4    
,the generality  of ,english ladies seem
 to be ignorant of the use of any bath  
larger  than a wash-hand basin4 ,this is
 the more extraordinary to me1 when ,i  
contemplate the changeable temperature  
of the climate1 and consider  the       
corresponding alterations in the bodily 
feelings of the people4  ,by abruptly   
checking the secretions1 it produces    
those chronic and  cutaneous diseases so
 peculiar to our nation1 and so heavy a 
cause of  complaint4    ,this very      
circumstance renders baths more         
necessary in ,england than  anywhere    
else2 for as this is the climate most   
subject to sudden heats  and colds1     
rains and fogs1 tepid immersion is the  
only sovereign remedy  against their    
usual morbific effects4 ,indeed1 so     
impressed am ,i with  the consequence of

 their regimen1 that ,i strongly        
recommend to every  lady to make a bath 
as indispensable an article in her house
 as a  looking-glass3      8,this is the
 purest exercise of health1    ,the kind
 refresher of the summer heats2    ,even
 from the body's purity1 the mind       
,receives a secret sympathetic aid40    
,it may be remarked1 en passant1 that   
rubbing of the skin in the bath  is an  
excellent substitute for exercise1 when 
that is impracticable  out-of-doors4    
,i must not draw this chapter to a close
 without offering my fair  readers a few
 remarks on the malignant influence     
exercised on the  features by an        
ill-regulated temper4 ,the face is the  
index of the mind4  ,on its expressive  
page are recorded in characters lasting 
as life  itself1 the gloom of           
sullenness1 the arrogance of pride1 the 
withering  of envy1 or the storm of     
anger2 for1 even after the fury of the  
tempest  has subsided1 its fearful      
devastations remain behind4      8,from 

anger she may then be freed1    ,but    
peevishness and spleen succeed40    ,the
 first emotions of anger are apparent to
 the most superficial  observer4 ,every 
indulgence in its paroxysms1 both adds  
strength to its  authority1 and engraves
 its history in deeper relief on the    
forehead  of its votaries4 ,what a pity 
it is that antiquity provides us with   
no authentic portrait of the illustrious
 ,xantippe6 for ,i am sure the  features
 of that lady would lend their ready    
testimony to the value of  my           
admonitions4    ,when good-humor and    
vivacity reign within1 the face is      
lighted up with  benignant smiles2 where
 peace and gentleness are the tenants of
 the  bosom1 the countenance beams with 
mildness and complacency4 ,evil temper  
has1 with truth1 been called a more     
terrible enemy to beauty than the       
small-pox4 ,i beseech you1 therefore1 as
 you value the preservation of  your    
charms1 to resist the dominion of this  
rude despoiler1 to foster  and encourage

 the feelings of kindliness and         
good-humor1 and to repress  every       
emotion of a contrary character4    ,i  
shall conclude this important subject by
 remarking with the  ,spectator1 that   
8no woman can be handsome by the force  
of features  alone1 any more than she   
can be witty only by the gift of        
speech40          ,,the ,,same          
,,subject1 ,,of ,,female ,,beauty1      
,,more ,,explicitly ,,considered4       
8,let ,art no useless ornament display1 
,but just explain what ,nature meant to 
say40      ,,young4      ,so far1 my    
friends1 ,i have thrown together my     
sentiments on the  aggregate of the     
female form3 ,i shall now descend to    
particulars1 and  leave it to your      
judgments to adopt my suggestions       
according to the  correspondence with   
your different characters4    ,the      
preservation of an agreeable complexion 
7which always presupposes  health7 is   
not the most insignificant of exterior  
charms4 ,though we  yield due admiration

 to regularity of features1 7the        
,grecian contour  being usually so      
called17 yet when we consider them      
merely in the  outline1 our pleasure can
 go no further than that of a cold      
critic1  who regards the finely         
proportioned lineaments of life as he   
would  those of a statue4 ,it is        
complexion that lends animation to a    
picture2  it is complexion that gives   
spirit to the human countenance4 ,even  
the  language of the eyes loses half its
 eloquence1 if they speak from the      
obscurity of an inexpressive skin4 ,the 
life-blood in the mantling  cheek2 the  
ever-varying hues of nature glowing in  
the face1 8as if her  very body         
thought20 these are alike the ensigns of
 beauty and the  heralds of the mind2   
and the effect is1 an impression of     
loveliness1 an  attraction1 which fills 
the beholder with answering animation   
and the  liveliest delight4      8',tis 
not a lip or eye we beauty call1    ,but
 the joint force and full result of     

all40    ,as a ,juno-featured maid with 
a dull skin1 by most people1 will only  
be  coldly pronounced critically        
handsome2 so a young woman with very    
indifferent features1 but a fine        
complexion1 will1 from ten persons out  
of twelve1 receive spontaneous and warm 
admiration4    ,the experience 7when    
once we admit the proposition that it is
 right  to keep the casket bright which 
contains so precious a gem as the soul7 
must induce us to take precautions      
against the injuries continually        
threatening the tender surface of the   
skin4 ,it may be next to an             
impossibility1 to change the color of an
 eye1 to alter the form of  the nose1 or
 the turn of the mouth2 but though      
,heaven has given us a  complexion which
 vies with the flowers of the field1 we 
yet have it in  our power to render it  
dingy by neglect1 coarse through        
intemperance1  and sallow by            
dissipation4    ,such excesses must     
therefore be avoided2 for1 though there 

may be a  something in the pallid cheek 
which excites interest1 yet1 without a  
certain appearance of health1 there can 
never be an impression of  loveliness4  
,a fine1 clear skin1 gives an assurance 
of the inherent  residence of three     
admirable graces to beauty2             
,wholesomeness1 ,neatness1  and         
,cheerfulness4 ,every fair means ought  
to be sought to maintain these          
vouchers1 for not only health of body1  
but health of mind4    ,i have already  
given some hints to this purpose2 at    
least as far as  relates to the purity  
of the alimentary springs of sublunary  
life3  those which are in the heart1 and
 point through time into eternity1  must
 not be less observed2 for1 unless its  
thoughts are kept in  corresponding     
order and the passions held in peace1   
all prescriptions  will be vain to keep 
those boiling fluids in check1 which1 in
 spite of  ,roman fard and balm of      
,mecca1 will spread themselves over the 
skin1  and there show an outward and    

visible sign of the malignant spirit    
within4 ,independent of these           
intellectual causes of corporeal        
defects1  disorders of the skin1 arising
 from accidental circumstances1 are more
  frequent in this country than in any  
other2 and the fashions of the  day are 
still more inimical to the complexion of
 its inhabitants1 than  the climate4    
,the frequent and sudden changes from   
heat to cold1 by  abruptly exciting or  
repressing the regular secretions of the
 skin1  roughen its texture1 injure its 
hue1 and often deform it with unseemly1 
though transitory1 eruptions4 ,all this 
is increased by the habit ladies  have  
of exposing themselves unveiled1 and    
frequently without bonnets1  in the open
 air4 ,the head and face have then no   
defence against the  attacks of the     
surrounding atmosphere1 and the effects 
are obvious4  ,the barouche1 for this   
reason1 and the more consequential one  
of  subjecting its inmates to dangerous 
chills1 is a fatal addition to the      

variety of ,english equipages4 ,our     
autumnal evenings1 with this carriage   
and our gossamer apparel1 have already  
sent many of my young female            
acquaintance to untimely graves4    ,to 
remedy these evils1 ,i would strenuously
 recommend1 for health's  sake1 as well 
as for beauty1 that no lady should make 
one in any  riding1 airing1 or walking  
party1 without putting on her head      
something  capable of affording both    
shelter and warmth4 ,shakspeare1 the    
poet  of the finest taste in female     
charms1 makes ,viola regret having been 
obliged to 8throw her sun-expelling mask
 away60 ,such a defence ,i do not       
pretend to recommend2 but ,i consider a 
veil a useful as well as elegant  part  
of dress2 it can be worn to suit any    
situation2 open or close1  just as the  
heat or cold may render it necessary4   
,the custom which some ladies have1 when
 warm1 of powdering their faces1        
washing them with cold water1 or        
throwing off their bonnets1 that they   

may cool the faster1 are all very       
destructive habits4 ,each of them is    
sufficient 7when it meets with any      
predisposition in the blood7 to  spread 
a surfeit over the skin1 and make a once
 beautiful face hideous  forever4       
,the person1 when overheated1 should    
always be allowed to cool  gradually1   
and of itself1 without any more violent 
assistant than1  perhaps1 the gentle    
undulation of the neighboring air by a  
fan4  ,streams of wind from opened doors
 and windows1 or what is called  a      
thorough air1 are all bad and highly    
dangerous applications4  ,these         
impatient remedies for heat are often   
resorted to in balls and  crowded       
assemblies2 and as frequently as they   
are used1 we hear of  sore throats1     
coughs1 and fevers4 ,while it is the    
fashion to fill a  drawing-room like a  
theatre1 similar means ought to be      
adopted1 to  prevent the ill effects of 
the consequent corrupted atmosphere1 and
 the  temptation to seek relief by      

dangerous resources4 ,instead of the    
open  balcony1 and yawning door1 we     
should see ventilators in every window2 
and thus feel a constant succession of  
pure and temperate air4    ,excessive   
heat1 as well as excessive cold1 is apt 
to cause distempers  of the skin2 and as
 the fine lady1 by her strange habits1  
is as prone  to such changes as the     
desert-wandering gipsy1 it is requisite 
that she  should be particularly careful
 to correct the deforming consequences  
of  her fashionable exposures4 ,for her 
usual ablution1 night and morning1      
nothing is so fine an emollient for any 
rigidity or disease of the  face as a   
wash of ,french or white brandy1 and    
rose-water2 the spirit  making only     
one-third of the mixture4 ,the brandy   
keeps up that gentle  action of the skin
 which is necessary to the healthy      
appearance of  its parts4 ,it also      
cleanses the surface4 ,the rose-water   
corrects the  drying property of the    
spirit1 leaving the skin in a natural1  

soft1 and  flexible state4 ,where white 
or ,french brandy cannot be obtained1   
half  the quantity of spirits of wine   
will tolerably supply its place4    ,the
 eloquent effect of complexion will1 ,i 
hope1 my fair friends1 obtain  your     
pardon for my having confined your      
attention so long to what is  generally 
thought 7though in contradiction to what
 is felt7 a trifling  feature1 if so ,i 
may be allowed to name it4    ,i am     
aware of your expectations1 that ,i     
would give the precedence1  in this     
dissertation1 to the eye4 ,i subscribe  
to its supereminent  dignity2 for none  
can deny that it is regarded by all     
nations as the  faithful interpreter of 
the mind1 as the window of the soul1 the
 index  in which we read each varied    
emotion of the heart2 it is1 indeed1 the
  8spirit's throne of light40 ,but how  
increased an expression does this       
intelligent feature convey1 when aided  
by the glowing tints of an  eloquent    
complexion6 ,indeed1 it is the happy    

coincidence of the eye and  the         
complexion which forms the strongest    
point of what the ,french call          
contenance4    ,the animated changes of 
sensibility are nowhere more apparent   
than in  the transparent surface of a   
clear skin4 ,who has not perceived1 and 
admired1 the rising blush of modesty    
enrich the cheek of a lovely girl1  and1
 in the sweet effusion1 most gratefully 
discern the true witness  of the purity 
within8 ,who has not been sensible to   
the sudden glow on  the face1 which     
announces1 ere the lips open1 or the eye
 sparkles1 the  approach of some beloved
 object8 ,nay1 will not even the sound  
of his  name paint the blooming cheek   
with deeper roses8      8,who hath not  
owned1 with rapture-smitten frame1      
,the power of grace1 the magic of a     
name80    ,shall we reverse the picture8
 ,i have shown how the soul proclaims   
her  joy through its wondrous medium2   
shall she speak her sorrows too8 ,then  
let us call to mind1 who have beheld the

 deadly paleness of her who  learns the 
unexpected destruction of her dearest   
possessions6 ,perhaps  a husband1 a     
lover1 or a brother1 mingled with the   
slain1 or fallen1  untimely1 by some    
dreadful accident4 ,sudden partings like
 these      8,press the life from out   
young hearts40    ,we see the darkened1 
stagnant shade which denotes the        
despair-stricken  soul4 ,we behold the  
livid hues of approaching frenzy1 or the
 blacker  stain of settled melancholy6  
,heloisa's face is paler than the marble
  she kneels upon4 ,in all cases the    
mind shines through the body2 and       
according as the medium is dense or     
transparent1 so the light within  seems 
dull or clear4    ,advocate as ,i am for
 a fine complexion1 you must perceive1  
that it is  for the real1 and not the   
spurious4 ,the foundation of my         
argument1  the skin's power of          
expression1 would be entirely lost1 were
 ,i to  tolerate that fictitious1 that  
dead beauty1 which is composed of white 

paints and enamelling4 ,in the first    
place1 as all applications of  this kind
 are as a mask on the skin1 they can    
never1 but at a distant  glance1 impose 
for a moment on a discerning eye4 ,but  
why should ,i say  a discerning eye8 ,no
 eye that is of the commonest           
apprehension can  look on a face        
bedaubed with white paint1 pearl powder1
 or enamel1 and  be deceived for a      
minute into a belief that so inanimate a
 8whited  wall0 is the human skin4 ,no  
flush of pleasure1 no shudder of pain1  
no thrilling of hope1 can be descried   
beneath the encrusted mould2  all that  
passes within is concealed behind the   
mummy surface4 ,perhaps  the painted    
creature may be admired by an artist as 
a well-executed  picture2 but no man    
will seriously consider her as a        
handsome woman4    ,white painting is1  
therefore1 an ineffectual1 as well as   
dangerous  practice4 ,the proposed end  
is not obtained2 and1 as poison lurks   
under  every layer1 the constitution    

wanes in alarming proportion as the     
supposed charms increase4    ,what is   
said against white paint1 does not      
oppose1 with the same  force1 the use of
 red4 ,merely rouging leaves three parts
 of the face1  and the whole of the neck
 and arms1 to their natural hues4       
,hence1 the  language of the heart1     
expressed by the general complexion1 is 
not yet  entirely obstructed4 ,besides1 
while all white paints are ruinous to   
health1 7occasioning paralytic          
affections1 and premature death17 there 
are some red paints which may be used   
with perfect safety4    ,a little       
vegetable rouge tinging the cheek of a  
delicate woman1 who1  from ill health or
 an anxious mind1 loses her roses1 may  
be excusable2  and so transparent is the
 texture of such rouge1 7when           
unadulterated  with lead17 that when the
 blood does mount to the face1 it speaks
  through the slight covering1 and      
enhances the fading bloom4 ,but1 though 
the occasional use of rouge may be      

tolerated1 yet my fair friends must     
understand that it is only tolerated4   
,good sense must so preside over  its   
application1 that its tint on the cheek 
may always be fainter than  that        
nature's pallet would have painted4 ,a  
violent rouged woman is one  of the most
 disgusting objects to the eye4 ,the    
excessive red on the  face gives a      
coarseness to every feature1 and a      
general fierceness to  the countenance1 
which transforms the elegant lady of    
fashion into a  vulgar harridan4        
,while ,i recommend that the rouge we   
sparingly permit1 should be laid on     
with delicacy1 my readers must not      
suppose that ,i intend such advice  as a
 means of making the art a deception4   
,it seems to me so slight  and so       
innocent an apparel of the face1 7a kind
 of decent veil thrown  over the cheek1 
rendered too eloquent of grief by the   
pallidness of  secret sorrow17 that ,i  
cannot see any shame in the most        
ingenuous  female acknowledging that she

 occasionally rouges4 ,it is often1 like
 a  cheerful smile on the face of an    
invalid1 put on to give comfort to an   
anxious friend4    ,that our            
applications to this restorer of our    
usual looks should not  feed1 like a    
worm1 on the bud it affects to brighten1
 no rouge must  ever be admitted that is
 impregnated with even the smallest     
particle  of ceruse4 ,it is the lead    
which is the poison of white paint2 and 
its  mixture with the red would render  
that equally noxious4    ,there are     
various ways of putting on rouge4       
,frenchwomen in general1 and  those who 
imitate them1 daub it on from the bottom
 of the side of the  face up to the very
 eye1 even till it meets the lower      
eye-lash1 and  creeps all over the      
temples4 ,this is a hideous practice4   
,it is obvious  that it must produce    
deformity instead of beauty1 and1 as ,i 
said  before1 would metamorphose the    
gentlest-looking fair ,hebe into a      
fierce  ,medusa4    ,for brunettes1 a   

slight touch of simple carmine on the   
cheek1 in its  dry powder state1 is     
amply sufficient4 ,taste will teach the 
hand to  soften the color by due        
degrees1 till it almost imperceptibly   
blends  with the natural hue of the     
skin4 ,for fairer complexions1 letting  
down  the vivid red of the carmine with 
a mixture of fine hair powder1 till  it 
suits the general appearance of the     
skin1 will have the desired  effect4    
,the article of rouge1 on the grounds ,i
 have mentioned1 is the only  species of
 positive art a woman of integrity or of
 delicacy can permit  herself to use    
with her face4 ,her motives for         
imitating the bloom of  health1 may be  
of the most honorable nature1 and she   
can with candor  avow them4 ,on the     
reverse1 nothing but selfish vanity1 and
 falsehood of  mind1 could prevail on a 
woman to enamel her skin with white     
paints1 to  lacker her lips with        
vermilion1 to draw the meandering vein  
through the  fictitious alabaster with  

as fictitious a dye4    ,penciling      
eye-brows1 staining them1 c41 are too   
clumsy tricks of  attempted deception1  
for any other emotion to be excited in  
the mind  of the beholder1 than contempt
 for the bad taste and wilful blindness 
which could ever deem them passable for 
a moment4 ,there is a lovely  harmony in
 nature's tints1 which we seldom attain 
by our added  chromatics4 ,the          
exquisitely fair complexion is generally
 accompanied  with blue eyes1 light     
hair1 and light eye-brows and lashes4   
,so far  all is right4 ,the delicacy of 
one feature is preserved in effect and  
beauty by the corresponding softness of 
the other4 ,a young creature1  so       
formed1 appears to the eye of taste like
 the azure heavens1 seen  through the   
fleecy clouds on which the brightness of
 day delights to  dwell4 ,but take this 
fair image of the celestial regions1    
draw a black  line over her             
softly-tinctured eyes1 stain their beamy
 fringes with a  sombre hue1 and what do

 you produce8 ,certainly a fair face    
with dark  eye-brows6 ,but that feature1
 which is an embellishment to a         
brunette1  when seen on the forehead of 
the fair beauty1 becomes1 if not an     
absolute deformity1 so great a drawback 
from her perfections1 that the  harmony 
is gone2 and1 as a proof1 a painter     
would immediately turn from  the change 
with disgust4    ,nature1 in almost     
every case1 is our best guide4 ,hence   
the native  color of our own hair is1 in
 general1 better adapted to our own     
complexions than a wig of a contrary    
hue4 ,a thing may be beautiful in       
itself1 which1 with certain             
combinations1 may be rendered hideous4  
,for  instance1 a golden-tressed wig on 
the head of a brown woman1 makes  both  
ridiculous4 ,by the same rule1 all      
fantastic tricks played with  the mouth 
or eyes1 or motions of the head1 are    
absurd1 and ruinous to  beauty4 ,they   
are solecisms in the works of nature4   
,in ,turkey1 it happened to be the taste

 of one of its great monarchs1  to      
esteem large and dark-lashed eyes as the
 most lovely4 ,from that  time1 all the 
fair slaves of that voluptuous region1  
when nature has  not bestowed 8the      
wild-stag eye in sable ringlets         
rolling10 supply the  deficiency with   
circles of antimony2 and so1 instead of 
a real charm1  they impart a strange    
artificial ghastliness to their         
appearance4    ,our countrywomen1 in    
like manner1 when a celebrated belle    
came under  the pencil of ,sir ,peter   
,lely1 who exhibited to her emulative   
rivals  the sweet peculiarities of her  
long and languishing eye1 they must     
needs all have the same2 and not a lady 
could appear in public1 be her  visual  
orbs large or small1 bright or dull1 but
 she must affect the  soft sleepiness1  
the tender and slowly-moving roll of her
 subduing  exemplar4 ,but though ,sir   
,peter's gallant pencil deigned to      
compliment  his numerous sitters by     
drowning their strained aspects after   

the model  of the peerless belle1 yet1  
in place of the nature-stamped look of  
modest languishment1 he could not but   
often recognize the disgraceful  leer   
and hideous squint4 ,let every woman be 
content to leave her eyes  as she found 
them1 and to make that use of them which
 was their design4  ,they were intended 
to see with1 and artlessly express the  
feelings of  a chaste and benevolent    
heart4 ,let them speak this             
unsophisticated  language1 and beauty   
will beam from the orb which affectation
 would  have rendered odious4           
,analogy of reasoning will bring forward
 similar remarks with regard to  the    
movements of the mouth1 which many      
ladies use1 not to speak with or  to    
admit food1 but to show dimples and     
display white teeth4 ,wherever  a desire
 for exhibition is discovered1 a        
disposition to disapprove  and ridicule 
arises in the spectator4 ,the           
pretensions of the vain are  a sort of  
assumption over others1 which arms the  

whole world against  them4 ,but1 after  
all1 8,what are the honors of a painted 
skin80 ,i hope  it will be distinctly   
understood by my fair friends1 that ,i  
do not1 by  any means1 give a general   
license to painting2 on the contrary1   
that  even rouge should only be resorted
 to in cases of absolute necessity4     
,,general ,,thoughts ,,on ,,dress ,,and 
,,personal ,,decoration4      8,costly  
your habit as your purse can buy1       
,but not expressed in fancy2 rich1 not  
gaudy1    ,for the apparel oft proclaims
 the woman40      ,,shakspeare4         
,every person of just observation1 who  
looks back on the fashions of our       
immediate ancestors1 and compares their 
style of dress with that of the  present
 times1 will not hesitate to acknowledge
 the evident improvement  in ease and   
gracefulness4 ,when ,i say this1 ,i mean
 to eulogize the taste  which yet       
prevails with persons of real judgment1 
to maintain the ease  and gracefulness  
of our assumed ,grecian mode1 against a 

new race of  stay-makers1               
corset-inventors1 c41 who have just     
armed themselves with  whalebone1 steel1
 and buckram1 to the utter destruction  
of all the  naturally-elegant shapes    
which fall into their hands4    ,just   
before this attempted counter-revolution
 in the world of fashion1  we found that
 our belles had gradually exploded the  
stiffness and  formality which          
distinguished the brocaded dame of      
#agjj1 from the  lawn-robed fair of the 
nineteenth century4 ,in former ages it  
seemed  requisite that every lady should
 cut out her garments by a certain      
erected standard4 ,all seemed in a      
livery4 ,one mode for gown1 cap1  and   
hat prevailed2 and though the materials 
might be more costly in  one than       
another1 the outline was the same2 and  
thus peculiar taste  and fine form were 
lost1 in the general prescription of one
 reigning  costume4    ,but in our days1
 an ,englishwoman has the extensive     
privilege of  arraying herself in       

whatever garb may best suit her figure  
or her  fancy4 ,the fashions of every   
nation and of every era are open to her 
choice4 ,one day she may appear as the  
,egyptian ,cleopatra1 then a  ,grecian  
,helen2 next morning1 the ,roman        
,cornelia2 or1 if these styles be  too  
august for her taste1 there are sylphs1 
goddesses1 nymphs of every  region1 in  
earth or air1 ready to lend her their   
wardrobe4 ,in short1 no  land or age is 
permitted to withhold its costume from  
the adoption of  an ,englishwoman of    
fashion4      8,unnumbered treasures ope
 at once1 and here    ,the various      
offsprings of the world appear2    ,this
 casket ,india's glowing gems unlocks1  
,and all ,arabia breathes from yonder   
box40    ,with such a variety to choose 
from1 she has no excuse1 if she unite   
not the excellences of them all4 ,it was
 so that the sculptor of ,paphos  formed
 the 8beauteous statue that enchanted   
the world40 ,and in like  manner female 
taste accomplishes its object4 ,a       

judicious dresser will  select from each
 mode that which is most distinguishable
 for utility  and grace1 and1 combining1
 adopt them to advantage4 ,this is the  
art  which every woman who casts a      
thought on these subjects1 ought to     
endeavor to attain4    ,elegant dressing
 is not found in expense2 money without 
judgment may  load1 but never can adorn4
 ,you may show profusion without grace3 
,you  may cover a neck with pearls1 a   
head with jewels1 hands and arms with   
rings1 bracelets1 and trinkets1 and yet 
produce no effect1 but having  emptied  
some merchant's counter upon your       
person4 ,the best chosen dress  is that 
which so harmonizes with the figure as  
to make the raiment  pass unobserved4   
,the result of the finest toilet should 
be an elegant  woman1 not an elegantly  
dressed woman4 ,where a perfect whole is
  intended1 it is a sign of defect in   
the execution1 when the details  first  
present themselves to observation4      
,in short1 the secret of dressing lies  

in simplicity1 and a certain  adaptation
 to your figure1 your rank1 your        
circumstances4 ,to dress  well on these 
principles--and they are the only just  
ones--does not  require that extravagant
 attention to so trivial an object1 as  
is  usually exhibited by persons who    
make the toilet a study4 ,when ladies   
place the spell of their attraction in  
their clothes1 we generally  see them   
arrayed in robes of a thousand makes and
 dyes1 and curiously  constructed of    
materials brought from1 ,heaven knows   
where4 ,thus1 much  time1 thought1 and  
wealth1 are wasted on a comparatively   
worthless  object4 ,to lavish many of   
the precious hours of life in the       
invention  and arrangement of dress1 is 
as criminal an offence as to exhaust the
  finances of your husband or parents by
 a thriftless expenditure on its        
component parts4    ,the taste ,i wish  
to inculcate1 is that nicely-poised     
estimation of  things1 which shows it   
8worth our while to do well1 what it is 

ever  worth our while to do40 ,this     
disposition originates in a correct and 
delicate mind1 and forms a judgment     
which makes elegance inseparable  from  
propriety2 and extending itself from    
great objects to small1  reaches the    
most apparently insignificant2 and thus1
 even in the change  of the morning and 
evening attire1 displays to the         
considerate observer  a very            
intelligible index of the wearer's      
well-regulated mind4    8,show me a     
lady's dressing-room10 says a certain   
writer1 8and ,i will  tell you what     
manner of woman she is40 ,chesterfield1 
also1 is of  opinion1 that a sympathy   
goes through every action of our lives3 
he  declares1 that he could not help    
conceiving some idea of people's sense  
and character from the dress in which   
they appeared when introduced  to him4  
,he was so great an advocate for        
pleasing externals1 that he  often said1
 he would rather see a young person too 
much than too  little dressed1 excess1  

on the fopish side1 wearing off with    
time and  reflection2 but if a youth be 
negligent at twenty1 it is probable he  
will be a sloven at forty1 and          
disgustingly dirty at fifty4 ,however   
this may be with the other sex1 ,i beg  
leave to observe1 that ,i never  yet met
 with a woman whose general style of    
dress was chaste1 elegant1  and         
appropriate1 that ,i did not find1 on   
further acquaintance1 to be1  in        
disposition and mind1 an object to      
admire and love4    ,this correspondence
 between the thoughts and the raiment   
being  established1 what was before     
insignificant becomes of consequence2   
and1 being rightly understood1 good     
sense will be as careful not to         
disparage her discretion1 by extravagant
 dress1 as she would to evince  a sordid
 mind1 by dirt and rags4    ,i think ,i 
see you1 my friends1 smile1 incredulous1
 at the last  sentence4 ,what           
gentlewoman1 you exclaim1 who is above  
the most abject  pecuniary              

embarrassments1 can ever have chance of 
being so apparelled8  ,a desire of      
singularity is a sufficient answer4     
,there is a race of  women1 who1 priding
 themselves on their superior rank1 or  
wealth1 or  talents1 affect to despise  
what they deem the adventitious aids of 
dress4 ,their appearance1 in            
consequence1 is frequently as ridiculous
  as disgusting4 ,when this folly is    
seen in female authors1 or what  is much
 the same thing1 ladies professing a    
particularly literary  taste1 we can at 
once trace its motives1--a conceited    
negligence of  outward attractions1 and 
a determination to raise themselves in  
the  opinions of men1 by displaying a   
contempt for what they deem the vain    
occupations of meaner souls4 ,wishing to
 be thought superior to founding  any   
regard on external ornament1 they forget
 external decency2 and by               
slatternliness and affectation1 render  
what is called a learned woman1  a kind 
of scare-crow to her own sex1 and a     

laughing-stock to the other4  ,this     
error is not so common now with bookish 
ladies as it was in the  beginning of   
the last century4 ,then our sex did1    
indeed1 show that 8a  little learning is
 a dangerous thing40 ,they did not      
imbibe sufficient  to imbue them with a 
sense of its real properties1 to show   
them causes  and effects1 to make them  
understand themselves1 and close the    
book in  humility4 ,they1 poor          
short-sighted creatures6 exchanged the  
innocent  ignorance of ,eve for the     
empoisoned apple1 which1 under the cheat
 of  displaying knowledge1 fills the    
eater with a vain self-conceit1 while   
it more openly exposes her mental       
nakedness to every eye4    ,the         
absurdity of their deductions is so     
obvious1 that one wonders how  any woman
 could fall into such an error4 ,who    
among them but would think  it the      
height of folly to place over the door  
of a museum1 to which  the proprietor   
wished to attract visitors1 the effigy  

of a monster1 so  disgusting as to deter
 men from entering to see what might    
otherwise  have afforded them much      
pleasure8 ,such effigies might the      
slip-shod  muses of the days of ,anne   
have given of themselves2 but most of   
the  modern female votaries of ,minerva1
 aware of the advantages of a           
prepossessing appearance1 mingle with   
their incense to the ,goddess a  few    
flowers to the ,paphian ,graces2 and1   
that they gain by the devotion1  none   
who have been admitted to the           
acquaintance of our ,british ,sapphos   
and ,corinnas1 can deny4    ,there is   
another class of persons1 who neglect   
their exterior on  account of the       
consequence they derive from their rank2
 but instances  on such a plea are few1 
in comparison with the insolent         
slovenliness of  the opposite sex1 when1
 springing from the lower degrees in    
society1  they amass or acquire large   
fortunes4 ,they aim at notoriety2 and   
common  means1 such as expense and show1

 not raising them into an eclat  beyond 
their equally rich contemporaries1      
ambition leads them to seek  notice by  
the assumption of a garb of almost      
pauper negligence4 ,i  remember1 some   
years since1 when on a visit at a large 
seaport town  in the north of ,england1 
to have been attracted by seeing at the 
door  of a handsome house in one of the 
principal streets an elegant modern     
chariot4 ,i stopped1 and1 to my         
surprise1 saw step into it an old man   
of the meanest and most dirty           
appearance4 ,a few days afterwards1     
while  viewing the docks with a         
gentleman who was an inhabitant of the  
place1  ,i observed the same            
wretched-looking person conversing      
familiarly  with a man of the first     
consequence in the town4 ,i inquired of 
my  friend the name and business of the 
shabby old fellow1 and received  the    
following brief answer4 ,he had been    
taken1 when a boy1 from very  indigent  
parents residing in a northern village2 

and1 being a smart  lad1 was employed in
 the drudgery of a banking-house        
belonging to his  benefactors4 ,by      
assiduous application1 and a deep       
cunning1 aided by  what is vulgarly     
called good luck1 he gradually advanced 
himself to  be one of the firm4 ,of     
course1 his fortune then rose with the  
house1  and his wealth1 at the time ,i  
saw him1 was computed at upwards of a   
hundred thousand pounds4 ,yet ,i am sure
 that an old-clothesman would not  have 
given half-a-crown for the whole of the 
apparel 7or rather rags7  upon his back4
    ,now1 as it is too often the custom 
with people1 in forming an opinion1     
seldom to go beyond the surface1 this   
modern ,,avaro was1 by many1 termed  a  
man without pride6 ,few gave a guess at 
the real motive of all this  studied    
negligence2 but those who investigate   
the human character1  and trace actions 
to the secret springs of the heart1 saw1
 in this  inattention to personal       
decency1 the very acm of personal pride4

 ,i  shall prove my position by         
repeating the usual reply of this old   
man1  when any of his acquaintance      
ventured to inquire why he wore such    
tattered garments4 8,why10 he would     
answer1 8were ,i to dress as smart as   
other people1 no one would know ,t4 ,w4 
from another man40    ,men may fall into
 this mistaken road to distinction1 but 
women who have  suddenly become wealthy 
seldom do4 ,a passion for dress is so   
common  with the sex1 that it ought not 
to be very surprising1 when opulence1   
vanity1 and bad taste meet1 that we     
should find extravagance and tawdry     
profusion the fruits of the union4 ,and 
it would be well if a humor for         
expensive dress were always confined to 
the fortunate daughters of  ,plutus2 but
 we too often find this ruinous spirit  
in women of slender  means1 and then1   
what ought to be one of the             
embellishments of life  is turned into a
 splendid mischief4 ,alas6 my friends1  
it must come  under your own            

observations1 that often does the       
foolish virgin1 or  infatuated matron1  
sell her peace or honor for a ring or a 
scarf6    ,a woman of principle and     
prudence must be consistent in the style
 and  quality of her attire2 she must be
 careful that her expenditure does  not 
exceed the limits of her allowance2 she 
must be aware1 that it  is not the girl 
who lavishes the most money on her      
apparel that is  the best arrayed4      
,frequent instances have ,i known1 where
 young women1  with a little good taste1
 ingenuity1 and economy1 have maintained
  a much better appearance than ladies  
of three times their fortune4  ,no      
treasury is large enough to supply      
indiscriminate profusion2 and  scarcely 
any purse is too scanty for the uses of 
life1 when managed  by a careful hand4  
,few are the situations in which a woman
 can be  placed1 whether she be married 
or single1 where some attention to      
thrift is not expected4 ,high rank      
requires adequate means to support  its 

consequence--ostentatious wealth1 a     
superabundance to maintain  its         
domineering pretensions2 and the middle 
class1 when virtue is its  companion1   
looks to economy to allow it to throw   
its mite into the lap  of charity4      
,hence we see1 that hardly any woman1   
however related1 can have a right  to   
independent1 uncontrolled expenditure2  
and that1 to do her duty in  every sense
 of the word1 she must learn to         
understand and exercise the  graces of  
economy4 ,this quality will be a gem in 
her husband's eyes2  for1 though most of
 the money-getting sex like to see their
 wives well  dressed1 yet1 trust me1 my 
fair friends1 they would rather owe that
  pleasure to your taste than to their  
pockets6    ,costliness being1 then1 no 
essential principle in real elegance1 ,i
  shall proceed to give you a few hints 
on what are the distinguishing          
circumstances of a well-ordered toilet4 
,as the beauty of form and complexion is
 different in different women1  and is  

still more varied1 according to the ages
 of the fair subjects of  investigation2
 so the styles in dress1 while          
simplicity is the soul of  all1 must    
assume a character corresponding with   
the wearer4    ,the seasons of life     
should be arrayed like those of the     
year4 ,in  the spring of youth1 when all
 is lovely and gay1 then1 as the soft   
green1 sparkling in freshness1 bedecks  
the earth2 so1 light and  transparent   
robes1 of tender colors1 should adorn   
the limbs of the  young beauty4 ,if she 
be of the ,hebe form1 warm weather      
should find her  veiled in fine muslin1 
lawn1 gauzes1 and other lucid materials4
 ,to  suit the character of her figure1 
and to accord with the prevailing  mode 
and just taste together1 her morning    
robes should be of a length             
sufficiently circumscribed as not to    
impede her walking2 but on no  account  
must they be too short2 for1 when any   
design is betrayed of  showing the foot 
or ankle1 the idea of beauty is lost in 

that of the  wearer's odious indelicacy4
 ,on the reverse1 when no show of vanity
 is  apparent in the dress--when the    
lightly-flowing drapery1 by unsought    
accident1 discovers the pretty buskined 
foot or taper ankle1 a sense of  virgin 
timidity1 and of exquisite loveliness   
together1 strikes upon the  senses2 and 
,admiration1 with a tender sigh1 softly 
whispers1 8,the most  resistless charm  
is modesty60    ,in ,thomson's exquisite
 portrait of ,lavinia1 the prominent    
feature is  modesty4 8,she was beauty's 
self10 indeed1 but-then she was         
8thoughtless  of beauty20 and though her
 eyes were sparkling1 8bashful modesty0 
directed them        8,still on the     
ground dejected1 darting all    ,their  
humid beams into the blooming flowers40 
,the morning robe should cover the arms 
and the bosom1 nay even the  neck4 ,and 
if it be made tight to the shape1 every 
symmetrical line is  discovered with a  
grace so decent1 that vestals1 without a
 blush1 might  adopt the chaste apparel4

 ,this simple garb leaves to beauty all 
her  empire2 no furbelows1 no heavy     
ornaments1 load the figure1 warp the    
outlines1 and distract the attention4   
,all is light1 easy1 and elegant2  and  
the lovely wearer1 8with her glossy     
ringlets loosely bound10 moves  with the
 ,zephyrs on the airy wing of youth and 
innocence4    ,her summer evening dress 
may be of a still more gossamer texture2
  but it must still preserve the same   
simplicity1 though its                  
gracefully-diverging folds may fall like
 the mantle of ,juno1 in  clustering    
drapery about her steps4 ,there they    
should meet the white  slipper          
8--of the fairy foot1    ,which shines  
like snow1 and falls on earth as mute40 
,in this dress1 her arms1 and part of   
her neck and bosom may be  unveiled2 but
 only part4 ,the eye of maternal decorum
 should draw the  virgin zone to the    
limit where modesty would bid it rest4  
,where beauty is1 ornaments are         
unnecessary2 and where it is not1 they  

are unavailing4 ,but as gems and flowers
 are handsome in themselves1 and  when  
tastefully disposed doubly so1 a        
beautiful young woman1 if she  chooses  
to share her empire with the jeweller   
and the florist1 may1  not inelegantly1 
decorate her neck1 arms1 and head1 with 
a string of  pearls1 and a band of      
flowers4    ,female youth1 of airy forms
 and fair complexions1 ought to reject1 
as  too heavy for their style of figure1
 the use of gems4 ,their ornaments      
should hardly ever exceed the natural or
 imitated flowers of the  most delicate 
tribes4 ,the snow-drop1 lily of the     
valley1 violet1  primrose1 myrtle1      
,provence rose1--these and their        
resemblances1 are  embellishments which 
harmonize with their gaiety and blooming
 years4  ,the colors of their garments1 
when not white1 should be the most      
tender  shades of green1 yellow1 pink1  
blue1 and lilac4 ,these when judiciously
  selected1 or mingled1 array the       
graceful wearer1 like another ,iris1    

breathing youth and loveliness4         
,should a young woman1 of majestic      
character1 inquire for appropriate      
apparel1 she will find it to correspond 
with her graver and more  dignified     
mien4 ,her robes should always be long  
and flowing1 and more  ample in their   
folds than those of her gayer sister4   
,their substance  should also be        
thicker1 and of a soberer color4 ,white 
is becoming to  all characters1 and not 
less so to ,juno than to ,venus2 but    
when colors  are to be worn1 ,i         
recommend to the lady of majestic       
deportment1 to  choose the fuller shades
 of yellow1 purple1 crimson1 scarlet1   
black1  and gray4 ,the materials of her 
dress in summer1 cambrics1 muslins1     
sarcenets2 in winter1 satins1 velvets1  
broadcloth1 c4 ,her ornaments  should be
 embroidery of gold1 silver1 and        
precious stones1 with fillets  and      
diadems of jewels1 and waving plumes4   
,the materials for the winter dresses of
 majestic forms1 and  lightly-graceful  

ones1 may be of nearly similar texture1 
only  differing1 when made up1 in       
amplitude and abundance of drapery4     
,satin1  ,genoa velvet1 ,indian silks1  
and kerseymere1 may all be fashioned    
into as becoming an apparel for the     
slender figure as for the more          
embonpoint2 and the warmth they afford  
is highly needful to preserve  health   
during the cold and damps of winter4    
,when it is so universally              
acknowledged1 the indispensable         
necessity of keeping the body in a just 
temperature between heat and cold1 ,i   
cannot but be astonished at the  little 
attention that is paid to so momentous a
 subject by the people  of this climate4
 ,i wonder that a sense of personal     
comfort1 aided by  the well-founded     
conviction that health is the only      
preservative of  beauty1 and lengthener 
of youth1 that it does not impel women  
to prefer  utility before the absurd    
whims of an unreasonable fashion4    ,to
 wear gossamer dresses1 with bare necks 

and naked arms1 in a hard  frost1 has   
been the mode in this country1 and      
unless a principle is  made against it1 
may be so again1 to the utter           
wretchedness of them1  who1 so arraying 
their youth1 lay themselves open to the 
untimely  ravages of rheumatisms1       
palsies1 consumptions1 and death4       
,while fine taste1 as well as fashion1  
decrees that the beautiful  outline of a
 well-proportioned form shall be seen in
 the contour of  a nicely-adapted dress1
 the divisions of that dress must be few
 and  simple4 ,but1 though the hoop and 
quilted petticoat are no longer         
suffered to shroud in hideous obscurity 
one of the loveliest works in  nature1  
yet all intermediate covering is not to 
be banished4 ,modesty1  on one hand1 and
 ,health1 on the other1 still maintain  
the law of 8fold  on fold40    ,some of 
our fair dames appear1 summer and       
winter1 with no other shelter  from sun 
or frost1 than one single garment of    
muslin or silk over their  chemise--if  

they wear one6 but that is often        
dubious4 ,the indelicacy  of this mode  
need not be pointed out2 and yet1 ,o    
shame6 it is most  generally followed4  
,however1 common as the crime is1 7for  
who will say  that it is not a sin      
against modesty87 it is quickly visited 
with its  punishment4 ,it loses its aim1
 if it hopes to attract the admiration  
of  manly worth4 ,no eye but that of a  
libertine can look upon so wanton a     
figure with any other sensations than   
those of disgust and contempt3  and the 
end of all her arts being lost1 the     
certainty of an early old  age1 chronic 
pains1 and deeply-furrowed wrinkles1 is 
thus incurred in  vain4    ,no woman1   
even in the warmest flush of youth1     
ought to be prodigal of  her charms2 she
 should not 8unmask her beauties to the 
moon20 or unduly  expose the vital      
fluid1 which animates her frame with    
life and joy4 ,a  momentary blast from  
the east may pierce her filmy robes1    
wither her  bloom1 and lay her low4     

,the ,chemise 7now too frequently       
banished7 ought to be held as sacred  by
 the modest fair as the vestal veil4 ,no
 fashion should be able to  strip her of
 that decent covering2 in short1 woman  
should consider it  as the sign of her  
delicacy1 as the pledge of honor to     
shelter her from  the gaze of unhallowed
 eyes4    ,this indispensable vesture   
being once more appropriated to its     
ancient  use1 we shall next speak of the
 stays1 or corsets4 ,they must be light 
and flexible1 yielding to the shape1    
while they support it4 ,in warm         
weather1 my fair reader should wear     
under her gown and slip a light  cotton 
petticoat2 these few habiliments are    
sufficient to impart the  softening line
 of modesty to the defined outline of   
the form4 ,health1  also1 is preserved  
by their opposing the immediate         
influence of the  atmosphere2 and none  
will deny1 that enough of female charms 
are thus  displayed1 to gratify the     
quick1 discerning eye of taste4         

,during the chilling airs of spring and 
autumn1 the cotton petticoat  should    
give place to fine flannel2 and in the  
rigid season of winter1  another        
addition must be made1 by rendering the 
outer garments warmer  in their original
 texture3 for instance1 substituting    
satins1 velvets1  and rich stuffs1 for  
the lighter materials of summer4 ,and   
besides  these1 the use of fur is not   
only a salutary1 but a magnificent and  
graceful appendage to dress4    ,having 
laid it down as a general principle1    
that the fashion of the  raiment must   
correspond with that of the figure1 and 
that every sort  of woman will not look 
equally well in the same style of       
apparel1 it  will not be difficult to   
make you understand1 that a handsome    
person  may make a freer use of fancy in
 her ornaments than an ordinary one4    
,beauty gives effect to all things2 it  
is the universal embellisher1  the      
setting which makes common crystal shine
 as diamonds4 ,in short1  fashion does  

not adorn beauty1 but beauty fashion4   
,hence1 ,i must warn  ,delia1 that if   
she be not cast in so perfect a mould as
 ,celia1 she  must not flatter herself  
that she can supply the deficiency by   
gayer  or more sumptuous attire4 ,whims 
in dress may possibly pass with her1    
who1 8in ,parsian mode1 or ,indian      
guise1 is still the fairest fair60  ,but
 caprices of this sort1 in a plain      
woman1 only render her defects  more    
conspicuous2 and she1 who might have    
been regarded as a very  pleasing girl1 
in an unobtrusive robe of simple        
elegance1 is ridiculed  and despised    
when descried in the inappropriate      
plumage of fancy and  decoration4       
,many men1 while listening to the       
conversation of an ordinary1 but        
sensible young woman1 would never see   
that her hair was harsh1 and of  a bad  
color1 were it not interwoven with a    
wreath of roses4 ,they would  not       
perceive the brownness and want of      
symmetry in her bosom1 did not  the     

sparkling necklace attract their eye to 
the spot4 ,neither would  it strike them
 that her hands were coarse and red1 did
 not the pearl  bracelets and circles of
 rings tell them that she meant they    
should vie  with ,celia's rose-tipped   
fingers4    ,as ,i recommend a          
restrained and quiet mode of dress to   
plain women1  so1 in gradation as the   
lovely of my sex advance towards the    
vale of  years1 ,i counsel them to      
assume a graver habit and a less        
vivacious  air4 ,cheerfulness is        
becoming to all times of life1 but      
sportiveness  belongs to youth alone2   
and when the meridian or the decline of 
our  days affects it1 is ever heavy and 
out of place4    ,let me show you1 my   
fair friends1 by conducting you into the
 ,pantheon  of ancient ,rome1 the images
 of yourselves at the different stages  
of  your lives4 ,first1 behold that     
lovely ,hebe2 her robes are like the    
air1 her motion is on the zephyr's wing3
 that you may be till you are  twenty4  

,then comes the beautiful ,diana4 ,the  
chaste dignity of the pure  intelligence
 within pervades the whole form1 and the
 very drapery which  enfolds it         
harmonizes with the modest elegance1 the
 buoyant health1  which gives elasticity
 and grace to every limb3 here1 then1   
you see  yourselves from twenty to      
thirty4 ,at that majestic age1 when the 
woman  of mind looks round upon the     
world2 back on the events which have    
past1  and calmly forward to those which
 may be to come2 all within ought  to be
 settled on the firm basis of religion  
and sound judgment2 and  either as a    
,juno or a ,minerva she stands forth in 
the power of beauty  and of wisdom4 ,at 
this period she lays aside the flowers  
of youth1 and  arrays herself in the    
majesty of sobriety1 or in the grandeur 
of simple  magnificence4                
,contradictory as the two last terms may
 at first appear1 they are  consistent2 
and a glance on the works of ,phidias1  
and of his best  imitators1 will        

sufficiently prove their beautiful      
union4 ,long is the  reign of this      
commanding epoch of a woman's age2 for  
from thirty to  fifty she may most      
respectably maintain her station on this
 throne  of matron excellence4 ,but at  
that period1 when she has numbered half 
a century1 then it becomes her to throw 
aside 8the wimple and the               
crisping-iron1 the ornament of silver1  
and the ornament of gold10 and          
gracefully acknowledging her entrance   
into the vale of years1 to wrap  herself
 in her mantle of gray1 and move gently 
down till she passes  through its       
extremest bourn to the mansions of      
immortality4    ,ah6 who is there       
amongst us1 who1 having once viewed the 
reality of  this picture1 would exchange
 such blessed relinquishment of the     
world  and all its vanities1 for the    
bolstered back1 enamelled cheek1 and    
be-wigged head of a modern old woman1   
just trembling on the verge of  the     
grave1 and yet a candidate for the      

flattery of men8    ,it has been most   
wisely said1 7and it would be well if   
the waning  queens of beauty would adopt
 the reflection17 that there is a time  
for everything6 ,we may add1 that there 
is a time to be young1 a time  to be    
old2 a time to be loved1 a time to be   
revered2 a time to seek  life1 and a    
time to be ready to lay it down4    ,she
 who best knows how to fashion herself  
to these inevitable changes  is the only
 truly1 only lastingly fair4 ,her beauty
 is in the mind1  and shown in action2  
and when men cease to admire the woman1 
they do  better1 they revere the saint4 
,,on ,,the ,,peculiarities ,,of ,,dress1
 ,,with ,,reference ,,to ,,the ,,station
 ,,of ,,the  ,,wearer4                  
8,dress drains our cellar dry1    ,and  
keeps our larder lean2 puts out our     
fires1    ,and introduces hunger1 frost1
 and wo1    ,where peace and hospitality
 might reign40      ,,cowper4      ,as  
there is a propriety in adapting your   
dress to the different seasons  of your 

life1 and the peculiar character of your
 figure1 there is  likewise a necessity 
that it should correspond with the      
station you  hold in society4    ,this  
is a subject not less of a moral concern
 than it is a matter of  taste4 ,by the 
universality of finery1 and expensive   
articles in dress1  ranks are not only  
rendered undistinguishable1 but the     
fortunes of  moderate families1 and of  
industrious tradesmen1 are brought to   
ruin3  the sons become sharpers1 and the
 virtue of the wives and daughters too  
often follows in the same destruction4  
,it is not from a proud wish to confine 
elegance to persons of quality1  that ,i
 contend for less extravagant habits in 
the middle and lower  orders of people2 
it is a conviction of the evil which    
their vanity  produces1 that impels me  
to condemn in toto the present levelling
 and  expensive mode4    ,a tradesman's 
wife is now as sumptuously arrayed as a 
countess2 and  a waiting-maid as gaily  
as her lady4 ,i speak not of our        

merchants1  who1 like those of ,florence
 under the ,medici family1 have the     
fortunes  of princes1 and may therefore 
decorate the fair partners of their     
lives with the rich produce of the      
divers countries they visit2 but ,i     
animadvert on our retail shopkeepers1   
our linen-drapers1 upholsterers1  c4    
who1 not content with gold and silver   
baubles1 trick out their  dames in      
jewels6 ,no wonder that these men load  
their consciences with  dishonest       
profits1 or make their last appearance  
in the newspaper as  insolvent or felo  
de se6    ,should the woman of moderate 
fortune be so ignorant of the principles
  of real elegance as to sigh for the   
splendid apparels of the court1 let  her
 receive as an undeniable truth1 that   
mediocrity of circumstances  being able 
to afford clean and simple raiment1     
furnishes all that  is essential for    
taste to improve into perfect elegance4 
,riches and  splendor will attract      
notice1 and may often excite admiration2

 but it  is the privilege of propriety  
and sweet retiring grace alone to rivet 
the eye1 and take captive the heart4    
8,many there are who seem to shun all   
care1    ,and with a pleasing negligence
 ensnare40    ,the fashion of educating 
all ranks of young women alike1 is the  
cause  why all ranks of women attempt to
 dress alike4 ,if the brazier's         
daughter is taught to sing1 dance1 and  
play1 like the heiress to an  earldom1  
we must not be surprised that she will  
also emulate the  decorations of her    
rival4 ,we see her imitate the coronet  
on ,lady ,mary's  brows2 and though     
,miss ,molly may possibly not be able to
 have her's of  gems1 foil-stones       
produce a similar effect2 then she looks
 for rings1  bracelets1 armlets1 to give
 appropriate grace to the elegant arts  
she  has learnt to practise2 and when   
she is thus arrayed1 she plays away  the
 wanton and the fool1 till some         
libertine of fortune buys her either    
for a wife or a mistress4    ,were girls

 of the plebeian classes brought up in  
the praiseworthy  habits of domestic    
duties2 had they learned how to manage a
 house1 how  to economize and produce   
comfort at the least expense at their   
father's  frugal yet hospitable table1  
we should not hear of dancing-masters1  
and music-masters1 of ,french and       
,italian masters2 they would have no    
time for them4 ,we should not see gaudy 
robes and glittering trinkets  dangling 
behind the counter1 or shining at a     
,sunday ordinary2 we should  not be told
 of the seduction1 or ruin of those1    
8,whose modest looks the cottage might  
adorn1    ,sweet as the primrose peeps  
beneath the thorn40    ,the appearance  
of these young women would not attract  
the flatterer2  and their simple hearts 
know not the desires of luxury and      
vanity4    ,after having drawn this     
agreeable picture of her who has well   
chosen1  ,i will leave this modern      
daughter of industry to her discreet and
  virtuous simplicity2 and once more    

turn to her whose fortune and  station  
render greater change and expense in    
apparel not only  admissible but        
commendable4 ,a woman with adequate     
means1 when she fills  an extensive     
wardrobe1 encourages the arts and       
manufactures of her  country1 and       
replenishes the scanty purse of many a  
laborious family4    ,at this period of 
universal talent1 articles of dress may 
be purchased  at a price so             
insignificant as hardly to be named1 or 
at the vast cost  of half a fortune4 ,a 
pretty muslin gown may be bought by the 
village  girl for a few shillings2 while
 a robe of the same material1 but of a  
finer quality1 cannot be purchased by a 
lady of rank for less than as  many     
guineas4 ,indian muslin wrought with    
gold or silver is nearly as  costly as  
the stately brocades of our ancestors1  
but it is infinitely  more elegant4     
,indeed1 when we look back upon their   
heavy fashions1 we cannot but  see1 that
 in almost every respect the advantage  

of the change is on  our side4 ,with the
 stiffness of cloth of gold and         
embroidered tissues1  have also         
disappeared the enormous pile of hair1  
furbelows1 feathers1  diamond towers1   
windmills1 c4 which a certain witty poet
 used to  denominate 8the building of   
the head40 ,now1 easy tresses1 the      
shining  braid1 the flowing ringlet     
confined by the antique comb1 or bodkin1
  give graceful specimens of the simple 
taste of modern beauty4 ,nothing  can   
correspond more elegantly with the      
untrammelled drapery of our             
newly-adopted classic raiment than this 
undecorated coiffure of nature4         
,while we find that the pious ,bishop   
,latimer remonstrated with the  females 
of his time against the monstrous       
superfluity of their  8roundabouts1     
artificial hips10 c4 c4 and recommended 
to their use  the 8honest single        
garment20--our moralists1 equally pious1
 take up  the argument on the contrary  
side1 and justly condemn the too        

adhesive  and transparent robe worn by  
our contemporary belles6 ,on this       
subject  we must dissent from the       
venerable reformer of the sixteenth     
century2  and agree with those of the   
nineteenth1 that the single garment 7as 
the texture now usually is7 is not a    
meet covering for a christian  damsel4  
,i am sorry to be obliged to call to    
your observation1 my gentle  friends1   
that the modern fair have deviated      
widely from that medium  between the    
,bacchante and the ,vestal1 which a     
discreet candidate  for admiration would
 wish to preserve4 ,the nature of man is
 prone  to extremes2 and flying from the
 heavy farthingale and the stuffed      
petticoat1 women assume almost the      
,spartan guise2 and1 not meeting  minds 
in the opposite sex as pure as those in 
,lacedmon1 no wonder that  the chaste   
matron1 called upon to foretell the     
consequence1 should  remain silent1 and 
veil her head4    8,good sense10 says   
,la ,rochefoucault1 8should be the test 

of all rule1  whether ancient or modern4
 ,whatever is incompatible with good    
sense  must be false40 ,modesty should1 
on the same principle1 be the test of   
the propriety of all personal apparel or
 ornament2 for whatever is  incompatible
 with her ordinances1 must degrade and  
betray4    ,hence you will perceive1 my 
young readers1 that in no case a true   
friend or lover would wish you to       
discover to the eye more of the  8form  
divine0 than can be indistinctly        
descried through the mysterious         
involvements of1 at least1 three        
successive folds of drapery4 ,love1     
friendship1 and real taste1 are alike   
delicate4    ,to the exposure of the    
bosom and back1 as some ladies display  
those  parts of their person1 what shall
 we say8 ,this mode 7like every other   
which is carried to excess and          
indiscriminately followed7 is not only  
repugnant to decency1 but most          
exceedingly disadvantageous to the      
charms of nine women out of ten4 ,the   

bosom and shoulders of a very  young and
 fair girl may be displayed without     
exciting much displeasure  or disgust2  
the beholder regards the too prodigal   
exhibition1 not as  the act of the      
youthful innocent1 but as the effect of 
accident1 or  perhaps the designed      
exposure of some ignorant dresser4 ,but 
when a  woman1 grown to the age of      
discretion1 of her own choice 8unveils  
her  beauties to the sun and moon10     
then1 from even an ,helen's charms the  
sated eye turns away loathing4    ,were 
we even in a frantic and impious passion
 to set virtue aside1  policy should    
direct our damsels to be more sparing of
 their  attractions4 ,an unrestrained   
indulgence of the eye robs imagination  
of  her power1 and prevents her         
consequent influence on the heart4 ,and 
if  this be the case where real beauty  
is exposed1 how much more subversive  of
 its aim must be the studied display of 
an ordinary or deformed  figure6        
,judgment1 as well as decency1 declares1

 that it is sufficient in the  evening  
and full-dress to disrobe the back of   
the neck to the top of  the delicate    
undulation on the rise of the shoulder4 
,women1 according  to the fineness of   
their skins and proportions1 must accept
 or decline  the privileges which       
modesty grants4 ,it is preposterous for 
her who  is of a brown1 dingy1 or       
speckled complexion1 to disarray her    
neck  and arms1 as her fairer rival may4
 ,a clear brunette has as much  liberty 
in this respect as the fairest2 but not 
so the muddy-skinned  and ill-formed4 ,a
 candid consideration of our pretensions
 on these  subjects1 and an impartial   
judgment1 must decide our style of      
apparel1  and consequently our          
respectability with the discerning4     
,perhaps it is necessary to remind my   
reader that custom regulates the        
veiling or unveiling the figure1        
according to different periods in the   
day4 ,in the morning1 the arms and bosom
 must be completely covered to  the     

throat and wrists4 ,from the dinner-hour
 to the termination of the  day1 the    
arms1 to a graceful height above the    
elbow1 may be bare2 and  the neck and   
shoulders unveiled as far as delicacy   
will allow4    ,as ,cicero said of      
action1 so say ye of the essentials of  
your  charms4 ,what is the eloquence of 
your beauty8--,modesty6 ,what is its    
first argument8--,modesty6 ,what is its 
second8--,modesty6 ,what is its         
third8--,modesty6--,what is its         
peroration1 the winding up of all  its  
charms1 the striking spell that binds   
the heart of man to her                 
forever8--,modesty666--,in the words of 
,moore1      8,let that which charms all
 other eyes    ,seem worthless in your  
own60    ,modesty is all in all2 for it 
comprises the beauties of the mind as   
well as those of the body2 and happy is 
he who finds her6    ,the bosom1 which  
nature has formed with exquisite        
symmetry in itself1  and admirable      
adaptation to the parts of the figure to

 which it is  united1 has been          
transformed into a shape1 and           
transplanted to a  place1 which deprives
 it of its original beauty and harmony  
with the  rest of the person4 ,this     
hideous metamorphosis has been effected 
by  means of newly-invented stays1 or   
corsets1 which1 by an extraordinary     
construction and force of material1     
force the figure of the wearer into     
whatever form the artist pleases4       
,curiosity may incline you to wish to   
know something better of these  buckram 
machines1 that you may form an idea of  
their intention1 use1 or  rather        
inutility4 ,i will satisfy you by       
describing them to the best of  my      
power4    ,the leader in this arming    
phalanx is usually called long-stay4    
,and  its announcement to the female    
world1 if not by drum or trumpet1       
furnishes not only much matter for      
oratory in the advertisement1 but  a no 
inconsiderable fund of merriment to the 
readers of these curious  performances4 

,for instance1 8,mrs4 and ,miss ,l4 ,p4 
have willed it1 and it  is done at their
 house10 c4 c4 ,here follows a list of  
their improved  long stay1 pregnant     
stay1 divorces1 c4 c4 ,o6 female        
delicacy1  where is thy blush1 when thou
 lookest on such exposure of the chaste 
reserves of thy person6    ,the first   
time my eyes met these words so coupled1
 ,i was seized with  that honest        
shuddering which every delicate woman   
ought to feel at  seeing the parts and  
situations of her person which modesty  
bids her  conceal1 thus dragged before  
the imagination of the opposite sex4    
,the  pure must read it with the frown  
of disgust--the impure with the smile   
of ridicule4 ,to this moment1 though ,i 
find that nothing disrespectful  to     
modesty was meant by the advertisement1 
,i cannot approve of the  terms in which
 it is written2 for it is my opinion1   
7and ,i am so happy  as to be supported 
in it by the sanction of the wisest     
moralists17  that1 rob woman of her     

delicate reserves1 and you take from her
 one of  the best strong holds of her   
chastity4 ,you deprive her of her sweet 
attractive mysteries2 you lay open to   
the eye of love the arcana of her       
toilet1 the infirmities of her nature2  
the enchantment is broken1 and  8the    
bloom of young desire1 the purple light 
of the soul's enthusiasm10  expire at   
the disclosure4    ,to please my still  
curious readers1 ,i will still further  
displease  myself1 and enter more       
circumstantially into a detail of these 
strange  appendages to a female         
wardrobe4    ,but before ,i proceed with
 my remarks on the long stay1 7the      
ringleader of the rest17 ,i will so far 
rescue the intention of its             
constructors from any design to excite  
improper ideas by the words of  their   
advertisement1 as to explain to you the 
proposed usefulness of  the inventions  
denominated pregnant stay1 and divorces4
    ,the first is a corset or stay of   
dimity1 or jean1 or silk1 reaching  from

 the shoulders down to the waist1 and   
over the hips1 to the  complete         
envelopement of the body4 ,it is        
rendered of more than ordinary  power by
 elastic bones1 c4 which1 introduced    
between the lining and  covering of the 
stay1 bring it into something of the    
consistency  and shape of an ancient    
warrior's hauberk4 ,this new-fashioned  
coat of  mail for the fair sex is so    
constructed1 as to compress and reduce  
to  the shape desired the natural       
prominence of the female figure in a    
state of fruitfulness4 ,some women1 who 
are bold enough to wear this            
,procrustean garb during every stage of 
their pregnancy1 affirm that  it        
preserves their shape without injury to 
their state of increase4  ,however this 
may be with a few hardy individuals1 ,i 
profess myself no  proselyte to the     
innovation1 as it must necessarily put a
 degree of  restraint upon the          
operations of nature1 very likely to    
produce bad  effects both on the mother 

and the child4    ,support and          
confinement to an overstrained part are 
two different  things2 the one is       
beneficial1 the other destructive4 ,and 
this ,i can  assure my readers1 that ,i 
ever have remarked those married women  
who  have longest maintained their      
virgin forms were those who1 in a state 
of maternal increase1 observed a proper 
medium between a too relaxed  and a too 
contracted boddice4    ,nature in these 
concerns is our best guide2 and when she
 dictates to us  to provide against the 
possible disagreeable consequences of   
any of her  operations1 it is well to   
obey her2 but when a fastidious1 and1   
allow  me to say1 an indelicate1 regard 
to personal charms would excite you  to 
brace with ribs of whalebone the soft   
mould of your unborn infant2  or when it
 has1 in spite of these arts1 burst its 
prison-house alive1  you seek to deprive
 it of the nourishment your breast      
prepares--then  remember you perform not
 the duty of a mother1 but show yourself

  rather egregiously guilty of          
wantonness and unpardonable cruelty4    
,no person living can feel a more lively
 admiration than that which  animates me
 at the sight of a beautiful form1      
--8rife    ,with all we can imagine of  
the sky40    ,i behold in it the work of
 the most perfect being--the            
accomplishment  of one of his fairest   
designs4 ,he seems to show in earthy    
mould the  lovely transcript of the     
angels of heaven3 she looks1 she        
breathes1  of innocence and sweet       
unconscious beauty4 ,but when ,i cast my
 eyes on  women issuing from the house  
of a modern manufacturer of shapes2 when
  ,i see the functions of nature impeded
 by bands and ligatures2 when ,i  behold
 the abode of virgin modesty thrust     
forward to the gaze of the  libertine2  
when ,i observe the pains taken to      
attract his eye1--,i turn  away         
disgusted1 and blush for my sex4        
,vile as these meretricious arts are1   
they are not less dangerous to  health  

than to morals4 ,the constant pressure  
of such hard substances as  whalebone1  
steel1 c4 upon so susceptible a part as 
the bosom1 is very  likely1 in the      
course of a very short time1 to produce 
all the horrid  consequences of         
abscesses1 cancers1 c43 on their        
miseries ,i need not  to descant4    ,on
 the long stay ,i shall now make a few  
remarks1 arising from the  observations 
,i have been enabled to make on the     
ladies of various ages  and figures whom
 ,i have known wear it4 ,to the woman   
whose waning charms  set in an          
exuberance of flesh1 perhaps the support
 of this adventitious  aid is an        
advantage4 ,but in that case its        
stiffening should rather  be cord       
quilted in the lining1 or very thin     
whalebone1 than either  steel or iron4  
,in all situations1 the boddice should  
be flexible to  the motion of the body  
and the undulations in the shape2 and it
 should  never be felt to press upon any
 part4    ,thus far we may tolerate the 

adoption of this buckram suit for       
elderly1  or excessively embonpoint     
ladies2 but for the growing girl 7whom1 
,i  am sorry to say1 mothers not        
unfrequently imprison in these          
machines17  it is both unrequired and   
mischievous4    ,before nature has      
completed her work in the perfection of 
the youthful  figure1 she is checked in 
her progress by the impediment which    
the valves1 bands1 c4 of the long stay  
throw in her way4 ,those  finely-rounded
 points which mark the distinction and  
the grace of the  female form1 and which
 the artist1 enamored of beauty1        
delights to  delineate with the nicest  
accuracy1 are1 by the constant pressure 
of  these stays1 rendered indistinct1   
and in a short time are entirely        
destroyed4    ,let1 then1 the long stay 
be restricted to the too abundant mass  
of fattening matronhood2 so may art     
restrain the excesses1 not of  nature1  
but of disease4 ,unwieldly flesh was    
never yet seen in a  perfectly healthy  

person4 ,it generally arises either from
 intemperance  overloading the functions
 of life1 or dissipation decomposing    
them4    ,let the padded corset rectify 
the defects of the deformed2 but where  
nature has given the outline of a       
well-constructed form1 forbear to       
traverse her designs4 ,youth should be  
left to spring up1 unconfined1  like the
 young cedar2 and when the hand of man1 
or accident1 does not  distort the      
pliant stem1 it will grow erect and     
firm1 spreading its  beautiful and      
cheerful shade over the heads of its    
planters4          ,,of ,,the ,,detail  
,,of ,,dress4                           
8,we have run    ,through every change1 
that fancy at the loom    ,exhausted has
 had genius to supply2    ,and1 studious
 of mutation still1 discard    ,a real  
elegance a little used    ,for monstrous
 novelty and strange disguise40         
,,cowper4      ,there are few things in 
which our sex can discover more taste   
than in  the choice of the apparel which

 may best accord with their several     
styles of figures and features2 but we  
frequently see the direct  opposite of  
good judgment in their selections1 and  
behold between the  person and the      
attire a complete and laughable         
incongruity4    ,some women will        
actually disguise and disfigure         
themselves1 rather  than not appear in  
the prevailing fashion1 which1 though   
advantageous  to one character of face1 
may have the direct contrary effect with
  another4 ,i hinted at this in the     
earlier part of this dissertation2 now  
,i come closer to my subject1 intending 
to enter into a minute detail  of what  
ought or ought not to be worn by women  
of different moulds and  complexions4   
,if ,daphne have the features of a      
,siddons1 and ,amaryllis those of a     
,jordan1 the style which agrees with the
 one must ill accord with the  other4   
,the like harmony must be maintained    
between the complexion  and the colors  
we wear2 for it is in these minuti      

which1 like the  nice and almost        
imperceptible touches of the ingenious  
artist1 produce  a complete and         
faultless whole4 ,that a handsome woman 
may disfigure  herself by an injudicious
 choice or disposition of her attire2   
and a  plain one counteract the errors  
of nature1 so as to render herself  at  
least agreeable1 almost every           
experienced observer has witnessed4  ,we
 may therefore conclude1 that beauty    
with a bad taste is far less  desirable 
than a good taste without beauty4       
8,what an awkward creature is that60    
said a gentleman to me the other        
evening at a supper1 and pointing to a  
slatternly beauty who sat  opposite1    
with her chin nearly reposing on her    
bosom1 and her shoulders  drawn up      
almost to her ears4 8,yonder is a very  
elegant woman60 observed  he1 directing 
my attention to a lady who1 critically  
considered1 was  rather ordinary2 but by
 her judicious style of dress1 her      
unstudied  graces of deportment1 claimed

 universal admiration4    ,to support my
 arguments with those of a lady whose   
taste is best  evinced by her own       
personal elegance1 ,i shall give you a  
short extract  from a little tract of   
her's1 which1 like the divine ,psych of 
,mrs4  ,tighe1 has been only permitted  
to meet the eyes of a favored few4      
8,who is there among us that has not    
witnessed a beautiful woman so          
apparelled as to render her rather an   
object of pity and ridicule than  of    
admiration8 ,how often do we see        
simplicity and youthful loveliness      
obscured by a redundancy of ornaments6  
,how often do the robust and  healthy1  
the majestic and the gay1 the pensive   
and the sportive1  follow the same mode2
 marring1 mingling and mangling without 
mercy1  and without taste2 regardless of
 discrimination1 appropriation1 or      
judgment2 to the total overthrow of the 
attractions which nature  liberally     
bestowed6 ,do not these ladies perceive 
that each style of  personal beauty has 

a distinct character to support8 ,that a
 tasteful  adaptation will enforce the  
stamp which nature has impressed8 ,let  
us then admonish the female whose beauty
 is of the fair1 pale1  and interesting 
cast1 not to render her appearance      
insipid by the  overpowering hues of    
robes1 mantles1 pelisses1 c4 of amber1  
orange1  grass-green1 crimson1 or       
rose-color4 ,this soft style of beauty  
makes  its appeal to our most delicate  
perceptions2 all grossness of color     
displeases them1 and therefore should   
not be admitted in the articles  of her 
dress4    8,grass-green1 though a color 
exceedingly pleasing and refreshing in  
itself1 jaundices the complexion of the 
pale woman to such a degree1 as  to     
excite little other sensations in the   
beholder than compassion for  the poor  
invalid4 ,such females should1 in       
general1 choose their robes  of an      
entire color2 and when they wear white  
garments1 they should  animate them with
 draperies1 mantles1 scarfs1 ribbons1 c4

 of pale  pink1 blossom-color1 celestial
 blue1 lilac1 dove-color1 and primrose2 
leaving full green1 deep blue1 and      
purple1 to the florid2 and amber1       
scarlet1 orange1 flame-color1 and deep  
rose1 to the brunette4    8,thus much we
 offer in the suitable appropriations of
 colors4 ,we  shall now proceed to say  
something on the prevailing fashions of 
the  day2 and though we may fairly      
congratulate our countrywomen on their  
taste and improvement in this           
particular1 yet here also the regulating
  hand of judgment1 the nice and        
discriminating effects of genius1 and   
the directing influence of a delicate   
and just taste1 become most  importantly
 necessary4    8,the mantle1 or         
cottage-cloak1 should never be worn by  
females  exceeding a moderate           
embonpoint2 and we should recommend     
their  winter garbs1 such as ,russian   
pelisses and ,turkish wraps1 to be      
formed  of double sarsnet1 or fine      
,merino cloth1 rather than velvets1     

which  7except black7 give an appearance
 of increased size to the wearer4 ,in   
the adoption of furs1 flat-ermine or    
fringe fur is better suited to  the     
full-formed woman that swan's-down1 fox1
 chinchilla1 or sable2  these are       
graceful for the more slender4 ,women of
 a spare habit1 and  of a tall and      
elegant height1 will derive considerable
 advantage from  the full-flowing robe1 
mantle1 and ,roman tunic4 ,the          
fur-trimming1 too1  gives to them an    
appearance of roundness which nature has
 denied2 and  to this description of    
person we can scarcely recommend an     
evening  dress more chaste1 elegant1 and
 advantageous1 than robes of white      
satin1 trimmed with swan's-down1 with   
draperies of silver or gossamer  net4   
,the antique head-dress1 or queen ,mary 
coif1 is best adapted to  the ,roman and
 ,grecian line of feature4 ,the ,chinese
 hat and ,highland  helmet are becoming 
to countenances of a rounder and more   
playful  contour4    8,we have          

frequently1 in our observations1 found  
occasion to lament1 in  the present     
style of female dress1 a want of that   
proper distinction  which should ever be
 attended to in the several degrees of  
costume4  ,for instance1 the short gown1
 so appropriate and convenient for      
walking1 and pursuing morning avocations
 or exercises1 intrudes  beyond its     
sphere when seen in the evening or full 
dress4 ,it is in  the splendid          
drawing-room that the train robe appears
 with all that  superiority which gives 
pre-eminence to grace1 and dignity to   
beauty4    8,why should these           
pleasingly-varying distinctions be      
neglected8 ,the  long sleeve1 too1 7now 
so universal in almost every order of   
dress17  belongs with strict propriety  
only to the domestic habit4 ,these are  
inattentions or faults which a correct  
taste will quickly discover1 and  easily
 rectify4 ,it is dangerous to level     
distinctions in one case1 and           
disadvantageous in the other4 ,there    

should be a just and reasonable         
discipline in trifles1 as well as in    
matters of higher import4 ,there is  a  
vast deal more in things of seeming     
insignificance than is commonly         
imagined4 ,subjects of importance1 high 
achievements1 and glorious  examples1   
strike every beholder2 but there are few
 who reflect that  it is by             
perseverance1 and attention to          
comparative trifles1 that  mighty deeds 
are performed1 and that great           
consequences are ultimately  produced4  
8,a correct taste is ever the           
concomitant of a chaste mind2 for1  as a
 celebrated author has justly observed1 
our taste commonly  declines with our   
merit4 ,a correct taste is the offspring
 of all  that is delicate in sentiment  
and just in conception2 it softens  the 
inflexibility of truth1 and decks reason
 in the most persuasive  garments4      
8,a walking-dress cannot be constructed 
too simply4 ,all attractive and  fancy  
articles should be confined to the      

carriage-dress1 or dinner  and evening  
apparel4 ,we shall here particularly    
address the order of  females who may   
not have the luxury of a carriage1 and  
yet be within  the rank of gentlewomen4 
,this class composes treble the number  
of those  to whom fortune has bestowed  
the appendages of equipages and retinue4
  ,we shall1 in our observations1       
particularly aim at increasing their    
respectability1 by leading them to adopt
 a style of adornment1 which1  while it 
combines fashion and elegance1 shall be 
remarkable only for  its neatness and   
simplicity4    8,it has been said that  
the love of dress is natural to the sex2
 and we  see no reason why any female   
should be offended with the assertion4  
#8,dress1' says an author on the        
subject1 #8is the natural finish of     
beauty4 ,without dress a handsome person
 is a gem1 but a gem that is not  set4' 
,dress1 however1 must be subject to     
certain rules2 be consistent  with the  
graces1 and with nature4 ,by attention  

to these particulars1 is  produced that 
agreeable exterior which pleases1 we    
know not why1--which  charms1 even      
without that first and powerful         
attraction1 beauty4    8,fashion1 in her
 various flights1 frequently soars      
beyond the reach of  propriety4 ,good   
sense1 taste1 and delicacy1 then make   
their appeal in  vain4 ,her despotic and
 arbitrary sway levels and confounds4   
,where is  delicacy8 where is policy8 we
 mentally exclaim1 when we see the fair 
inconsiderate votary of fashion         
exposing1 unseemly1 that bosom which    
good men delight to imagine the abode of
 innocence and truth4 ,can the  gaze of 
the voluptuous1 the unlicensed          
admiration of the profligate1           
compensate to the woman of sentiment and
 purity for what she loses in  the      
estimation of the moral and the just8   
8,but1 delicacy apart1 what shall we say
 to the blind conceit of the  robust1   
the coarse1 the waning fair one1 who    
thus obtrude the ravages  of time upon  

the public eye8 ,let us not offend4 ,we 
wish to lead  to conviction1 not to     
awaken resentment4--,fashion must1 in   
these  instances1 have borrowed the     
bondage of fortune1 and so blinded her  
votaries against the sober dictates of  
reason1 the mild dignity of             
self-respect4    8,there is a mediocrity
 which bounds all things1 and even fixes
 the  standard which divides virtue from
 bombast4 ,let us1 therefore1 in  every 
concern1 endeavor to observe this happy 
temperature4 ,let the  youthful female  
exhibit1 without shade1 as much of her  
bust as shall  come within the limits of
 fashion1 without infringing on the     
borders  of immodesty4 ,let the fair of 
riper years appear less exposed4 ,to    
sensible and tasteful women a hint is   
merely required4 ,they need  not very   
close instructions2 for at once they    
perceive1 combine1  and adopt1 with     
judgment and delicacy4 ,the rules of    
propriety are  followed1 as it were1    
instinctively by them2 and their example

 is  so impressed on the generality of  
our lovely countrywomen1 7who1  too     
often and inconsiderately1 follow the   
vagaries of fashion with1  perhaps1     
ridiculous avidity17 that we must take  
upon us to correct  the irregularities  
of the many1 in hopes that the judicious
 few will  embrace grace1 and make it   
universal4    8,far be it from us to    
lead the female mind from its solemn    
engagements  to the pursuit of          
comparative nothings4 ,but there is a   
time and place  for all things1 and for 
every innocent purpose under heaven2 and
 on  these grounds we do not see why a  
female should not blend the agreeable   
with the estimable4    8,there are      
persons who neglect their dress from    
pride1 and a desire  to attract by a    
careless singularity2 but wherever this 
is the case1  depend on it something is 
wrong in the mind4 ,lavater has         
observed1  that persons habitually      
attentive to their attire display the   
same  regularity in their domestic      

affairs4 #8,young women1' he continues1 
#8who  neglect their toilet1 and        
manifest little concern about dress1    
indicate  a general disregard of order2 
a mind but ill adapted to the detail of 
house-keeping2 a deficiency of taste1   
and of the qualities that inspire       
love3--they will be careless in         
everything4 ,the girl of eighteen who   
desires not to please1 will be a slut1  
or a shrew1 at twentyfive4 ,pay         
attention1 young men1 to this sign2 it  
never yet was known to deceive4'        
8,hence we see that the desire of       
exhibiting an amiable exterior is       
essentially requisite in woman4 ,it is  
to be received as an unequivocal  symbol
 of those qualities which we seek in a  
wife2 it indicates  cleanliness1        
sweetness1 a love of order1 and of      
universal propriety4  ,what1 then1 is   
there to censure in a moderate          
consideration of  dress8--,nothing4 ,we 
may blame when we find extravagance1    
profusion1  misappropriation2 the       

tyranny of fashion2 slavery to vanity2  
in short1  bad taste6    8,let us then  
urge the ,british fair to that elegant  
simplicity1 that  discriminating        
selection1 which combines fashion1      
utility1 and grace4  ,thus shall the    
inventive faculty of genius be honored  
and encouraged1  and industry receive   
the reward of its ingenuity and labors4 
8,we shall now proceed to notice the    
present articles which claim            
fashionable pre-eminence1 and give some 
useful hints on their  application4     
8,as a walking habit1 we know of none in
 summer which is more graceful  than the
 lightly flowing shade of lace or finest
 muslin4 ,and in winter  no invention   
can exceed the ,trans-,baltic coat or   
,lapland-wrap4 ,these  comfortable      
shields from the cold are usually formed
 of cloth or  velvet1 with deep collars 
and cuffs of sable1 or other            
well-contrasted  fur4 ,ladies of the    
first nobility usually have them lined  
throughout  with the same costly skins4 

,these garments wrap over the figure in 
front2 sometimes they have them without 
other ornament than their  bordering    
furs2 and at others1 fasten them with   
magnificent clasps and  buckles4 ,we    
have seen one of these coats 7or1 as    
northern travellers  denominate them1   
shoubs17 on a female of high rank1      
composed of  crimson-velvet1 with deep  
cuffs1 cape and collar of spotted       
ermine1 and  a deep border of the same  
down the sides4 ,it had a superb effect2
 and1  with the imperial helmet-hat of  
the same material1 exhibited one of the 
most sumptuous carriage costumes that   
can be imagined4    8,when this dress is
 adopted by the pedestrian fair1 we     
recommend it to  be of a more sober hue1
 and that the bonnet should be of the   
provincial  poke or cottage form4       
8,short women destroy the symmetry of   
their forms1 and encumber their  charms1
 with redundancy of ornament1 either in 
their morning or evening  attires4 ,a   
little woman1 befeathered and           

furbelowed1 looks like a queen  of the  
,bantam tribe2 and we dare not approach 
her for fear of ruffling  her plumes4   
,feathers are much in vogue2 and though 
formerly a symbol of  full dress1 are   
now often a mark of graceful negligence1
 and are seen  falling carelessly1 and  
floating with ease2 they kiss the rosy  
cheek  of youth and health2 or1 less    
courteous1 steal the vermilion from the 
painted face of fading maturity1 as1    
fanned by the spiteful breeze1  they    
wave from her bonneted head in the gay  
promenade4    8,we love to see our      
countrywomen remarkable for elegance and
 modesty1  as well as beauty4           
,englishmen1 accustomed to objects of   
undisputed  loveliness1 aim at something
 beyond the surface of external charms2 
they require that all should be fair    
within4    8,hear what a male writer has
 observed on the fashion of exposing    
the bosom6 #8,a woman1 proud of her     
beauty1' says he1 #8may possibly  be    
nothing but a coquette2 one who makes a 

public display of her  bosom1 is        
something worse4' ,this writer          
insinuates too much2 for we  believe    
that so far from our females being      
actuated in this case by  any unbecoming
 motive1 they too commonly act from no  
motive at all1  save that blind and     
mistaken one which we have so much      
condemned--the  heedless adoption of an 
absurdity because it is the fashion6    
,but  let the inconsiderate beauty      
remember1 that where two motives can be 
assigned to an action1 the world will   
generally adopt that which is  least    
favorable60    ,though ,i have made this
 extract1 which enters so intimately    
into the  secrets of the toilet1 and    
descants so engagingly on its attractive
  subject1 ,i must desire that it may   
not be supposed ,i would seek  to create
 an inordinate degree of care respecting
 that which is  comparatively of no     
account1 when placed in competition with
 the  indispensable qualities and       
acquirements which ought to adorn the   

,christian maid4 ,i would have my fair  
friends be fully impressed with  the    
truth1 that it is not she who spends the
 most time at her toilet  that is       
usually the best dressed2 a too zealous 
care generally subverts  the effect it  
was meant to produce4 ,it is very easy  
to 8varnish till  the painting          
disappears40 ,a multiplicity of         
ornaments ever distracts  the attention1
 and detracts from feminine loveliness4 
,they are regarded  as a sort of make   
weights in a scale1 where nature must   
have been a  niggard to render them     
necessary4    ,in the like manner1 a    
diversity of colors bespeaks vulgarity  
of  taste1 and a mind without innate    
elegance or acquired culture4 ,where    
doubt may be about this or that hue     
being becoming or genteel 7as it  is    
very possible it may neither be the one 
nor the other17 let the  puzzled beauty 
leave both1 and securely array herself  
in simple white1  8pure as her mind40   
,that primeval hue never offends1 and   

frequently  is the most graceful robe   
that youth and loveliness can wear4 8,it
 is  inconceivable10 says a writer on   
the subject1 8how much the color of  a  
gown or a shawl may heighten or destroy 
the beauty of a complexion2  and how    
much the sex in general neglect these   
7to them7 important  particulars40      
,every consideration must yield to the  
prevailing mode2  and to this tyrant all
 advantages are sacrificed4 ,women no   
longer  consult their figures1 but the  
whim of the moment2 and it is sufficient
  for them that the ,duchess of ,d----1 
or the ,marchioness of ,e----1  appeared
 in murry color or coquelicot1 to make  
all the belles in  ,england1 black1     
brown1 or fair1 array themselves in the 
same livery4    ,nothing contributes    
more to the setting forth of the        
beauties of a  complexion than the      
choice of the colors opposed to it4     
,women should  not only be nice in this 
adaptation1 but they must be careful    
that  the different shades or hues they 

admit in the various parts of their     
garments should accord with each other4 
,here it is that we distinguish the     
woman of taste from the hoyden1  ready  
to employ a pedlar's pack upon her      
shoulders4 ,to attempt to  contrast two 
shades of the same color1 has in general
 a very harsh  effect2 indeed ,i never  
saw it harmonize in the least1 except in
 the  case of two greens as a trimming2 
or in the beautiful blending of  nature 
in the form and hues of flowers4    ,it 
is also not unworthy of remark1 that    
colors which are to make a  part of     
evening apparel ought to be chosen by   
candle-light2 for if  in the morning1   
forgetful of the influence of different 
lights on  these things1 you purchase a 
robe of pale yellow1 purple1 lilac1 or  
rose-color1 you will be greatly         
disappointed when at night it is        
observed to you that your dress is      
either dingy1 foxy1 or black4    ,the   
harmonious assortment of well-chosen    
colors was once quite a  science amongst

 women2 and even now it may not only be 
considered as  a specimen of delicate   
taste1 but a proof of that genius which1
 if  cultivated1 might distil the hues  
of ,iris over the animated canvass      
fraught with beauty and life4    ,this  
union of a thousand dyes1 8by nature's  
pure and cunning hand laid  on10 cannot 
be found in greater perfection than in  
the resplendent lap  of summer2 then the
 earth teems with gay enchantment1 and  
presents to  the fair wanderers through 
her fragrant bowers the loveliest       
raiment  for their beauties4 ,this      
animating and native ornament1 so       
interesting  and charming in itself1    
should ever find a place on the toilet  
of  youth4 ,how can a beauteous young   
woman 7the fairest production of        
creation7 be more suitably adorned than 
with this sweet apparel of the  fairest 
season8 ,it is uniting 8sweets to the   
sweet40 ,flowers recall so  many        
pleasing images to the mind1 that when a
 beholder sees them1 he is  ever put in 

a temper to admire2 and1 when they are  
found blended with  the beauties of a   
lovely girl1 the effect is irresistible4
    ,the simple wreath of roses1 the    
jessamine1 the lily of the valley1  the 
snow-drop1 the brilliant ranunculus1 and
 a long train of rival  sweets1 offer   
themselves at the shrine of female      
taste4 ,from this rich  assemblage are  
selected and formed those delicious     
garlands which deck  the snowy brows of 
,celia1 which twine with ,chloe's golden
 hair4 ,from  this fair parterre we     
collect the variegated bouquet1 which1  
reposing  on the bosom of beauty1       
mingles its fragrant breath with hers4  
,this tender1 this exquisite sweetness1 
which we inhale from the lily1  the     
rose1 or the violet1 is far preferable  
to all the extracted  perfumes that ever
 were wafted 8from ,indus to the pole40 
,they are not  only purer and more      
balmy2 but1 when1 on approaching a      
lovely woman1  we find1 not only our eye
 delighted with the sight of beauty1 but

 our  senses 8wrapped in the sweet      
embrace of soft perfumes20 when it is   
not  the preconcerted fragrancy of      
essences drawn from east to west1 and   
poured upon the fair with the design to 
affect our senses2 then we  yield       
ourselves to the lovely breathing of    
nature4 ,we see her in the  charming    
creature before us1 blooming in youth   
and freshness2 we feel  her in the      
thousand odors of ,paradise emanating   
from the newly-plucked  flowers1 which  
seem to share her being1 imbibing and   
partaking  sweetness4    ,amidst the    
variety of materials with which women   
decorate their  persons1 there is not   
one that requires greater discrimination
 in the  use than those articles of     
jewelry which we denominate trinkets4   
,here  good taste1 the general          
regulatrix1 now resumes her sway4 ,the  
blind  directress of the luxuriant      
imagination gives grace to solidity1 and
  consequence to trifles4 ,her magic    
spirit breathes in the laurels of  the  

hero1 dwells on the lip of oratory1 and 
sparkles in the gem that  decorates the 
fair6    ,to women of the most exalted  
as well as of the more humble ranks1 we 
recommend a moderate1 rather than a     
profuse1 display of conspicuous  and    
showy ornaments4 ,a well-educated taste 
ought to open the eyes  of a woman to be
 a tolerably correct judge of the       
perfections or  imperfections of her own
 person2 and by that judgment she ought 
to  regulate the adoption or rejection  
of striking decoration4    ,it is well  
to remind my youthful reader that she   
can never learn these  truths 7when they
 are on the defective side7 but from the
 decisions  of her own impartial mind4  
,few women1 much less men1 would venture
 to  say to an improperly dressed young 
lady1--8,madam1 your fingers are two    
clumsy to wear with advantage that      
brilliant ring2--your neck and arms  are
 two meagre1 discolored1 or coarse1 to  
adopt the pearl bracelet  or necklace2  
unless1 indeed1 you soften the contrast 

by putting a  lace shirt and long       
sleeves between your skin and the       
pearls40 ,these  observations would     
place the too frank adviser in a similar
 situation  with that of ,gil ,blas when
 correcting the manuscripts of the      
conceited  ,prelate of ,granada2--and1  
therefore1 we cannot expect that any    
friend  should run the risk of incurring
 our resentment1 when they might retain 
our favor by only permitting us to make 
ourselves as ridiculous as we  please4  
,let me then1 in the light of an author1
 who cannot be supposed1  in a general  
address1 to mean any individual personal
 reflections1  admonish my readers1 one 
and all1 not to neglect composing their 
complexions with the hues and brilliancy
 of the gems offered to them to  wear4  
,clear brunettes shine with the greatest
 lustre when they adopt  pearls1        
diamonds1 topazes1 and bright amber4    
,the fair beauty may also  wear all     
these with advantage1 while she         
exclusively claims as her  own1         

emeralds1 garnets1 amethysts1 rubies1   
onyxes1 c4 c4 ,cornelian1  coral1 and   
jet1 may be worn by either2 but         
certainly produce the most  pleasing    
effect on the rose and lily complexion4 
,ornaments and trimmings of silver are  
to be preferred to gold1 when  intended 
for the fair beauty4 ,the white lustre  
of the first of these  costly metals    
harmonizes better with delicacy of skin 
than the glaring  effulgence of the     
gold4 ,by a parity of reasoning1 gold   
agrees better  with the brunette1 as its
 yellow and flaming hue lights up the   
fire of  her eyes1 and exhibits her     
complexion in the brightest contrast4   
,if the clavicle1 or collar-bone1 be too
 apparent1 either from  accidental      
thinness or original shape1 remedy the  
defect by letting  the necklace fall    
immediately into the cavity which the   
ungraceful  projection occasions4 ,but  
should this bone protrude itself to an  
absolutely ugly extent1 ,i would        
recommend the neck to be completely     

covered by a lace handkerchief and      
frill2 for its exposure would only  give
 a bad specimen of a figure which may   
be1 in every other part1 of a  just and 
fine proportion4    ,if the prevailing  
fashion be to reject the long sleeve1   
and to  partially display the arm1 let  
the glove advance considerably above the
  elbow1 and there be fastened with a   
drawing-string1 or armlet4 ,but this    
should only be the case when the arm is 
muscular1 coarse1 or scraggy4  ,when it 
is fair1 smooth1 and round1 it will     
admit of the glove being  pushed down to
 a little above the wrists4    ,there is
 perhaps no single beauty of the female 
form which obtains so  much admiration  
as a well-proportioned foot and ankle4  
,possibly the  liveliness of this       
sentiment may be increased in this      
instance by the  rarity of the          
perfection being found amongst the      
,british fair4    ,there is a je ne sais
 quoi in a fine ankle1 which seems to   
assure the  gazer that the whole of the 

form1 of which it is a sample1 is shaped
  with the same exquisite grace4 ,a     
heavy leg and foot seems to hint that   
the whole of the limbs which the drapery
 conceals are in a gravitating          
proportion with their clumsy            
foundations2 and where we see           
ponderosity  of body1 we are apt to     
conclude that there is equal heaviness  
in mind  and feelings4 ,this may be an  
unjust mode of reasoning1 but it is a   
very  common one2 and so ,i account for 
the general prejudice against any       
unusual weight in the lower extremities4
    ,when we consider that it required  
the famous sculptor of ,greece to       
collect the most beautiful virgins from 
every part of his country  before he    
could find a living model for every part
 of his projected  statue of perfect    
beauty2 when we consider this1 that the 
very native  land of female charms could
 not produce one woman completely       
faultless  in her form--how can we be so
 unreasonable as to demand such         

perfection  in a daughter of ,britain8  
,let not the other sex scrutinize too   
closely1 nor demand that  universal and 
correct symmetry in their wives and     
daughters1 which  was never yet found   
but in the elaborately chiseled models  
of the  sculptor's study4    ,it must   
not1 however1 be presumed from what ,i  
have said1 that the  generality of other
 countries are happier in the beautiful 
formation  of their women's forms than  
,england1 or that the ,british fair are 
at  all more notorious than many other  
nations for heavy feet and legs4 ,so    
far from it1 there are ladies in        
,england with feet and ankles of so     
delicate a symmetry1 that there is      
nothing in modelling or in marble  to   
excel their perfection4 ,but to make a  
display of them--to exhibit  them by    
unusually short petticoats1 and draw    
attention by extraordinary  gay attire1 
is an instance of immodesty and         
ill-taste1 which attracts  contempt     
instead of admiration4 ,men despise her 

for her impropriety1  and envious women 
have a fair subject on which to ground  
their  detractions4    ,in short1 it can
 never be sufficiently inculcated1 that 
modesty is the  most graceful ornament  
of beauty4      8,she that has that1 is 
clad in complete steel40    ,be the foot
 eminently handsome1 or the reverse1 it 
alike requires to be  arrayed soberly4  
,except on certain brilliant occasions1 
its shoe should  be confined to grave   
and clean-looking colors2 of the first1 
black1  grays1 and browns2 of the last1 
white1 nankeen1 pale-blue1 green1 c41   
according to the color of the dress1 and
 the time of day4 ,i should  suppose it 
almost useless to say1 that 7except in a
 carriage7 the dark  colors ought to be 
preferred in a morning4 ,to be sure1    
there is nothing  out of character in   
wearing nankeen shoes or half-boots in  
the early  part of the day1 even in     
walking1 provided the other parts of    
your  dress be spotless white1 or of the
 same buff hue4 ,the other delicate     

colors ,i have mentioned above 7,i      
repeat1 except in a carriage7 are       
confined to evening dresses4 ,red       
morocco1 scarlet1 and those very vivid  
hues1 cannot be worn with any propriety 
until winter1 when the color of  the    
mantle or pelisse may sanction its      
fulness4 ,on brilliant assembly  nights1
 or court drawing-rooms1 the spangled or
 diamond-decorated  slipper has a       
magnificent and appropriate effect4 ,but
 for the raiment  of the leg1 we totally
 disapprove1 at all times1 of the much  
ornamented  stocking4    ,the open-wove 
clock and instep1 instead of displaying 
fine proportion1  confuse the contour2  
and may produce an impression of gaiety1
 but  exclude that of beauty1 whose rays
 always strike singly4 ,but if the      
cloak be a colored or a gold one1 as ,i 
have sometimes seen1 how glaring  is the
 exhibition6 how coarse the association 
of ideas it produces  in the fancy6     
,instead of a woman of refined manners  
and polished  habits1 your imagination  

reverts to the gross and revolting      
females  of ,portsmouth-point1 or       
,plymouth-dock2 or at least to the hired
  opera-dancer1 whose business it is to 
make her foot and ankle the  principal  
object which characterizes her charms1  
and attracts the coup  d'il of the whole
 assembly4    ,if ,i may give my fair   
friends a hint on this delicate subject1
 it would  be that the finest rounded   
ankles are most effectually shown by    
wearing  a silk stocking without any    
clock4 ,the eye then slides easily over 
the unbroken line1 and takes in all its 
beauties4 ,but when the ankle is  rather
 large1 or square1 then a pretty        
unobtrusive net clock1 of the  same     
color as the stocking1 will be a useful 
division1 and induce the  beholder to   
believe the perfect symmetry of the     
parts4 ,a very thick leg  cannot be     
disguised or amended2 and in this case  
,i can only recommend  absolute neatness
 in the dressing of the limb1 and       
petticoats so long  that there is hardly

 a chance of its ever being seen4       
,one cause of thick ankles in young     
women is want of exercise1 and  abiding 
much in overheated rooms4 ,standing too 
long has often the same  effect1 by     
subjecting the limb to an unnatural     
load1 and therefore to  swelling4 ,the  
only preventive1 or cure1 for this      
malady1 is a strict  attention to       
health4 ,you might as well expect to see
 a rose-bush  spring1 bud1 and bloom1 in
 a closely-pent oven1 as anticipate fine
  proportions and complexion from a long
 continuance of the exotic  fashions of 
modern days4    ,if a girl wishes to be 
well-shaped and well-complexioned1 she  
must  use due exercise on foot4         
,horseback is an excellent auxiliary1 as
  it gives much the same degree of      
motion1 with double the animation1  in  
consequence of the change of air1 and   
variation of objects2 but  carriage     
exercise is so little1 that we cannot   
recommend it to any case  that is short 
of an absolute invalid4 ,a woman in     

respectable health  must walk1 to       
maintain her happy temperament4 ,by this
 she will still  more consolidate her   
solids1 and preserve the shape with     
which nature  has kindly endowed her4   
,if it was originally fine1 it will     
remain2  and if it was but ordinary1 it 
will at least save itself from growing  
deformed4          ,,on ,,deportment4   
8,grace was in all her steps1 heaven in 
her eye1    ,in every gesture dignity   
and love40      ,,milton4      ,having  
discoursed so largely on form and       
apparel1 ,i shall now throw  together a 
few hints on that indispensable         
assistant-grace of beauty1  an elegant  
and appropriate air4    ,this subject   
should be particularly considered2 and  
the arguments from  such reflections    
strongly enforced on the attention of   
young women4  ,there is scarcely an     
observer of manners and their effects1  
who will  not maintain that the most    
beautiful and well-dressed woman will   
soon  cease to please1 unless her charms

 are accompanied with the ineffable     
enchantment of a graceful demeanor4 ,a  
pretty face may be seen every  day1 but 
grace and elegance1 being generally the 
offspring of a  polished mind1 are more 
distinguished4    ,while we exult in the
 pre-eminent beauty of our fair         
countrywomen2  while we talk of their   
lilies and roses1 and downy skins2 we   
cannot but  shrink from comparison when 
we bring their manners in parallel with 
the  females of other nations1 who have 
not half their corporeal advantages4    
,i am not going to deny1 that in this   
land of beauty1 7a land to which  a     
certain cardinal1 many centuries ago1   
gave the appellation of the  native     
paradise of angels67 we shall find the  
fair      8,fitted to shine in courts1  
or walk the shade1    ,with innocence   
and contemplation join'd40    ,there are
 many lovely women of all ranks in      
,england who merit this  encomium3 but  
,i am not writing an eulogium on these  
happy exceptions2  ,i feel it my duty to

 admonish the general race of my female 
contemporaries4 ,to the rising          
generation ,i especially address myself2
  and when the young belle in her teens 
listens to the suggestions of           
experience1 perhaps the advice may not  
be quite so unpalatable1 when  she      
understands that it comes from one who  
has studied the graces  at more than one
 of the courts of the ,bourbons2 and1   
since their  dispersion1 has followed   
the flight of elegance wherever it was  
to be  found4    ,the awkward1 reserved 
air of the early part of the last       
century  has given way1 not to grace and
 frankness1 but to an unblushing        
impudence1 which is the very assassin of
 female virtue and connubial  honor4    
,think not ,i am too severe1 ye         
indulgent mothers6 regard me  not as a  
cynic1 ye thoughtless daughters of      
imitation6 ,i mean not to  arraign your 
hearts1 but your manners2 ,i seek to    
pluck the garb of  ,phryn from your     
chaste and ,christian shoulders4 ,who1  

that is an  actress1 when called upon to
 perform the part of spotless ,virginia1
  would rush upon the stage half naked1 
dancing1 rolling her eyes as  if        
intoxicated1 and flirting with every    
officer of the pretorian  guard who     
crossed her path8 ,in such a case should
 we not call the  actress mad8 or say1  
8,if such were ,virginia1 he performed a
 rash and  unnecessary act1 who avenged 
the insulted person of such a wanton on 
the first magistrate of ,rome60    ,yet 
such ,virginias are our ,virginias6 and 
to see a modest1 abashed1  retiring1    
blushing girl enter one of our          
assemblies1 is as uncommon a  sight as  
now and then an embassy from a foreign  
land4 ,the modern taste  for exhibitions
 of all kinds is the chief source of    
this depravity2  a girl is no longer    
taught to dance that she may move easily
 in the  occasional festivities of her  
neighborhood1 and enjoy the graceful    
exercise of a birth-day or a race ball1 
without annoying the movements  of her  

companions4 ,no6 these are not          
sufficient3 she takes her lessons  of   
the corps de ballet1 that she may       
present herself in the ball-room  or on 
a stage2 and while the motions of her   
limbs1 and the exposure  of her person1 
scandalize every discreet matron        
present1 she believes  herself the      
object of general admiration1 the very  
ne plus ultra of  the art4 ,in like     
manner1 her musical talents are         
cultivated4 ,she does  not learn to     
compose1 with her sweet lullaby1 the    
unquiet hours of  old age or of         
sickness1 to rest and sleep3 enough for 
her relations1  father1 brothers1       
husband1 that she practises all day the 
crude and  disagreeable parts of her    
lessons4 ,it is for the guest1 the gay  
assembly1 the concert of amateurs1 that 
she reserves her harmonies2  and to them
 she sings and plays till she believes  
herself the tenth  muse1 and them her   
adorers4    ,can we be surprised that   
from such an education should be        

produced the  vain1 the conceited1 the  
presumptuous1 the impudent8    ,to check
 this growing evil1 by showing the young
 candidate for  admiration what is      
8woman's best knowledge and her praise20
 to show her  what is indeed the proper1
 the graceful1 the winning deportment1  
is the  design of these few following   
pages2 and ,i trust that my young reader
  will receive them as the admonition of
 a tender and experienced parent1  and  
not allow 8a mother's precepts to be    
vain60    ,having laid it down as a     
first principle1 that no demeanor1      
whether  in a princess or a country     
girl1 can be becoming that is not       
grounded  in feminine delicacy1 ,i shall
 proceed to show1 that a different      
deportment is expected from different   
persons4 ,certain characteristics  of   
persons are suited to certain styles of 
manner2 and also the same  demeanor does
 not agree as well with the steward's   
daughter as the  squire's bride4    ,as 
in a former chapter ,i have             

particularized the dresses which are    
adapted to the gay and the grave1 so in 
the next ,i propose pointing out  the   
appropriate miens which belong to the   
various degrees of beauty and  classes  
of society4          ,,peculiarities    
,,in ,,carriage ,,and ,,demeanor4       
8,by her graceful walk1 the ,queen of   
,love is known40      ,,virgil4      ,as
 order is the beautiful harmonizer of   
the universe1 so consistency is  the    
graceful combiner of all that is in     
woman to perfection4    ,in reference to
 this sentiment1 her manners must bear  
due affinity  with her figure1 and her  
deportment with her rank4 ,the youthful 
and  delicate-shaped girl is allowed a  
gaiety of air which would ill become  a 
women of maturer years and larger       
proportions2 but at all times of  life1 
when the figure is slender1 a swan-like 
neck1 and the motions  are naturally    
swaying1 for that girl1 or that woman1  
to affect what  is called a majestic    
air1 would be as unavailing as absurd4  

,it is  not in the power of a figure so 
constructed ever to look majestic4  ,by 
stiffening her joints1 walking with an  
erect mien1 and drawing up  her neck1   
she would certainly be upright2 she     
would seem to have had  a determined    
dancing-master1 who1 in spite of nature 
and grace1 had  made her hold up her    
head2 but she would never look like     
anything  but a stiff1 inelegant        
creature4 ,the character of these slight
 forms  corresponds with their          
resemblances in the vegetable world3 the
  aspen1 the willow1 bend their gentle  
heads at every passing breeze1  and     
their flexible and tender arms toss in  
the wind with grace and  beauty3 such is
 the woman of delicate proportions4 ,she
 must enter a  room either with the     
buoyant step of a young nymph1 if youth 
is her  passport to sportiveness2 or1 if
 she is advanced nearer the meridian  of
 life1 she then may glide in1 with that 
ease of manner which gives  play to all 
the graceful motions of her elegantly   

undulating form4 ,for  her to crane up  
her neck1 would be to change its fine   
swan-like bend  into the scraggy throat 
of the ostrich3 all her movements should
 be of  a flexible character4 ,her mode 
of salutation should be rather a bow    
than a courtesy2 and when she sits1 she 
should model her easy attitude  rather  
by the ideas of the painter1 when he    
would pourtray a reclining  nymph1 than 
according to the lessons of the         
grace-destroying governess1  who would  
marshal her pupils on their chairs like 
a rank of drilled  recruits4 ,in short1 
for a slender or thin woman1 to be stiff
 at any  time1 is1 in the first case1 to
 render of no effect the advantages of  
nature2 and1 in the next1 to increase   
and aggravate her defects1 by  making it
 more conspicuous by a constrained and  
ridiculous carriage4    ,though we      
cannot unite the majestic air which     
declares command with  this easy1       
nymph-like deportment1 the dignity of   
modesty may be its  inseparable         

companion4 ,the timid1 the retreating   
step2 the downcast  eye2 the varying    
complexion1 8blushing at the deep regard
 she draws60  all these belong to this  
class of females2 and they are charms so
  truly feminine1 so exquisitely lovely1
 that ,i cannot but place them  with    
their counterpart1 the ethereal form1 as
 the perfection of female  beauty4      
,the woman whose figure bears nature's  
own stamp of majesty1 is  generally of a
 stately make2 her person is squarer1   
and has more of  embonpoint than the    
foregoing4 ,the very muscles of her neck
 are so  formed as to show their        
adaptation to an erect posture4 ,there  
is a  sort of loftiness in the natural  
movement of her head1 in the high  swell
 of her expansive bosom4 ,the step of   
this woman should be grave  and firm3   
her motions few and commanding2 and the 
carriage of her  head and person erect  
and steady4 ,an excess in stateliness   
could not  have any worse effect on her1
 than perverting the majesty of nature  

into the haughtiness of art4 ,we might  
admire or revere the first2 the  last we
 would probably resent and detest4 ,the 
dignified beauty must  therefore beware 
of overstraining the natural bent of her
 character3 it  is like the bombast of  
exalted language which never fails to   
lose its  aim1 and engender disgust4 ,we
 might laugh at a delicate girl1 so far 
exaggerating the pliancy of her form and
 ease of manners1 as to twist  herself  
into the thousand antics of a           
,columbine3 she aims at pleasing  us1   
and though she chooses the wrong method1
 we will not frown1 but  only smile at  
the ridiculous exhibition4 ,but when a  
majestic fair one  presumes to arrogate 
an undue consequence in her air1 it is  
not to  gratify our senses that she     
assumes the extraordinary diadem3 and1  
irritated at the contempt her greatness 
would wish to throw upon us  inferior   
personages1 we treat her like an        
usurper2 and1 armed with a  sense of    
injustice1 we determine to pull her at  

once from her throne4    ,the easy1     
graceful air1 we see1 belongs           
exclusively to the slender  beauty1 and 
the moderated majestic mien to a greater
 embonpoint4    ,there is a race of     
women whose persons have no determined  
character4  ,these must regulate and    
adopt their demeanors according to the  
degrees  in which they approach the two 
before-mentioned classes4 ,but in all   
cases1 let it never be forgotten1 that a
 too faint copy of a model is  better   
than an overcharged one4 ,excess is     
always bad4 ,moderation never  offends4 
,by falling easily into the degree of   
undulating grace1 or the  dignified     
demeanor which suits your character1 you
 merely put on the  robe which nature   
designed1 and the habit will be fit and 
becoming4    ,but when the nymph-like   
form assumes a regal port1 or a         
commanding  dame pretends to 8skip and  
play10 the affectation on both sides is 
equally absurd3 discords of this kind   
are ever ridiculous and odious4         

,besides these1 there are affectations  
of other descriptions1 of equal  folly  
and bad effect4 ,some ladies1 to whom   
nature has given a good  sight1 and     
lovely orbs to look through1 must needs 
pretend a kind  of half-blindness1 and  
they go peeping about through an        
eye-glass1  dangling at the end of a    
long gold chain1 hanging at their necks4
 ,not  content with this affectation of 
one defect1 they assume another1 and    
lisp so inarticulately1 that hardly     
three words in a sentence are           
intelligible4 ,all such follies as these
 are not more a death-blow to  all      
respect for the novice that plays them  
off1 than they are sure  antidotes to   
any charms she may possess4 ,simplicity 
is the perfection  of form2 simplicity  
is the perfection of fine dressing2     
simplicity is  the perfection of air and
 manners4    ,in the details of         
carriage1 we must not omit a due        
attention to gait1  and its accompanying
 air4 ,we find that it was 8by her      

graceful walk  the ,queen of ,love was  
known60 ,in this particular1 the ,french
 women far  exceed us4 ,pope observes1  
that 8they move easiest who have learnt 
to  dance40 ,and it is the step of the  
highly-accomplished dancer that we  see 
in the generality of well-bred          
,frenchwomen2 not the march of the      
military sergeant1 which is the usual   
study with our pedestrian ,graces4      
,there is a buoyant lightness1 a        
dignified ease in the walk of a lady1   
who has been taught the use of her limbs
 by a fine dancer1 which is  never seen 
in her who has been drilled by the      
halbert1 and told to  stand at ease with
 her hands resting on her stomach1 as if
 reposing  on the trigger of her        
fire-lock4 ,such a way as we have fallen
 upon  to teach our daughters the       
graceful step of the ,queen of ,love1   
is1  indeed1 so singular1 that until    
another race of ,amazons arise1 to whom 
military tactics may be useful1 we have 
no chance of any imitators4  ,indeed1   

the marching walk of ,englishwomen is so
 ridiculous1 even in the  eyes of their 
own countrymen1 that ,i remember of     
being one day in ,st4  ,james's ,park1  
with one of these female recruits1 when 
a sentinel1 with  a humorous gravity1   
struck his musket to her as she passed4 
,both in the case of air and gait1 it is
 necessary to begin early  to train the 
person and the limbs to the ease and    
grace you wish4  ,it is difficult to    
straighten the stem long left to diverge
 into  irregular wildness2 but the      
tender tree1 pliant in youth1 needs only
  the directing hand of a careful       
gardener to train it to symmetry and    
luxuriance4    ,many of the naturally   
most pleasing parts of the female shape 
have  ,i seen assume an appearance      
absolutely disgusting2 and all form an  
outre air1 vulgar manners1 or hoydening 
postures4 ,the bosom1 which  should be  
prominent1 by a lounging attitude1 sinks
 into slovenly  flatness1 rounding the  
back1 and projecting the shoulders6 ,on 

the one  side1 ,i have seen a           
finely-proportioned figure transform    
herself  into a perfect fright by this  
awkward neglect of all propriety and    
grace2 and1 on the other1 ,i am         
acquainted with a lady1 whose beauty1   
taken in the common acceptation of the  
word1 would not obtain her a  second    
look1 but in the elegance of her        
manners1 in the dignity of  her         
carriage1 in the taste and disposition  
of her attire1 and in the  thousand     
inexpressible charms which distinguish  
the gentlewoman1 she is  so powerful    
that none can behold her without        
captivation4    ,a late author1 in a    
work entitled1 8,remarks on the ,english
 and ,french  ,ladies10 very ably points
 out the superior attention which the   
women  of ,france pay to the cultivation
 of their air and manners2 and he       
proceeds1 with no inconsiderable degree 
of eloquence1 to exhort the  ,british   
fair not to lose1 by a careless neglect1
 the advantages which  nature has given 

them over the belles of la grande       
nation4    8,it must not be dissembled10
 says this writer1 8that our much fairer
  countrywomen 7the ,english7 are too   
often apt to forget that native  charms 
may receive considerable improvement by 
attending to the  regulation of carriage
 and motion4 ,they ought to be reminded1
 that  it is chiefly by an attention of 
this kind1 that the ,frenchwomen1       
though unable to rival them in such     
exterior perfections as are the  gift of
 nature1 attain1 however1 to a degree of
 eminence in other  accomplishments1    
that effaces the recollection of their  
inferiority  in personal charms40 ,he   
proceeds to observe1 that 8the          
gracefulness of  a ,french lady's step  
is always a subject of high commendation
 in the  mouth even of ,frenchmen20 and 
again he says1 8conscious where their   
advantage lies1 they spare no pains to  
improve that grace of manner1  that fund
 of vivacity1 which are in their nature 
so agreeable1 and  which they know so   

well how to manage to the best effect40 
,my intimacy with the ,french manners   
makes me quote these short extracts     
with greater pleasure2 and as ,i bear   
witness to the truth of their  evidence1
 ,i hope that an amiable ambition will  
unite in the breasts  of the ,british   
fair1 to rise as much superior to their 
,french rivals  in all feminine graces1 
as our ,british heroes are to the       
,french on  the seas6 ,we shall then see
 cultivated understandings1 unaffected  
cheerfulness1 and manners of an         
enchantment not to be exceeded by the   
fairest sorceresses in beauty and grace4
    ,sorceresses ,i would make you1 my  
gentle friends2 but your spells  should 
be those of nature and of virtue4 ,while
 ,i exhort you to preserve  your persons
 in comeliness1 to array yourselves in  
elegance and sweet  attractive grace1 ,i
 would not lead you to believe1 that    
these are  all your charms2 that these  
are sufficient 8to take the captive soul
  of love1 and lap it in ,elysium60 ,no2

 woman was created for higher           
attainments2 many a heart was formed to 
pant for dearer joys than  these can    
produce4 ,woman must1 in every respect1 
and at all times1  regard her form as a 
secondary object2 her mind is the point 
of her  first attention2 it is the      
strength of her power2 the part that    
links  her with angels2 and1 as such1   
she must respect1 cultivate1 and exalt  
it4    ,but as these familiar pages are 
expressly intended as a little treatise 
on the dress of these admirable         
qualities1 ,i do not suppose it         
demanded of me to enter so minutely into
 the subject of mind1 as ,i  otherwise  
should have esteemed it my duty4 ,we    
have before admitted1  that while on    
this earth wandering amongst the erring 
and voluptuous  sons of men1 virtue must
 be clad in an attractive garb1 else few
  will love her for herself4 ,to this   
end1 then1 like ,solon of ,athens1  ,i  
give the best directions the inmates of 
this gay world are capable  of          

receiving--though1 perhaps1 not the best
 ,i could lay down4 ,i would  win the   
too earth-clinging soul by his senses1  
to give up his sensual  enjoyments1 and1
 caught by earthly charms1 see and feel 
his connexion1  and leaving the grosser 
part1 aspire to mingle being with those 
alone  which partake of immortality4    
,it is not by the showy attire of       
meretricious splendor1 by the  seductive
 air of ,sybaritical refinement1 that ,i
 would effect this4 8,it  is good that  
virtue keep ever with its like60 my     
means should ever be  consistent with   
their object4 ,so1 with me1 beauty1     
elegance1 and grace1  should be the only
 pleaders for the empire of morals and  
religion4 ,on  these principles1 as ,i  
am aware that the most estimable and    
amiable  qualities adorn the wives and  
daughters of our isle1 ,i cannot but be 
the more solicitous that their outward  
deportment and appearance should        
exhibit a fair specimen of their inward 
worth4    8,an upright heart1 and       

sensibility of soul1 are doubtlessly the
 most  noble qualifications of the fair 
sex4 ,these1 ,englishwomen possess in   
an eminent degree4 ,but there are       
lighter1 and perhaps more catching      
attractions1 which1 though they will not
 bear a competition1 are  nevertheless  
great smoothers of the rough passages of
 life1 and very  necessary conducives to
 social happiness40    ,it is the       
opinion of wiser heads than mine1 that  
no circumstance1  however trifling in   
itself1 should be neglected1 which      
strengthens  the bonds of an honorable  
and mutual attachment2 and so great is  
the  privilege allowed for this purpose1
 that it is deemed laudable in woman  to
 collect into herself all the innocent  
advantages1 mentally and  corporeally1  
which may render her most admirable and 
precious in the  eyes of him who may be1
 or is1 her husband4    ,this latter    
sentiment reminds me to impress upon my 
young friend1 that  there are shades of 
demeanor which must be varied according 

to the  sex1 degree1 and affinity of the
 persons with whom she converses4 ,to   
men of all ranks and relations1 she must
 ever hold a reserve on certain         
subjects1 and indeed on almost every    
occasion1 that she does not deem        
necessary to observe with regard to her 
own sex4 ,to inferiors of both  sexes   
she must ever preserve a gracious       
condescension2 but to the men a  certain
 air of majesty must be mixed with it1  
that she need not assume  to the women4 
,to her equals1 particularly of the male
 sex1 her manners  must never lose sight
 of a dignity sufficient to remind them 
that she  expects respect will be joined
 with probable intimacy4 ,in short1 no  
intimacy should ever be so familiar as  
to allow of any infringement  on the    
decent reserves which are the only      
preservers of refinement in  friendship 
and love4 ,what are called cronies      
amongst girls1 are among  the worst of  
connexions1 as they generally are the   
very hotbeds of  fancified love-fits1   

secrecies1 and really vulgar            
tale-bearing4      8,celestial          
friendship6    ,whene'er she stoops to  
visit earth1 one shrine    ,the goddess 
finds1 and one alone1    ,to make her   
sweet amends for absent ,heaven1--      
,the bosom of a friend1 where heart     
meets heart1    ,reciprocally soft--    
,each other's pillow to repose divine60 
,this friendship is indeed the gift of  
,heaven--a boon more precious than  much
 fine gold2 but it is not usually to be 
found in school cronies1  or in the     
confidence of misses1 whose unbosomings 
usually consist of  flirtations1        
complaints against parents and          
guardians1 and schemes  for future      
parties of pleasure4 ,friendship is too 
sacred for these  pretenders2 under her 
influence1 8heart meets heart10 and     
acknowledges  her as the pledge of      
,heaven to man1 of immortality1 and     
endless joys4  ,to such an intimate your
 whole soul may be laid open4 ,but such 
an  intimate is rare4 ,you may meet her 

once in the shape of a female  friend1  
and in that of a tender husband6 ,but   
believe not that her  appearance will be
 more frequent4 ,hers are 8like angels' 
visits1 few  and far between60 ,earth   
would be too much like heaven were it   
otherwise4    ,to the generality1 then1 
of your equals1 while you are affable   
and  amiable with them all1 you must be 
intimate with few1 and preserve an      
ingenuous reserve with most4 ,show them 
your sense of propriety demands  a      
certain distance1 and with redoubled    
respect they will yield what you        
require4 ,with men of your acquaintance1
 you ought to be more reserved  than    
with women4 ,but while ,i counsel such  
dignity of manners1 you  must not       
suppose that ,i mean starchness1        
stiffness1 prudery2 ,i only  recommend  
the modesty of the virgin--the sober    
dignity of matron years4    ,the present
 familiarity between the sexes is both  
shocking to  delicacy1 and to the       
interests of women4 ,woman is now       

treated by the  generality of men with a
 freedom that levels her with the       
commonest  and most vulgar objects of   
their amusements4 ,she is addressed as  
unceremoniously1 treated as cavalierly1 
and left as abruptly1 as the  veriest   
puppet they could pick up at a          
,bartholomew ,fair4    ,we no longer see
 the respectful bow1 the look of polite 
attention1 when  a gentleman approaches 
a lady4 ,he runs up to her2 he seizes   
her by the  hand1 shakes it roughly1    
asks a few questions1 and1 to show that 
he has  no interest in her answers1     
flies off again before she can make a   
reply4    ,to cure our coxcombs of this 
conceited impertinence1 ,i would        
strongly  exhort my young and lovely    
readers4 ,when any man1 who is not      
privileged  by the right of friendship  
or of kindred1 to address her with an   
air of  affection1 attempts to take her 
hand1 let her withdraw it immediately1  
with an air so declarative of           
displeasure1 that he shall not presume  

to repeat the offence4 ,at no time ought
 she to volunteer shaking hands  with a 
male acquaintance1 who holds not any    
particular bond of esteem  with regard  
to herself or family4 ,a touch1 a       
pressure of the hands1 are  the only    
external signs a woman can give of      
entertaining a particular  regard for   
certain individuals2 and to lavish this 
valuable power of  expression upon all  
comers1 upon the impudent and           
contemptible1 is an  indelicate         
extravagance which1 ,i hope1 needs only 
to be exposed to be  put forever out of 
countenance4    ,as to the salute1 the  
pressure of the lips--that is an        
interchange  of affectionate greeting1  
or tender farewell1 sacred to the       
dearest  connexions alone4 ,our         
parents--our brothers--our near         
kindred--our  husband--our lover1 ready 
to become our husband1--our bosom's     
inmate1  the friend of our heart's      
core--to them are exclusively           
consecrated  the lips of delicacy1 and  

wo be to her who yields them to the     
stain of  profanation6    ,by the last  
word1 ,i do not mean the embrace of     
vice1 but merely that  indiscriminate   
facility which some young women have in 
permitting what  they call a            
good-natured kiss4 ,these good-natured  
kisses have often  very bad effects1 and
 can never be permitted without injuring
 the fine  gloss of that exquisite      
modesty1 which is the fairest garb of   
virgin  beauty4    ,i remember the      
,count ,m----1 one of the most          
accomplished and handsomest  young men  
in ,vienna4 ,when ,i was there1 he was  
passionately in love with  a girl of    
almost peerless beauty4 ,she was the    
daughter of a man of  great rank and    
influence at court2 and on these        
considerations1 as well  as in regard to
 her charms1 she was followed by a      
multitude of suitors4  ,she was lively  
and amiable1 and treated them all with  
an affability  which still kept them in 
her train1 although it was generally    

known  that she had avowed a            
predilection for ,count ,m4 and that    
preparations  were making for their     
nuptials4 ,the ,count was of a refined  
mind and  delicate sensibility4 ,he     
loved her for herself alone--for the    
virtues  which he believed dwelt in a   
beautiful form2 and1 like a lover of    
such  perfections1 he never approached  
her without timidity1 and when he       
touched her1 a fire shot through his    
veins that warned him never to  invade  
the vermilion sanctuary of her lips4    
,such were the feelings1  when one night
 at his intended father-in-law's1 a     
party of young people  were met to      
celebrate a certain festival4 ,several  
of the young lady's  rejected suitors   
were present4 ,forfeits were one of the 
pastimes1 and  all went on with the     
greatest merriment1 till the ,count was 
commanded  by some witty mademoiselle to
 redeem his glove by saluting the cheek 
of his intended bride4 ,the ,count      
blushed1 trembled1 advanced to his      

mistress1 retreated1 advanced again--and
 at last1 with a tremor that  shook     
every fibre in his frame1 with a modest 
grace he put the soft  ringlet which    
played upon her cheek to his lips1 and  
retired to demand  his redeemed pledge  
in evident confusion4 ,his mistress     
gaily smiled1  and the game went on4    
,one of her rejected suitors1 but who   
was of a  merry unthinking disposition1 
was adjudged1 by the same indiscreet    
crier of the forfeits1--8as his last    
treat before he hanged himself10  she   
said1--to snatch a kiss from the lips of
 the object of his recent  vows--       
8,lips whose broken sighs such fragrance
 fling1    ,as ,love had fanned them    
freshly with his wing60    ,a lively    
contest between the lady and the        
gentleman lasted for a  minute2 but the 
lady yielded1 though in the midst of a  
convulsive  laugh4 ,and the ,count had  
the mortification1 the agony1 to see the
 lips1  which his passionate and        
delicate love would not allow him to    

touch1  kissed with roughness and       
repetition by another man1 and one whom 
he  despised4 ,without a word1 he rose  
from his chair1 left the room--and  the 
house2 and1 by that good-natured kiss1  
the fair boast of ,vienna  lost her     
husband and her lover4 ,the ,count never
 saw her more4           ,,on ,,the     
,,management ,,of ,,the ,,person ,,in   
,,dancing1 ,,and ,,in ,,the ,,exercise  
,,of   ,,other ,,female                 
,,accomplishments4      ,on with the    
dance6 let joy be unconfined4           
,childe ,harold4      ,it is vain to    
expend large sums of money and large    
portions of time in  the acquirement of 
accomplishments1 unless some attention  
be also paid  to the attainment of a    
certain grace in their exercise1 which  
though a  circumstance distinct from    
themselves1 is the secret of their      
charms  and pleasure-exciting quality4  
,as dancing is the accomplishment most  
calculated to display a fine  form1     
elegant taste1 and graceful carriage1 to

 advantage2 so towards  it1 our regards 
must be particularly turned2 and we     
shall find that  when ,beauty1 in all   
her power1 is to be set forth1 she      
cannot choose a  more effective         
exhibition4    ,by the exhibition1 it   
must not be understood that ,i mean to  
insinuate anything like that scenic     
exhibition which we may expect  from    
professors of the art1 who often1       
regardless of modesty1 not only  display
 the symmetry of their persons1 but     
indelicately expose them1  by most      
improper dresses and attitudes1 on the  
public stage4 ,what ,i  propose by      
calling dancing an elegant mode of      
showing a fine form to  advantage1 has  
nothing more in it1 than to teach the   
lovely young woman  to move             
unembarrassed and with peculiar grace   
through the mazes of a  dance1 performed
 either in a private circle1 or public  
ball4    ,it must always be remembered1 
and it cannot be too often repeated1    
8,that whatever it is worth while to do1

 it is worth while to do  well40        
,therefore1 as all times and nations    
have deemed dancing a  salubrious1      
decorous1 and beautiful exercise1 or    
rather happy pastime  and celebration of
 festivity1 ,i cannot but regard it with
 particular  complacency4 ,dancing      
carries with it a banquet1 alike for    
taste and  feeling4 ,the spectator of a 
well-ordered ,english ball sees1 at one 
view1 in a number of elegant young      
women1 every species of female          
loveliness4 ,he beholds the perfection  
of personal proportion4 ,they  are      
attired with all the gay habiliments of 
fashion and of fancy2 and  their        
harmonious and agile movements unfold to
 him1 at every turn1 the  ever-varying1 
ever-charming grace of motion4    ,thus 
far his senses only are gratified4 ,but 
the pleasure stops not  there4 ,his best
 feelings receive their share also4 ,he 
looks on each  gay countenance1 he sees 
hilarity in every step2 he listens to   
their  delightful converse1 communicated

 by snatches2 and1 with a pleasure      
sympathizing with theirs1 he cannot but 
acknowledge that dancing is  one of the 
most innocent and rational1 as well as  
the most elegant1  amusements of youth4 
,it is indeed the favorite pastime of   
nature4 ,we find it in courts1 we  meet 
it on the village green4 ,here the      
rustic swain whispers his ardent  suit  
to his blushing maid1 while his beating 
heart bounds against hers  in the swift 
wheel of the rapid dance4 ,there the    
polished courtier  breathes a soft sigh 
into the ear of the lady of his vows1 as
 he and  she timidly entwine their arms 
in the graceful allemande4 ,but dancing 
has been appropriated to higher purposes
 than these2 it formed a part  of the   
religious ceremonies of the ,jews4      
,in every age of fashion but the        
present1 dancing was as much expected   
from young persons of both sexes1 as    
that they should join in smiles  when   
mutually pleased4 ,in days of yore1 in  
the most polite eras of  ,greece and    

,rome1 and of the chivalrous ages1 we   
find that dancing was  a favorite       
amusement with the first ranks of men4  
,kings1 heroes1 and  unbearded youth1   
alike mingled in the graceful exercise4 
,even in our  own island1 we read of the
 splendid balls given by our            
,plantagenets and  ,tudors2 and that    
every prince and nobleman contended in  
happy rivalry  who should best acquit   
themselves in the dance4 ,here it was   
that the  royal ,harry lost his heart to
 the lovely ,anna ,bullen1 and in such  
scenes did the gallant lords of his     
virgin daughter's court breathe out     
their souls at the feet of ,british     
beauty4    ,such was the court of       
,england6 but now1 where is 8the merry  
dance1  the mirth-awakening viol80 ,in  
vain our princes led forth their royal  
sisters and the fairest ladies in the   
land to celebrate1 with festive  steps1 
the birth-day2 our noble youth1 smit    
with a love of grave folly1  abandon the
 ball for the gaming-table4 ,the elegant

 society of the fair  is disregarded and
 exchanged for fellowship with grooms   
and masters  of the whip4 ,shame on     
them6 ,i cannot descant farther on such 
vulgar  desertion of all that is lovely 
and decorous4    ,besides the royal     
brothers1 a few yet remain amongst the  
young men of  our higher ranks1 who1 in 
this respect1 set a worthy example to   
the  youth of inferior stations2 and    
them we still meet at the assemblies of 
taste1 moving with propriety and        
elegance in the social dance4 ,to make  
acceptable partners in the minuet1      
cotillon1 c4 with these yet loyal       
votaries of ,terpsichore1 ,i beg leave  
to offer a few hints to my gentle       
readers4    ,extraordinary as it may    
seem1 at a period when dancing is so    
entirely  neglected by men in general1  
women appear to be taking the most pains
  to acquire the art4 ,our female youth 
are now not satisfied with what  used to
 be considered a good dancing-master2   
that is1 one who made  teaching his sole

 profession2 but now our girls must be  
taught by the  leading dancers at the   
opera-house4    ,the consequence is1    
when a young lady rises to dance1 we no 
longer see  the graceful1 easy step of  
the gentlewoman1 but the labored1 and   
often  indelicate exhibition of the     
posture-mistress4--,dances from ballets 
are introduced2 and instead of the      
jocund and beautifully-organized        
movements of hilarity in concord1 we are
 shocked by the most  extravagant       
theatrical imitations4 ,the chaste      
minuet is banished2 and1  in place of   
dignity and grace1 we behold strange    
wheelings on one leg1  stretching out   
the other till our eye meets the garter2
 and a variety  of endless contortions1 
fitter for the zenana of an ,eastern    
satrap1  or the gardens of ,mahomet1    
than the ball-room of an ,englishwoman  
of  quality and virtue4    ,these ballet
 dances are1 we now see1 generally      
attempted4 ,i may say  attempted1 for   
not one young woman in five hundred1    

can1 from the  very nature of the thing1
 after all her study1 perform them      
better than  could be done any day by   
the commonest figurante on the stage4   
,we all  know1 that to be a fine        
opera-dancer1 requires unremitting      
practice1  and a certain disciplining of
 the limbs1 which hardly any private    
gentlewoman would consent to undergo4   
,hence1 ladies can never hope to  arrive
 at any comparison with even the poorest
 public professor of the  art2 and      
therefore1 to attempt the extravagancies
 of it1 is as absurd  as it is          
indelicate4    ,the utmost in dancing to
 which a gentlewoman ought to aspire1 is
 an  agile and graceful movement of her 
feet1 an harmonious motion with her     
arms1 and a corresponding easy carriage 
of her whole body4 ,but1 when  she has  
gained this proficiency1 should she find
 herself so unusually  mistress of the  
art as to be able1 in any way1 to rival 
the professors  by whom she has been    
taught1 she must ever hold in mind1 that

 the same  style of dancing is not      
equally proper for all kinds of dances4 
,for instance1 the ,english             
country-dance and the ,french cotillon  
require  totally different movements4 ,i
 know that it is a common thing to      
introduce all the varieties of          
opera-steps into the simple figure of   
the former4 ,this ill-judged fashion is 
inconsistent with the character  of the 
dance1 and consequently so destroys the 
effect1 that no pleasure  is produced to
 the eye of the judicious spectator by  
so discordant  an exhibition4 ,the      
characteristic of an ,english           
country-dance is  that of gay           
simplicity4 ,the steps should be few and
 easy1 and the  corresponding motion of 
the arms and body unaffected1 modest1   
and  graceful4    ,before ,i go further 
on the subject1 ,i cannot but stop a    
little to dwell  more particularly on   
the necessity there is for more         
attention than we  usually find paid to 
the management of the arms1 and general 

person1 in  dancing4    ,in looking on  
at a ball1 perhaps you will see that    
every woman1 in a  dance of twenty      
couple1 moves her feet with sufficient  
attention to  beauty and elegance2 but1 
with regard to the deportment1 of the   
rest  of the person1 most likely you    
will not discover one in a hundred who  
seems to know more about it than the    
most uncultivated damsel that ever      
jogged at a village wake4    ,i cannot  
exactly describe what it is that we see 
in the carriage of  our young ladies in 
the dance2 for it is difficult to point 
out a want  by any other expression than
 a negative4 ,but it is only requisite  
for  my readers to recall to memory the 
many inanimate1 ungraceful forms1  from 
the waist upwards1 that they nightly see
 at balls1 and ,i need not  describe    
more circumstantially4    ,for these    
ladies to suppose that they are fine    
dancers because they  execute a variety 
of difficult steps with ease and        
precision1 is a  great mistake4 ,the    

motion of the feet is but half the art  
of dancing2  the other1 and indeed the  
most conspicuous part1 lies in the      
movement  of the body1 arms1 and head4  
,here elegance must be conspicuous4     
,the body should always be poised with  
such ease as to command a power  of     
graceful undulation1 in harmony with the
 motion of the limbs in the  dance4     
,nothing is more ugly than a stiff body 
and neck during this  lively exercise4  
,the general carriage should be elevated
 and light2  the chest thrown out1 the  
head easily erect1 but flexible to move 
with every turn of the figure2 and the  
limbs should be all braced and  animated
 with the spirit of motion1 which seems 
ready to bound through  the very air4   
,by this elasticity pervading the whole 
person when the  dancer moves off1 her  
flexible shape will gracefully sway with
 the  varied steps of her feet2 and her 
arms1 instead of hanging loosely by  her
 side1 or rising abruptly and squarely  
up to take hands with her  partner1 will

 be raised in beautiful and harmonious  
unison and time  with the music and the 
figure2 and her whole person will thus  
exhibit  to the delighted eye perfection
 in beauty1 grace1 and motion4    ,this 
attention to the movement of the general
 figure1 and particularly  to that of   
the arms 7for with them is the charm of 
elegant action17  though1 in a moderated
 degree1 is equally applicable to the   
,english  country dance and the ,scotch 
reel1 as to the minuet1 the cotillon1   
and  other ,french dances4    ,a general
 idea of natural grace1 in all dances1  
being laid down as a  first principle in
 this elegant art1 ,i shall suggest a   
few remarks on  the leading characters  
of each style2 and from them1 ,i hope1  
my fair  friends will be able to gather 
some rules which may serve them as      
useful auxiliaries to the lessons of    
their dancing-master4    ,the ,english  
country-dance1 as its very name implies1
 consists of  simplicity and            
cheerfulness2 hence the female who      

engages in it1 must  aim at nothing     
more1 in treading its easy mazes1 than  
executing a few  simple steps with      
unaffected elegance4 ,her body1 her     
arms1 the turn of  her head1 the        
expression of her countenance1 all must 
bear the same  character of negligent   
grace1 of elegant activity1 of decorous 
gaiety4    ,the ,scotch reel has steps  
appropriated to itself1 and in the dance
  can never be displaced for those of   
,france1 without an absurdity too       
ridiculous even to imagine without      
laughing4 ,there are no dancers  in the 
world more expressive of inward hilarity
 and happiness than  the ,scotch are1   
when performing in their own reels4 ,the
 music is  sufficient--so jocund are its
 sounds--to set a whole company on their
  feet in a moment1 and to dance with   
all their might1 till it ceases1  like  
people bit by the tarantula4 ,hence1 as 
the character of reels is  merriment1   
they must be performed with much more   
joyance of manner  than even the        

country-dance2 and1 therefore1 they are 
better adapted1  as society is now      
constituted1 to the social private      
circle1 than to  the public ball4 ,they 
demand a frankness of deportment1 an    
undisguised  jocularity1 which few large
 parties will properly admit2 therefore1
  they are more at home in the baronial 
and kindred-filled hall of the  thane of
 the ,highland clan1 than in the        
splendid and mixed ball-room of  the now
 modish ,anglo-,scottish earl4          
,french dances1 which includes minuets1 
cotillons1 and all the round of  ballet 
figures1 admit of every new refinement  
and dexterity in the  agile art2 and1   
while exhibiting in them1 there is no   
step1 no turn1  no attitude1 within the 
verge of maiden delicacy1 that the      
dancer may  not adopt and practise4     
,i must acknowledge that there is       
something in the harmonious and         
undulating movements of the minuet1     
particularly pleasing to my idea  of    
female grace and dignity2 and ,i        

remember seeing her ,highness the       
,princess de ,p----1 at the court of    
,naples1 go through the minuet de la    
,cour with so eminent a degree of       
enchanting elegance1 that there was  not
 a person present who was not in        
raptures with her deportment4    ,the   
young ,archduke1 ,c----1 of ,a----1 was 
then a youth1 and an incognito  visitant
 with the ,prince de ,v---- ,f----1 and 
he was so charmed with  the dancing of  
her highness1 whose partner was the     
renowned ,general  ,marchese di ,m----1 
that1 in his own heroic manner1 he      
exclaimed to me1  who then sat by his   
side1--8,ah6 madam1 that is more        
interesting than  even the ,pyrrhic     
dance6 ,it reminds me of the beautiful  
movement of the  sun and moon in the    
heavens60    ,the minuet is now almost  
out of fashion1 but we yet have its     
serious  movements in many of the dances
 adopted from the ,french ballet2 and   
in these every gradation of grace1 and1 
if ,i may say it1 sentiment  in action1 

may be discovered4 ,the rapid changes of
 the cotillon  are admirably calculated 
for the display of elegant gaiety2 and  
,i  hope that their animated evolvements
 will long continue a favorite          
accomplishment and amusement with our   
youthful fair4    ,though much of       
graceful display is made in these       
dances1 yet there are  many rivals in   
the cotillon contending for the palm of 
superiority2  and the contest1          
throughout1 if maintained with the      
original elegant  decorum of the design1
 may be continued with undeviating      
modesty and  discretion4    ,but with   
regard to the lately introduced ,german 
waltz1 ,i cannot speak  so favorably2 ,i
 must agree with ,goeth1 when writing of
 the national  dance of his country1    
8that none but husbands and wives can   
with any  propriety be partners in the  
waltz40    ,there is something in the   
close approximation of persons1 in the  
attitudes1 and in the motion1 which ill 
agrees with the delicacy of  woman1     

should she be placed in such a situation
 with any other man than  the most      
intimate connexion she can have in life4
 ,indeed1 ,i have often  heard men1 of  
no very over-strained feeling1 say1     
8that there are very  few women in the  
world with whom they could bear to dance
 the ,german  waltz40    ,the fandango1 
though graceful in its own              
country--because danced1  from custom1  
with as reserved a mind as our maidens  
would make  a courtsy1--is1             
nevertheless1 when attempted here1 too  
great a  display of the person for any  
modest ,englishwoman to venture4 ,it  is
 a solo6 ,imagine what must be the      
assurance of the young woman1  who1     
unaccustomed by the habits of her       
country to such singular  exhibitions of
 herself1 could get up in a room full of
 company1 and1  with an unblushing face1
 go through all the evolutions1         
postures1 and  vaultings1 of the        
,spanish fandango8 ,certainly1 there are
 few discreet  men in ,england who would

 say1 8such a woman ,i should like for  
my wife60    ,the castanets1 which are  
used in this dance1 by attracting       
extraordinary attention1 afford another 
argument against its being  adopted     
anywhere but on the stage4 ,the         
tambourin1 the cymbals1 and all  other  
noisy accompaniments1 in the hands of a 
lady-dancer1 are equally  blameable2 and
 though a woman may1 by their means1    
exhibit her agility  and person to      
advantage1 she may depend on it1 that   
while the artist  only is admired1 the  
woman will sink into contempt2 and that1
 though  she may possibly meet with     
lovers to throw a score of embroidered  
handkerchiefs at her feet1 she will     
hardly encounter one of a thousand  who 
will venture to trust himself to the    
offering her the bond of a  single gold 
ring4    ,the bullero1 another of our   
,spanish importations1 is a dance of so 
questionable a description1 that ,i     
cannot but proscribe it also4 ,it may   
be performed with perfect modesty2 but  

the sentiment of it depends so  entirely
 on the disposition of the dancer1 that 
,delicacy dare hardly  venture to enrol 
herself in its lists1 lest the partner  
chosen for her  might be of a temper to 
turn its gaiety into licentiousness2 to 
produce  blushes of shame where she     
promised herself the glow of pleasure1  
and  send her away from what ought to   
have been an innocent amusement1  filled
 with the bitterness of insulted        
delicacy4    ,in short1 in addressing my
 fair countrywomen on this subject1 ,i  
would  sum up my advice1 in regard to   
the choice of dances1 by warning  them  
against the introduction of new-fangled 
fashions of this sort4  ,let them leave 
the languishing and meretricious        
attitudes of modern  ballet-teachers to 
the dancing-girls of ,india1 or to the  
,circassian  slaves of ,turkey1 whose   
disgraceful business is to please a     
tyrant for  whom they can feel no love4 
,let our ,british fair also turn away   
from the almost equally unchaste  dances

 of the southern kingdoms of the        
continent1 and1 content with  the gay   
step of ,france1 and the active         
merriment of ,scotland1 with  their own 
festive movements1 continue their native
 country balls to  their blameless      
delight1 and to the gratification of    
every tasteful and  benevolent observer4
    ,while thus remarking on the manner 
of dancing1 it may not be  unacceptable 
to add a few words on the dress most    
appropriate to its  light and           
unembarrassed motions4    ,long trains  
are1 of course1 too cumbrous an         
appendage to be  intentionally assumed  
when proposing to dance2 but it must    
also be  remarked1 that very short      
petticoats are as inelegant as the      
others  are inconvenient4 ,scanty       
circumscribed habiliments impede the    
action  of the limbs1 and1 besides their
 indelicacy1 show the leg in the least  
graceful of all possible points of view4
 ,the most elegant attire for  a ball   
is1 that the under garments should be   

absolutely short1 but  the upper one1   
which should be of light material1      
should reach at  least to the top of the
 instep4 ,it should also be sufficiently
 full  to fall easily in folds from the 
waist downwards to the foot4 ,by this   
arrangement1 when the dancer begins her 
graceful exercise1 the drapery  will    
elegantly adapt itself to the motion and
 contour of her limbs2 and  falling     
accidentally on her foot1 or as         
accidentally when she bounds  along1    
discovering1 under its flying folds1 her
 beautifully-turned  ankle4 ,symmetry   
and grace will be occasionally          
displayed1 almost  unconsciously1 and   
thus ,modesty1 taken unawares1 will     
adorn1 with  blushes1 the perfect       
lineaments of female beauty4    ,what   
has been said in behalf of simple and   
appropriate dancing1 may  also be       
whispered in the ear of the fair        
practitioner in music2 and1 by  analogy 
she may1 not unbeneficially1 apply the  
suggestions to her own  case4    ,there 

are many young women1 who1 when they sit
 down to the piano or  the harp1 or to  
sing1 twist themselves into so many     
contortions1 and  writhe their bodies   
and faces about into such actions and   
grimaces1  as would almost incline one  
to believe that they are suffering under
  the torture of the toothach1 or the   
gout4 ,their bosoms heave1 their        
shoulders shrug1 their heads swing to   
the right and left1 their lips  quiver1 
their eyes roll2 they sigh1 they pant1  
they seem ready to  expire6 ,and what is
 all this about8 ,they are merely       
playing a favorite  concerto1 or singing
 a new ,italian song4    ,if it were    
possible for these conceit-intoxicated  
warblers1 these  languishing dolls1 to  
guess what rational spectators say of   
their  follies1 they would be ready to  
break their instruments and be dumb     
forever4 ,what they call expression in  
singing1 at the rate they would  show   
it1 is only fit to be exhibited on the  
stage1 when the character  of the song  

intends to portray the utmost ecstasy of
 passion to a  sighing swain4 ,in short1
 such an echo to the words and music of 
a love  ditty1 is very improper in any  
young woman who would wish to be thought
  as pure in heart as in person4 ,if    
amatory addresses are to be sung1 let   
the expression be in the voice and the  
composition of the air1 not in  the     
looks and gestures of the lady-singing4 
,the utmost that she ought  to allow    
herself to do1 when thus breathing out  
the accents of love1 is  to wear a      
serious1 tender countenance4 ,more than 
this is bad1 and may  produce           
reflections in the minds of the hearers 
very inimical to the  reputation of the 
fair warbler4    ,while touching on     
song1 it may not be unwelcome to my     
truly virgin  readers to have their own 
delicate rejections sanctioned by a     
matron's  judgment against a horde of   
amorous legends1 now chanted forth in   
almost every assembly1 where they put   
their heads4 ,pretty music1 and  elegant

 poetry1 seem sufficient excuses to     
obtain1 in these days1 not  only pardon1
 but approbation1 for the most          
exceptionable verses that  can fall from
 the pen of man4 ,such madrigals are now
 sung with equal  applause by mother and
 daughter1 chaste and unchaste2 all     
unite in  shamelessly breathing forth   
words1 7and with appropriate            
languishments  too17 which hardly would 
become the lips of a ,thais6 ,libertines
 may  feel pleasure in such             
exhibitions--men of principle must turn 
away  disgusted4    ,set then this music
 of ,paphos far aside2 instead of songs 
of wantons1  if we are to have amatory  
odes1 let us listen to the chaste       
pleadings  of a ,petrarch1 to the mutual
 vows of virtuous attachment4 ,my young 
friend may then sing with downcast eyes 
and timid voice1 but no blush  needs to 
stain her cheek--no thrill of shame     
shake her bosom4 ,she  merely chants of 
nature's feelings2 and ,modesty veiling 
the sensibility  she describes1 angels  

might 8lean from heaven to hear40    ,by
 this slight sketch1 my dear readers    
will perceive that ,i mean  simplicity  
to be the principle and the decoration  
of all their  actions2 as it should     
pervade them in the dance1 so it should 
imbue  their voice and action in playing
 and in singing4    ,let their attitude 
at the piano or the harp be easy and    
graceful4 ,i  strongly exhort them to   
avoid a stiff1 awkward1 elbowing        
position at  either2 they must observe  
an elegant flow of figure at both4 ,the 
latter  certainly admits of most grace1 
as the shape of the instrument is       
calculated1 in every respect1 to show a 
fine figure to advantage4 ,the  contour 
of the whole form1 the turn and polish  
of a beautiful hand and  arm1 the       
richly-slippered and well-made foot on  
the pedal stops1 the  gentle motion of a
 lovely neck1 and1 above all1 the       
sweetly-tempered  expression of an      
intelligent countenance2 these are shown
 at one glance  when the fair performer 

is seated unaffectedly1 yet gracefully1 
at the  harp4    ,similar beauty of     
position may be seen in a lady's        
management of a  lute1 a guitar1 a      
mandolin1 or a lyre4 ,the attitude at a 
pianoforte1  or at a harpsichord1 is not
 so happily adapted to grace4 ,from the 
shape of the instrument1 the performer  
must sit directly in front of a         
straight line of keys2 and her own      
posture being correspondingly erect  and
 square1 it is hardly possible that it  
should not appear rather  inelegant4    
,but if it attain not the ne plus ultra 
of grace1 at least  she may prevent an  
air of stiffness2 she may move her hands
 easily  on the keys1 and bear her head 
with that elegance of carriage which    
cannot fail to impart its own character 
to the whole of her figure4  ,one of the
 most graceful forms that ,i ever saw   
sit at an instrument1  is that of ,st4  
,cecilia1 painted by ,sir ,joshua       
,reynolds1 playing on  the organ4 ,it is
 the portrait of the late ,mrs4 ,r4 ,b4 

,sheridan2 and1  from the simplicity of 
the attitude1 and the graceful elevation
 of the  head1 it is1 without exception1
 one of the most interesting pictures ,i
  ever beheld4 ,a living instance of    
what beauty and grace1 elegance and     
propriety combined1 can do1 has always  
been admired in the ,marchioness  of    
,d---- by all those who ever had the    
felicity to see and hear her  at the    
piano2 an engraving of her portrait1 in 
that attitude1 would  teach every female
 lover of the art unaffected elegance1  
much more  effectually than all that the
 advices and ability of masters can ever
  be able to perform4    ,if ladies1 in 
meditating on grace of deportment1 would
 rather consult  the statues of fine    
sculptors1 and the figures of excellent 
painters1  than the lessons of their    
dancing-masters1 or the dictates of     
their  looking-glasses1 we should1      
doubtless1 see simplicity where we now  
find affectation1 and a thousand        
ineffable graces taking place of the    

present rgime of absurdity and conceit4 
,it was by studying the perfect         
sculpture of ,greece and ,rome1 that a  
certain lady of rank1 eminent for her   
peculiarly beautiful attitudes1         
acquired so great a superiority in mien 
above her fair contemporaries  of every 
court in which she became an inmate4 ,it
 was by meditating on  the classic      
pictures of ,poussin1 that one of the   
first tragic actresses  on the ,french  
stage learnt to move and look like the  
daughter of the  sun4 ,and by a similar 
study1 has our own ,melpomene caught    
inspiration  from the pencil of         
,corregio and ,rubens4    ,glancing at  
the graphic art1 reminds me that some   
degree of proficiency  in this          
interesting accomplishment is also an   
object of study with my  fair young     
countrywomen4 ,i shall not make any     
observation on their  progress in the   
art itself1 but only with regard to     
their manner of  practising it4    ,both
 for health and beauty's sake1 they     

should be careful not to stoop  too     
much1 or to sit too long in the exercise
 of the pencil4 ,a bending  position of 
the chest and head1 when frequently     
assumed1 is apt to  contract the lungs1 
round the back1 redden the face1 and    
give painful  digestions and headach4   
,an awkward posture in writing1 reading1
 or  sewing1 is productive of the same  
bad effects2 and1 what may seem  almost 
incredible1 7but many who have witnessed
 the same1 can1 ,i am  sure1 give their 
evidence in support of my               
representation17 there are  young       
persons1 who1 when writing1 drawing1    
reading1 or working1 keep a  sort of    
ludicrous time with their occupations1  
by making a succession  of unmeaning and
 hideous grimaces4 ,i have seen a pretty
 young woman1  while writing a letter to
 her lover1 draw up her lips1 and twist 
the  muscles of her face in every       
direction that her pen moved2 and so    
ugly  did she look during this          
sympathetic performance1 that ,i could  

not  forbear thinking that1 could her   
swain see the object then dictating  her
 vows1 he would take fright at the      
metamorphosis1 and never be made  to    
believe it could be the same person4    
,mumbling to yourself1 while reading1 is
 also another very inelegant  habit4 ,a 
person should either read determinately 
so much aloud as to  be heard distinctly
 by the company present1 or peruse her  
book without  even moving her lips4 ,an 
inward muttering1 or a silent motion of 
the  mouth1 while reading1 is equally   
unpleasant to the observer1 and         
disfiguring to the observed4    ,in     
short1 there is nothing1 however minute 
in manners1 however  insignificant in   
appearance1 that does not demand some   
portion of  attention from a well-bred  
and highly-polished young woman4 ,an    
author  of no small literary renown1 has
 observed1 that several of the minutest 
habits or acts of some individuals1 may 
give sufficient reasons to  guess at    
their temper4 ,the choice of a gown1 or 

even the folding  and sealing of a      
letter1 will bespeak the shrew and the  
scold1 the  careless and the negligent4 
,this observation ,i have made myself1  
not  only in this1 but in several other 
countries4 ,the ,marchioness of ,b----  
addressed me1 a few years ago1 in a     
letter so cleanly folded1 so  carefully 
sealed1 that ,i was really prejudiced in
 her favor1 ere ,i saw  that my surmises
 were right2 and the flame-color ribbon1
 fluttering  about the ,hon4 ,mrs4 ,d4's
 head1 had given me a foreboding of her 
acrimonious and fiery disposition4      
,these fine and almost imperceptible    
objects are the touches which bring the 
whole to its utmost perfection4  ,they  
are the varnish to the picture1 the     
polish to the gem1 the points  to the   
diamond4    ,i will go further upon this
 subject4 ,the very voice of an         
individual1  the tone she assumes in    
speaking to strangers1 or even          
familiarly to  her friends1 will lead a 
keen observer to discover what elements 

her  temper is made of4 ,the low key    
belongs to the sullen1 sulky1 obstinate1
  the shrill note to the petulant1 the  
pert1 the impatient2 some will          
pronounce the common and trite question 
8how do you do80 with such  harshness   
and raucity1 that they seem positively  
angry with you that  you should ever do 
at all4 ,some effect a lispingness1     
which at once  betrays childishness and 
downright nonsense2 others will bid     
their  words to gallop so swiftly1 that 
the ablest ear is unable to follow the  
rapid race1 and gathers nothing but     
confused and unmeaning sounds4 ,all     
these extremes are to be avoided2 and1  
although nature has differently  formed 
the organs of speech for different      
individuals1 yet there is a  mode to    
correct nature's own aberrations4 ,i    
have heard of sensible  men1 who1 merely
 for the tone of voice which did not    
quite harmonize  with their ears1 have  
dropped their connexion with women1 who1
 in all  other points were              

unexceptionable4    ,admit this1 and    
another salutary truth will be made     
manifest4 ,if  good-breeding and        
graceful refinement are ever most       
proper1 they  are always so4 ,it is not 
sufficient that ,amaryllis is amiable   
and  elegant in her whole deportment to 
strangers and to her acquaintance2  she 
must be undeviatingly so to her most    
intimate friends1 to nearest  relations1
 to father1 mother1 brothers1 sisters1  
husband4 ,she must have  no dishabille  
for them1 either of mind or person4     
,this last word inclines me to pursue   
the hint further2 to exhort my  fair    
readers1 while ,i plead for consistency 
in manners1 also to carry  the analogy  
to dress4 ,if they would always appear  
amiable1 elegant1  and endearing to the 
beings with whom they are to spend their
 lives1  let them always make those     
beings the first objects for whose      
pleasure  their accomplishments1 their  
manners1 and their dress are to be      
cultivated4 ,let them never appear      

before these tender relatives in the    
disgusting negligence of disordered and 
soiled clothes4 ,by this has  many a    
lovely girl lost her lover2 and by this 
has many an amiable wife  alienated the 
affections of her husband4    ,let me1  
then1 in concluding this chapter1 again 
repeat1 that  consistency is the soul of
 female power1 the charm of her         
fascination1  the bond of her social    
happiness4          ,,continuation ,,of 
,,the ,,same ,,subject4      8,observe  
the just gradation of degree40      ,the
 carriage of a woman to her equals being
 founded on a just  appreciation of     
their merits1 and a proper respect to   
herself1 the same  sentiment will be    
found to pervade her conduct to her     
superiors in rank4    ,with regard to   
men1 when they occupy a higher station  
than herself1 she  must proportion      
reverential courtesy to them1 according 
to the rules of  court ceremony4 ,if she
 knows them merely as officers high in  
authority  under the king1 or as nobles 

distinguished by their honors1 her      
manner  must then be of calm1 dignified 
respect4 ,but when she finds that merit 
is yet higher in any of these men than  
his titles1 then1 let her show  the     
homage of the soul1 as well as that of  
the body2 for real greatness  ennobles  
the head which bows4    ,with regard to 
her own sex1 the same rule must be      
observed4 ,there are  certain           
regulations in society which are called 
,laws of ,precedence4  ,they are of as  
much use in maintaining a due and       
harmonious order  amongst civilized men 
and women1 as the law of attraction is  
to  preserve the heavenly bodies in     
their proper orbits4 ,as one star       
differs from another in magnitude and   
splendor1 in proportion to the  destiny 
it hath to fulfil2 so do the talents and
 degrees of men vary  according to the  
allotted duties they have to perform4   
,hence1 as in  astronomy1 we think not  
of despising ,mercury1 because he is not
 as  large as ,saturn1 nor of speaking  

of our own ,earth as a planet of no     
account1 because she has not four moons 
like ,jupiter2 so1 by parity of         
reasoning1 we do not esteem our         
inferiors or equals the less1 because   
they do not fill the first orders in    
society4 ,all ranks have their  proper  
place1 the station in which they can be 
the most useful2 and it  is in          
proportion as they perform their        
respective duties1 that we must  respect
 the individuals4    ,we1 therefore1    
regard society as a grand machine1 in   
which each member  has the place best   
fitted for him2 or1 to make use of a    
more common  illustration1 as a vast    
drama1 in which every person has the    
part  allotted to him most appropriate  
to his abilities4 ,one enacts the       
,king1 others the ,lords1 others the    
,commons2 but all obey the ,great       
,director1 who best knows what is in    
man4 ,regarding things in this  light1  
all arrogance1 all pride1 all envyings  
and contempt of others1  from their     

relative degrees1 disappear1 as emotions
 to which we have no  pretensions4 ,we  
neither endowed ourselves with high     
birth or eminent  talents4 ,we are      
altogether beings of a creation         
independent of our own  will2 and1      
therefore1 bearing our own honors as a  
gift1 not as a right1  we should        
condescend to our inferiors1 7whose     
place it might have been  our lot to    
fill17 and regard with deference our    
superiors1 whom ,heaven1  by so         
elevating1 has intended that we should  
respect4    ,this sentiment of order in 
the mind1 this conviction of the        
beautiful  harmony in a well-organized  
civil society1 gives us dignity with our
  inferiors1 without alloying it with   
the smallest particle of pride2  by     
keeping them at a due distance1 we      
merely maintain ourselves and  them in  
the rank in which a higher ,power has   
placed us2 and the  condescension of our
 general manners to them1 and our       
kindness in their  exigencies1 and      

generous approbation of their worth1 are
 sufficient  acknowledgments of         
sympathy1 to show that we avow the same 
nature with  themselves1 the same       
origin1 the same probation1 the same    
end4    ,our demeanor with our equals is
 more a matter of policy4 ,to be        
indiscreetly familiar1 to allow of      
liberties being taken with your         
good-nature2 all this is likely to      
happen with people of the same  rank    
with ourselves1 unless we hold our mere 
acquaintance at a proper  distance1 by a
 certain reserve4 ,a woman may be gay1  
ingenuous1  perfectly amiable to her    
associates1 and yet reserved4 ,avoid all
  sudden intimacies1 all needless       
secret-telling1 all closeting about     
nonsense1 caballing1 taking mutual      
liberties with each other in regard  to 
domestic arrangements2 in short1 beware 
of familiarity6 ,the kind  of           
familiarity which is common in families1
 and amongst women of the  same classes 
in society1 is that of an indiscriminate

 gossiping2 an  interchange of thoughts 
without any effusion of the heart4 ,then
 an  unceremonious way of reproaching   
each other1 for a real or supposed      
neglect2 a coarse manner of declaring   
your faults2 a habit of jangling  on    
trifles2 a habit of preferring your own 
whims or ease before that of  the       
persons about you2 an indelicate way of 
breaking into each other's  privacy4 ,in
 short1 doing everything that declares  
the total oblivion of  all politeness   
and decent manners4    ,this series of  
errors happens every day amongst        
brothers and sisters1  husbands and     
wives1 and female acquaintances3 and    
what are the  consequences8 ,distaste1  
disgust1 everlasting quarrels1 and      
perhaps  total rupture in the end6    ,i
 have seen many families bound together 
by the tenderest affection2 ,i  have    
seen many hearts wrought into each other
 by the sweet amalgamation  of          
friendship2 but with none did ,i ever   
find this delicious foretaste  of the   

society in ,elysium1 where a            
never-failing politeness was not        
mingled in all their thoughts1 words1   
and actions1 to each other4             
,deportment to superiors must ever carry
 with it that peculiar degree  of       
ceremony which their rank demands4 ,no  
intimacy of intercourse with  them1 no  
friendship and affection from them1     
ought ever to make us  forget the       
certain respect which their stations    
require4 ,thus1 for a  mere gentlewoman 
to think of arrogating to herself the   
same homage of  courtesy that is paid to
 a lady of quality1 or to deny the just 
tribute  of precedence1 in every        
respect1 to that lady1 would be as      
absurd as  presumptuous4 ,yet we see it2
 and ridicule1 from the higher circles1 
is all she derives from her vain        
pretensions4 ,by the same rule1 every   
woman of rank must yield due courtesy to
 those above her1 in the just           
gradation1 according to their elevation 
in the scale of nobility4 ,the  law of  

courts on this subject is soon          
understood1 and1 as a guide to  my young
 readers1 who may not yet have been     
sufficiently informed1 ,i  shall1       
beneath1 give them a list of female     
titles1 according to their  precedence  
in the march of hereditary and other    
honors4 ,i shall begin  with the highest
 rank1 as it is that which1 in all      
public processions1  or in private      
parties1 has the right of standing or   
moving first4    ,as the crown of the   
whole1 ,i set down a ,queen4 ,then      
,princesses4 ,then  follow1 in regular  
order1 ,duchesses1 ,marchionesses1      
,countesses4 ,the  ,wives of the eldest 
sons of ,marquisses4 ,the ,wives of the 
younger sons  of ,dukes4 ,daughters of  
,dukes4 ,daughters of ,marquisses4      
,viscountesses4  ,wives of the ,eldest  
sons of ,earls4 ,daughters of ,earls4   
,wives of the  younger sons of          
,marquisses4 ,baronesses4 ,wives of the 
eldest sons of  ,viscounts4 ,daughters  
of ,viscounts4 ,wives of the younger    

sons of ,earls4  ,wives of the eldest   
sons of ,barons4 ,daughters of ,barons4 
,wives of the  younger sons of          
,viscounts4 ,wives of the younger sons  
of ,barons4 ,wives  of ,baronets4 ,wives
 of ,privy ,counsellors4 ,commoners4    
,wives of ,judges4  ,wives of ,knights  
of the ,garter4 ,wives of ,knights of   
the ,bath4 ,wives of  ,knights of the   
,thistle4 ,wives of ,knights ,bachelors4
 ,wives of ,generals4  ,wives of        
,admirals4 ,wives of the eldest sons of 
,baronets4 ,daughters of  ,knights1     
according to their fathers' precedence4 
,wives of the younger  sons of          
,baronets4 ,wives of ,esquires and      
,gentlemen4 ,daughters of  ,esquires and
 ,gentlemen4 ,wives of ,citizens and    
,burgesses4 ,the ,wives of  ,military   
and ,naval ,officers of course take     
precedence of each other in             
correspondence with the rank of their   
husbands4    ,this scale1 if every young
 lady would bear in mind and conform to 
it1  is a sufficient guide to the mere  

ceremony of precedence2 and would       
effectually prevent those dangerous     
disputes in ball-rooms about  places1   
and those rude jostlings in going in and
 out of assemblies1  which are not more 
disagreeable than ill-bred4 ,it is the  
perfection  of fine breeding to know    
your place1 to be acquainted with that  
of  others2 and to fall gracefully into 
your station accordingly4 ,while  the   
gentlewoman is content to move in the   
train of female honors1  the dignified  
decorum of step forms one graceful link 
in the chain  of society2 but if she    
struggles to get before1 strikes one to 
her  right1 and the other to her left2  
treads down alike her equals and her    
superiors1 in her eagerness for         
pre-eminence2 we fly from the shrew1    
and declare her unworthy of fellowship  
with any class of well-ordered  females4
    ,the deference we pay to superiors1 
our inferiors will refund to  us2 and   
therefore1 if we wish to maintain 8that 
proud submission1  that dignified       

obedience10 which binds the subject1    
through various  gradations1 to the     
sovereign1 we must teach our untractable
 spirits to  bend to the cogent reasons 
and salutary ordinances of high         
authority4    ,women in every country   
have a greater influence than men choose
 to  confess4      8,men's earliest     
words are taught them from her lips40   
,though haughtiness of mind will not    
allow them always to acknowledge  the   
truth1 yet we see the proof in its      
effects2 and1 in consequence1  must     
exhort women1 by yielding their         
deference to the laws of honorary       
precedence1 to teach men to obey them2  
and rather to emulate such              
distinctions1 than seek to pull down the
 possessors to the level of the  common 
herd4          ,,conclusion4      8,can 
comeliness of form1 or shape1 or air1   
,with comeliness of words or deeds      
compare8    ,no6 those at first th'     
unwary heart may gain1    ,but these1   
these only1 can the heart retain40      

,,gay4      ,when so much has been said 
of the body and its accoutrements1 ,i   
cannot  but subjoin a few words on the  
intelligence which animates the frame1  
and of the organ which imparts its      
meaning4    ,connected speech is granted
 to mankind alone4 ,parrots may prate1  
and  monkeys chatter2 but it is only to 
the reasonable being that power of      
combining ideas1 expressing their       
import1 and uttering1 in audible        
sounds1 in all its various gradations1  
the language of sense and  judgment1 of 
love and resentment1 is awarded as a    
gift1 that gives us a  proud and        
undeniable superiority to all the rest  
of the creation4    ,to employ this     
faculty well and gracefully1 is one     
grand object of  education4 ,the mere   
organ itself1 as to sound1 is like a    
musical  instrument1 to be modulated    
with elegance1 or struck with the       
disorderly nerve of coarseness and      
vulgarity4    ,i must add to what has   
been said before on the subject1 that   

excessive  rapidity of speaking is1 in  
general1 even with a clear enunciation1 
very disagreeable2 but1 when it is      
accompanied with a shrill voice1  the   
effect is inexpressibly discordant and  
hideous4 ,the first orator  the heathen 
world ever knew1 so far remedied the    
natural defects of  his speech1 7and    
they were most embarrassing17 as to     
become the most  easy and persuasive of 
speakers4 ,in like manner1 when a young 
woman  finds any difficulty or          
inelegance in her organs1 she ought to  
pay the  strictest attention to rectify 
the fault4    ,should she have too quick
 or encumbered an articulation1 she     
ought  to read with extreme slowness for
 several hours in the day1 and even  pay
 attention1 in speaking1 to check the   
rapidity or confusion of her  utterance4
 ,by similar antidotal means1 she must  
attack a propensity  of talking in a    
high key4 ,better err in the opposite   
extreme1  while she is prosecuting her  
cure1 as the voice will gradually and   

imperceptibly attain its most harmonious
 pitch1 than1 by at first  attempting   
the medium1 most likely retain too much 
of the screaming  key4 ,a clear         
articulation1 a tempered intonation1 and
 in a moderate  key1 are essentials in  
the voice of an accomplished female4    
,her  graceful peculiarities must be the
 gift of nature1 or the effect of       
cultivated taste4 ,fine judgment and    
delicate sensibility are the best       
schoolmistresses on this subject4       
,indeed1 where1 in relation to man or   
woman1 shall we find that an improved   
understanding1 and enlightened  mind1   
and a refined taste1 are not the best   
polishers of manners1 and  in all       
respects the most efficient handmaids of
 the ,muses8    ,let me1 then1 in one   
short sentence1 in one tender adieu1 my 
fair  readers and endeared friends6     
enforce upon your minds1 that if ,beauty
  be woman's weapon1 it must be         
feathered by the ,graces1 pointed by the
  eye of ,discretion1 and shot by the   

hand of ,virtue6    ,look1 then1 my     
sweet pupils1 not merely to your        
mirrors1 when you would  decorate       
yourselves for conquest1 but consult the
 speculum1 which  will reflect your     
hearts and minds4 ,remember that it is  
the affections  of a sensible and       
reasonable soul you hope to subdue1 and 
seek for arms  likely to carry the      
fortress4    ,he that is worthy1 must   
love corresponding excellence4 ,which of
 you  all would wish to marry a man     
merely for the color of his eye1 or  the
 shape of his leg8 ,think not then worse
 of him than you would do  of           
yourselves2 and hope not to satisfy his 
better wishes with the  possession of a 
merely handsome wife4    ,beauty of     
person will ever be found a dead letter1
 unless it be  animated with beauty of  
mind4 8,for 'tis the mind that makes the
 body  rich40 ,we must1 then1 not only  
cultivate the shape1 the complexion1 the
  air1 the attire1 the manners1 but most
 assiduously must our attention  be     

devoted to teach 8the young idea how to 
shoot10 and to fashion the  unfolding   
mind to judgment and virtue4 ,by such   
culture1 it will not be  merely the     
charming girl1 the captivating woman we 
shall present to  the world1 but the    
dutiful daughter1 affectionate sister1  
tender wife1  judicious mother1 faithful
 friend1 and amiable acquaintance4      
,let these1 then1 be fair images which  
will form themselves on the  models     
drawn by my not inexperienced pen6 ,let 
me see ,beauty1 whose soul  is virtue1  
approach me with the chastened step of  
,modesty2 and1 ere  she advances from   
behind the heavenly cloud that envelops 
her1 ,i shall  behold ,love1 and all the
 graces1 hovering in air to adorn and   
attend  her charms4    ,this may be thy 
picture1 lovely daughter of ,albion6    
,make thyself1 then  worthy of the      
likeness1 and thou wilt fulfil the      
fondest wish of thine  unknown friend4  
,,appendix4          ,,on ,,the ,,use   
,,of ,,corsets4      ,the following     

pages are abridged by an eminent        
,english physician from  an ,essay on   
the ,use of ,corsets1 by ,soemmerring1  
the ,german physiologist3    ,fashion   
lives on novelty1 and we have on this   
account much charity for  its wanderings
 and eccentricities4 ,bonnets1 with a   
snout as long as an  elephant's         
proboscis1 or a margin as broad as a    
,winchester bushel1 are  merely         
ridiculous4 ,shoulders that look like   
wings1 and sleeves as wide  as a        
petticoat1 we think are not particularly
 graceful2 but they have  at least the  
merit of being airy1 and we take no     
offence4 ,we cannot1  however1 extend   
our indulgence to the compressed waist1 
which is the  rage at present4 ,we know 
that as often as the waist is lengthened
 to  its natural limits1 this tendency  
to abridge its diameter appears2 and  we
 confess we are puzzled to account for  
the fact2 for surely it is  strange1    
that a permanent prepossession should   
exist in favor of a mode  of dress which

 is at once ugly1 unnatural1 and        
pernicious4 ,were fashion  under the    
guidance of taste1 the principles of    
drapery in painting  and sculpture would
 never be lost sight of in its changes4 
,the clothes  that cover us may be      
disposed in an infinite variety of      
forms1 without  violating those rules   
which the artist is careful to observe4 
,the true  form of the body ought to be 
disclosed to the eye1 without the shape 
being exhibited in all its minuti1 as in
 the dress of a harlequin2  but in no   
case should the natural proportions     
7supposing the figure to  be good7 be   
changed4 ,ask the sculptor what he      
thinks of a fashionable  waist1 pinched 
till it rivals the lady's neck in       
tenuity1 and he will  tell you it is    
monstrous4 ,consult the physician1 and  
you will learn  that this is one of     
those follies in which no female can    
long indulge  with impunity2 for health1
 and even life1 are often sacrificed to 
it4    ,corsets are used partly as a    

warm covering to the chest1 and partly  
to  furnish a convenient attachment to  
other parts of the female dress4  ,this 
is all proper and correct2 but to these 
uses fashion superadds  others1         
originating in fantastical notions of   
beauty4 ,corsets are  employed to modify
 the shape1 to render the chest as small
 below1 and  as broad above1 as         
possible1 and to increase the elevation1
 fulness1  and prominence of the bosom4 
,to show how this affects the condition 
of  the body1 we must begin by giving a 
short description of the thorax or      
chest1 which is the subject of this     
artificial compression4    ,every one   
who has seen a skeleton1 knows that the 
chest consists  of a cavity protected by
 a curious frame-work of bones4 ,these  
are1  #ast1 the back-bone1 7consisting  
of vertebr1 or short bones jointed  into
 one another17 which sustains the whole 
upper part of the trunk2  #b;d1 the     
breast-bone1 about seven or eight inches
 long1 and composed  of three pieces2   

and #c;dly1 the ribs1 of which there are
 generally  twentyfour4 ,the twelve ribs
 on each side are all fixed to the      
back-bone  behind2 seven of these1 the  
seven uppermost1 are also attached to   
the  breast-bone before1 and are1       
therefore1 called true ribs4 ,the eighth
  rib has its end turned up1 and rests  
on the seventh2 the ninth rests  in the 
same way on the eighth2 but the tenth1  
eleventh1 and twelfth  are not connected
 with one another in front at all4 ,the 
fore extremity  of each rib consists not
 of bone1 but of an elastic substance   
called  cartilage4 ,the elasticity of   
this substance1 combined with the       
oblique  position of the ribs1          
constitutes a beautiful provision1 in   
consequence  of which the chest enlarges
 and contracts its volume1 to afford    
free  play to the lungs4    ,we now wish
 to call attention to the form of this  
cavity1 which1 as  we have seen1 is     
surrounded and protected by the         
back-bone1 ribs1 and  breast-bone1 and  

is called the thorax1 or chest4 ,the    
uppermost pair  of ribs1 which lie just 
at the bottom of the neck1 are very     
short2  the next pair is rather longer2 
the third longer still2 and thus they   
go on increasing in length to the       
seventh pair1 or last true ribs1  after 
which the length diminishes1 but without
 materially contracting  the size of the
 cavity1 because the false ribs only go 
round a part of  the body4 ,hence the   
chest has a sort of conical shape1 or it
 may be  compared to the bee-hives used 
in this country1 the narrow or pointed  
end being next the neck1 and the broad  
end undermost4 ,the natural form  of the
 thorax1 in short1 is just the reverse  
of the fashionable shape  of the waist4 
,the latter is narrow below1 and wide   
above2 the former is  narrow above1 and 
wide below4    ,the lower part of the   
thorax is also much more compressible1  
and of  course more easily injured by   
ligatures than the upper4 ,in the upper 
part1 the bones form a complete circle2 

and1 from the small obliquity  of the   
ribs1 this circle presents a great power
 of resistance to  external pressure4   
,but the last five ribs1 called the     
false ribs1  besides being placed more  
obliquely1 become weaker as they        
decrease  in length1 and having no      
support in front1 their power of        
resisting  external pressure is probably
 six times less than that of the true   
ribs4 ,hence ligatures applied to this  
part of the body may contract the       
natural size of the cavity perhaps one  
half4 ,nature1 in this instance1  has   
entrusted the belle with a discretionary
 power1 guarding against  its abuse1    
however1 by severe penalties4 ,if she   
chooses to brave the  consequences1 she 
may always1 with the help of lace and   
cord1 produce  a great change on this   
part of her person4    ,from the great  
care nature has bestowed to strengthen  
the outer shell  of the thorax1 and to  
combine mobility with strength1 we may  
judge of  the importance of the organs  

within1 and of the value of free motion 
to their healthy action4 ,it is a       
further proof of this1 as ,soemmerring  
observes1 that the ribs are the first   
part of the bony frame-work which       
nature forms2 for1 in the unborn child1 
no other bones except those  of the ear 
are so perfect4 ,the contents of the    
thorax are1--first1  the heart1 which is
 the centre of the circulating system1  
and which1  for the sake of its         
metaphorical offices1 every lady must be
 anxious  to keep from injury2--next1   
the lungs1 which occupy by far the      
largest  space1 and of the delicacy of  
whose operations every one may judge4   
,there are1 besides1 either within the  
thorax1 or in juxtaposition with  it1   
the stomach1 liver1 and kidneys1 with   
the sophagus1 the trachea1  or windpipe1
 part of the intestines1 and many       
nerves1 all intimately  connected with  
the vital powers4 ,most of these organs 
are not only of  primary importance in  
themselves1 but1 through the nerves1    

arteries1  c41 their influence extends  
to the head1 and the remotest parts of  
the limbs1 so that when they are        
injured1 health is poisoned at its      
source1 and the mischief always travels 
to other parts of the system4           
,imagine1 now1 what is the consequence  
of applying compression1 by  corsets of 
some unyielding material1 to a cavity   
enclosing so many  delicate organs1     
whose free action is essential to       
health4 ,first1 the  lowest part of the 
shell of the thorax yields most2 the    
false ribs1 and  the lower true ribs1   
are pressed inwards2 the whole viscera  
in this  part of the body1 including    
part of the intestines1 are squeezed    
close  together and forced upwards2 and1
 as the pressure is continued above1    
they are forced higher still4 ,if the   
lacing is carried further1 the          
breast-bone is raised1 and sometimes    
bent2 the collar-bone protrudes  its    
inner extremity2 and the shoulder-blades
 are forced backwards4  ,the under part 

of the lungs is pressed together1 and   
the entrance  of the blood into it      
hindered2 the abdominal viscera1 being  
least  protected1 suffer severely2 the  
stomach is compressed1 its distention   
prevented1 and its situation and form   
changed1 giving rise to imperfect       
digestion2 the blood is forced up to the
 head1 where it generates  various      
complaints2 the liver has its shape     
altered1 and its functions  obstructed2 
the bones having their natural motions  
constrained1  distortion ensues1 and the
 high shoulder1 the twisted spine1 or   
breast-bone1 begins at last to manifest 
itself through the integuments  and the 
clothes4    ,another effect of tight    
corsets1 says the essayist1 is1 that    
those  who have been long so closely    
laced1 become at last unable to hold    
themselves erect1 or move with comfort  
without them1 but1 as is very  justly   
said1 fall together1 in consequence of  
the natural form  and position of the   
ribs being altered4 ,the muscles of the 

back are  weakened and crippled1 and    
cannot maintain themselves in their     
natural  position for any length of     
time4 ,the spine1 too1 no longer        
accustomed  to bear the destined weight 
of the body1 bends and sinks down4      
,where  tight lacing is practised1 young
 women1 from fifteen to twenty years  of
 age1 are found so dependent upon their 
corsets1 that they faint  whenever they 
lay them aside1 and therefore are       
obliged to have  themselves laced before
 going to sleep4 ,for as soon as the    
thorax and  abdomen are relaxed1 by     
being deprived of their usual support1  
the  blood rushing downwards1 in        
consequence of the diminished resistance
  to its motion1 empties the vessels of 
the head1 and thus occasions  fainting4 
8,from #agfj to about #aggj10 says      
,soemmerring1 8it was the fashion in    
,berlin and other parts of ,germany1 and
 also in ,holland a few years  ago1 to  
apply corsets to children4 ,this        
practice fell into disuse1  in          

consequence of its being observed1 that 
children who did not wear  corsets grew 
up straight1 while those who were       
treated with this  extraordinary care1  
got by it a high shoulder or a hunch4   
,many families  might be named1 in which
 parental fondness selected the         
handsomest of  several boys to put in   
corsets1 and the result was1 that these 
alone  were hunched4 ,the deformity was 
attributed at first to the improper     
mode of applying the corsets1 till it   
was discovered that no child  thus      
invested1 grew up straight1 not to      
mention the risk of consumption  and    
rupture which were likewise incurred by 
using them4 ,i1 for my part1  affirm1   
that ,i do not know any woman who1 by   
tight lacing1 7that is1  by artificial  
means17 has obtained #8a fine figure1'  
in whom ,i could  not1 by accurate      
examination1 point out either a high    
shoulder1 oblique  compressed ribs1 a   
lateral incurvation of the spine in the 
form of  an italic ,s1 or some other    

distortion4 ,i have had opportunities of
  verifying this opinion among ladies of
 high condition1 who1 as models  of fine
 form1 were brought forward for the     
purpose of putting me to  silence40     
,young ladies in course of time hope to 
become wives1 and wives to  become      
mothers4 ,even in this last stage1 few  
females have the courage  to resist a   
practice which is in general use1 though
 to them it is  trebly injurious4 ,but  
it is sufficient to glance at this      
branch of  the subject1 on which1 for   
obvious reasons1 we cannot follow our   
medical instructer4 ,it is lamentable1  
however1 that mothers who have          
themselves experienced the bitter fruits
 of tight lacing1 still permit  their   
daughters to indulge in it4 ,there is1  
in truth1 no tyranny like  the tyranny  
of fashion4 8,i have found mothers of   
discernment and  experience10 says      
,soemmerring1 8who predicted that in    
their #beth year1  a hunch would        
inevitably be the lot of their          

daughters1 whom they  nevertheless      
allowed to wear corsets1 because they   
were afraid to make  their children     
singular40    ,but it is time to speak  
of the diseases produced by the passion 
for  slender waists4 8,one is           
astonished10 says ,soemmerring1 8at the 
number  of diseases which corsets       
occasion4 ,those ,i have subjoined rest 
on the  authority of the most eminent   
physicians4 ,tight lacing produces--    
8,headach1 giddiness1 tendency to       
fainting1 pain in the eyes1 pain  and   
ringing in the ears1 bleeding at the    
nose1 shortness of breath1  spitting of 
blood1 consumption1 derangement of the  
circulation1  palpitation of the heart1 
water in the chest1 loss of appetite1   
squeamishness1 eructations1 vomiting of 
blood1 depraved digestion1  flatulence1 
diarrha1 colic pains1 induration of the 
liver1 dropsy1 and  rupture4 ,it is also
 followed by melancholy1 hysteria1 and  
many diseases  peculiar to the female   
constitution1 which it is not necessary 

to  enumerate in detail40    ,but the   
injury does not fall merely on the      
inward structure of the  body1 but also 
on its outward beauty1 and on the temper
 and feelings  with which that beauty is
 associated4 ,beauty is in reality but  
another  name for that expression of    
countenance which is the index of sound 
health1 intelligence1 good feelings1 and
 peace of mind4 ,all are aware1  that   
uneasy feelings1 existing habitually in 
the breast1 speedily  exhibit their     
signature on the countenance2 and that  
bitter thoughts1  or a bad temper1 spoil
 the human face divine of its grace4    
,but it  is not so generally known that 
irksome or painful sensations1 though   
merely of a physical nature1 by a law   
equally certain1 rob the temper  of its 
sweetness1 and1 as a consequence1 the   
countenance of the more  ethereal and   
better part of its beauty4 ,pope        
attributes the rudeness  of a person    
usually bland and polished1 to the      
circumstance1 that 8he  had not dined20 

in other words1 his stomach was in bad  
order4 ,but there  are many other       
physical pains besides hunger that sour 
the temper2 and1  for our part1 if we   
found ourselves sitting at dinner with a
 man whose  body was girt on all sides  
by board and bone1 like the north pole  
by  thick-ribbed ice1 we should no more 
expect to find grace1 politeness1       
amenity1 vivacity1 and good-humor1 in   
such a companion1 than in  ,prometheus  
with a vulture battening on his vitals1 
or in ,cerberus1  whose task is to growl
 all day long in his chains4            
,,on ,,the ,,ladies' ,,passion ,,for    
,,levelling ,,all ,,distinction ,,of    
,,dress4      ,foreigners observe that  
there are no ladies in the world more   
beautiful1 or more ill-dressed1 than    
those of ,england4 ,our countrywomen    
have been compared to those pictures1   
where the face is the work of  a        
,raphael1 but the draperies thrown out  
by some empty pretender1  destitute of  
taste1 and entirely unacquainted with   

design4    ,if ,i were a poet1 ,i might 
observe on this occasion1 that so much  
beauty1 set off with all the advantages 
of dress1 would be too powerful  an     
antagonist for the opposite sex2 and    
therefore it was wisely ordered  that   
our ladies should want taste1 lest their
 admirers should entirely  want reason4 
,but1 to confess the truth1 ,i do not   
find they have greater aversion to  fine
 clothes than the women of any other    
country whatsoever4 ,i cannot  fancy    
that a shopkeeper's wife in ,cheapside  
has a greater tenderness  for the       
fortune of her husband1 than a citizen's
 wife in ,paris2 or  that miss in a     
boarding-school is more an economist in 
dress than  mademoiselle in a nunnery4  
,although ,paris may be accounted the   
soil in which almost every fashion      
takes its rise1 its influence is never  
so general there as with us4  ,they     
study there the happy method of uniting 
grace and fashion1 and  never excuse a  
woman for being awkwardly dressed1 by   

saying her clothes  are in the mode4 ,a 
,frenchwoman is a perfect architect in  
dress2 she  never1 with ,gothic         
ignorance1 mixes the orders2 she never  
tricks out  a squabby ,doric shape with 
,corinthian finery2 or1 to speak without
  metaphor1 she conforms to general     
fashion only when it happens not to  be 
repugnant to private beauty4    ,the    
,english ladies1 on the contrary1 seem  
to have no other standard  of grace but 
the run of the town4 ,if fashion gives  
the word1 every  distinction of beauty1 
complexion1 of stature1 ceases4         
,sweeping trains1  ,prussian bonnets1   
and trollopees1 as like each other as if
 cut from  the same piece1 level all to 
one standard4 ,the ,mall1 the gardens1  
and playhouses1 are filled with ladies  
in uniform2 and their whole  appearance 
shows as little variety of taste as if  
their clothes were  bespoke by the      
colonel of a marching regiment1 or      
fancied by the artist  who dresses the  
three battalions of guards4    ,but not 

only the ladies of every shape and      
complexion1 but of every  age too1 are  
possessed of this unaccountable passion 
for levelling  all distinction in dress4
 ,the lady of no quality travels first  
behind  the lady of some quality2 and a 
woman of sixty is as gaudy as her       
grand-daughter4 ,a friend of mine1 a    
good-natured old man1 amused me  the    
other day with an account of his journey
 to the ,mall4 ,it seems1  in his walk  
thither1 he1 for some time1 followed a  
lady1 who1 as he  thought1 by her dress1
 was a girl of fifteen4 ,it was airy1   
elegant1 and  youthful4 ,my old friend  
had called up all his poetry on this    
occasion1  and fancied twenty ,cupids   
prepared for execution in every folding 
of  her white negligee4 ,he had prepared
 his imagination for an angel's         
face2--but what was his mortification to
 find that the imaginary  goddess was no
 other than his cousin ,hannah1 some    
years older than  himself6    ,but to   
give it in his own words3 8,after the   

transports of our first  salute10 said  
he1 8were over1 ,i could not avoid      
running my eye over  her whole          
appearance4 ,her gown was of cambric1   
cut short before1 in  order to discover 
a high-heeled shoe1 which was buckled   
almost at the  toe4 ,her cap consisted  
of a few bits of cambric1 and flowers of
 painted  paper stuck on one side of her
 head4 ,her bosom1 that had felt no hand
  but the hand of time these twenty     
years1 rose1 suing to be pressed4 ,i    
could1 indeed1 have wished her more than
 a handkerchief of ,paris net1  to shade
 her beauties2 for1 as ,tasso says of   
the rose-bud1 #8,quanto si  nostra men1 
tanto e pin bella4' ,a female breast is 
generally thought  most beautiful as it 
is more sparingly discovered4    8,as my
 cousin had not put on all this finery  
for nothing1 she was  at that time      
sallying out to the ,park1 where ,i had 
overtaken her4  ,perceiving1 however1   
that ,i had on my best wig1 she offered1
 if ,i would  squire her there1 to send 

home the footman4 ,though ,i trembled   
for our  reception in public1 yet ,i    
could not1 with any civility1 refuse2   
so1  to be as gallant as possible1 ,i   
took her hand in my arm1 and thus we    
marched on together4    8,when we made  
our entry at the ,park1 two antiquated  
figures1 so polite  and so tender1 soon 
attracted the eyes of the company4 ,as  
we made our  way among the crowds1 who  
were out to show their finery as well as
 we1  wherever we came1 ,i perceived we 
brought good humor with us4 ,the polite 
could not forbear smiling1 and the      
vulgar burst out into a horse-laugh  at 
our grotesque figures4 ,cousin ,hannah1 
who was perfectly conscious of  the     
rectitude of her own appearance1        
attributed all this mirth to the  oddity
 of mine2 while ,i as cordially placed  
the whole to her account4  ,thus1 from  
being two of the best-natured creatures 
alive1 before we  got half way up the   
,mall1 we both began to grow peevish1   
and like two  mice on a string1         

endeavored to revenge the impertinence  
of others  upon ourselves4 #8,i am      
amazed1 cousin ,jeffery1' says ,miss1   
#8that ,i can  never get you to dress   
like a ,christian4 ,i knew we should    
have the  eyes of the ,park upon us1    
with your great wig1 so frizzled1 and   
yet so  beggarly1 and your monstrous    
muff4 ,i hate those odious muffs4' ,i   
could  have patiently borne a criticism 
on all the rest of my equipage2 but  as 
,i had always a peculiar veneration for 
my muff1 ,i could not forbear  being    
piqued a little2 and throwing my eyes   
with a spiteful air on her  bosom1 #8,i 
could heartily wish1 madam1' replied ,i1
 #8that1 for your sake1  my muff was cut
 into a tippet4'    8,as my cousin1 by  
this time1 was grown heartily ashamed of
 her  gentleman usher1 and as ,i was    
never very fond of any kind of          
exhibition  myself1 it was mutually     
agreed to retire for a while to one of  
the  seats1 and1 from that retreat1     
remark on others as freely as they had  

remarked on us4    8,when seated1 we    
continued silent for some time1 employed
 in very  different speculations4 ,i    
regarded the whole company1 now passing 
in review before me1 as drawn out merely
 for my amusement4 ,for my              
entertainment1 the beauty had1 all that 
morning1 been improving her  charms3 the
 beau had put on lace1 and the young    
doctor a big wig1  merely to please me4 
,but quite different were the sentiments
 of  cousin ,hannah3 she regarded every 
well-dressed woman as a victorious      
rival2 hated every face that seemed     
dressed in good humor1 or wore  the     
appearance of greater happiness than her
 own4 ,i perceived her  uneasiness1 and 
attempted to lessen it1 by observing    
that there was no  company in the ,park 
to-day4 ,to this she readily assented2  
#8and yet1'  says she1 #8it is full     
enough of scrubs of one kind or         
another4' ,my  smiling at this          
observation gave her spirits to pursue  
the bent of  her inclination1 and now   

she began to exhibit her skill in secret
  history1 as she found me disposed to  
listen4 #8,observe1' says she to me1    
#8that old woman in tawdry silk1 and    
dressed out beyond the fashion4  ,that  
is ,miss ,biddy ,evergreen4 ,miss       
,biddy1 it seems1 has money2 and as  she
 considers that money was never so      
scarce as it is now1 she seems  resolved
 to keep what she has to herself4 ,she  
is ugly enough1 you see2  yet1 ,i assure
 you1 she has refused several offers1 to
 my knowledge1  within this twelvemonth4
 ,let me see2--three gentlemen from     
,ireland1 who  study the law1 two       
waiting captains1 her doctor1 and a     
,scotch preacher1  who had liked to have
 carried her off4 ,all her time is      
passed between  sickness and finery4    
,thus she spends the whole week in a    
close chamber1  with no other company   
but her monkey1 her apothecary1 and cat2
 and  comes dressed out to ,park every  
,sunday1 to show her airs1 to get new   
lovers1 to catch a new cold1 and to make

 new work for the doctor4    8#8,there  
goes ,mrs4 ,roundabout1 ,i mean the fat 
lady in the lustring  trollopee4        
,between you and ,i1 she is but a       
cutler's wife4 ,see how  she's dressed1 
as fine as hands and pins can make her1 
while her two  marriageable daughters1  
like bunters in stuff gowns1 are now    
taking  six-penny-worth of tea at the   
,white-conduit house4 ,odious puss1 how 
she waddles along1 with her train two   
yards behind her6 ,she puts me  in mind 
of my ,lord ,bantam's ,indian sheep1    
which are obliged to have  their        
monstrous tails trundled along in a     
go-cart4 ,for all her airs1 it  goes to 
her husband's heart to see four yards of
 good lustring wearing  against the     
ground1 like one of his knives on a     
grindstone4 ,to speak  my mind1 cousin  
,jeffery1 ,i never liked those tails3   
for suppose a  young fellow should be   
rude1 and the lady should offer to step 
back in  the fright1 instead of         
retiring1 she treads upon her train1 and

 falls  fairly on her back2 and then you
 know1 cousin1--her clothes may be      
spoiled4    8#8,ah6 ,miss ,mazzard6 ,i  
knew we should not miss her in the      
,park2 she in  the monstrous ,prussian  
bonnet4 ,miss1 though so very fine1 was 
bred  a milliner2 and might have had    
some custom1 if she had minded her      
business2 but the girl was fond of      
finery1 and1 instead of dressing her    
customers1 laid out all her goods in    
adorning herself4 ,every new gown  she  
put on impaired her credit2 she still1  
however1 went on1 improving  her        
appearance1 and lessening her little    
fortune1 and is now1 you see1  become a 
belle and a bankrupt4'    8,my cousin   
was proceeding in her remarks1 which    
were interrupted by  the approach of the
 very lady she had been so freely       
describing4 ,miss  had perceived her at 
a distance1 and approached to salute    
her4 ,i found  by the warmth of the two 
ladies' protestations1 that they had    
been  long intimate1 esteemed friends   

and acquaintance4 ,both were so pleased 
at this happy rencounter1 that they were
 resolved not to part for  the day4 ,so 
we all crossed the ,park together1 and  
,i saw them into a  hackney-coach at    
,st4 ,james's40      ,,oliver           
,,goldsmith4          ,,recipes4        
,paste of ,palermo4    ,this paste for  
the hands1 to use instead of soap1      
preserves them from  chapping1 smooths  
their surface1 and renders them soft4   
,taken1 pound of soft soap1 half a pint 
of salad oil1 the same quantity  of     
spirits of wine1 the juice of three     
lemons1 a little silver sand1  and a    
sufficient quantity of what perfume     
pleases the sense4 ,the oil  and soap   
must be first boiled together in an     
earthen pipkin4 ,the other  ingredients 
to be added after boiling2 and1 when    
cool1 amalgamate into  a paste with the 
hands4      ,fard4    ,this useful paste
 is good for taking off sunburnings1    
effects of  weather on the face1 and    
accidental cutaneous eruptions4 ,it must

 be  applied at going to bed4 ,first    
wash the face with its usual ablution1  
and when dry1 rub this fard all over it1
 and go to rest with it on the  skin4   
,this is excellent for almost constant  
use4 ,take two ounces of  oil of sweet  
almonds1 ditto of spermaceti2 melt them 
in a pipkin over a  slow fire4 ,when    
they are dissolved and mixed1 take it   
off the fire1 and  stir into it one     
tablespoonful of fine honey4 ,continue  
stirring it till  it is cold1 and then  
it is fit for use4      ,lip ,salve4    
,a quarter of a pound of hard marrow    
from the marrow-bone4 ,melt it over  a  
slow fire1 as it dissolves gradually1   
pour the liquid marrow into an  earthen 
pipkin2 then add to it an ounce of      
spermaceti1 twenty raisins  of the sun1 
stoned1 and a small portion of alcanna  
root1 sufficient to  color it a bright  
vermilion4 ,simmer these ingredients    
over a slow fire  for ten minutes1 then 
strain the whole through muslin2 and1   
while hot1  stir into it one teaspoonful

 of the balsam of ,peru4 ,pour it into  
the  boxes in which it is to remain2 it 
will there stiffen1 and become fit  for 
use4      ,lavender ,water4    ,take of 
rectified spirits of wine half a pint1  
essential oil of  lavender two drachms1 
otto of roses five drops4 ,mix all      
together in a  bottle1 and cork it for  
use4      ,unction de ,maintenon4       
,the use of this is to remove freckles4 
,the mode of application is             
this3--,wash the face at night with     
elder-flower water1 then anoint  it with
 the unction4 ,in the morning cleanse   
your skin from its oily  adhesion1 by   
washing it copiously in rose-water4     
,take of ,venice soap an ounce1 dissolve
 it in half an ounce of  lemon-juice1 to
 which add of oil of bitter-almonds and 
deliquidated oil  of tartar1 each a     
quarter of an ounce4 ,let the mixture be
 placed in the  sun till it acquires the
 consistence of ointment4 ,when in this 
state1  add three drops of the oil of   
rhodium1 and keep it for use4           

,creme de l',enclos4    ,this is an     
excellent wash1 to be used night and    
morning1 for the  removal of tan4       
,take half a pint of milk1 with the     
juice of a lemon1 and a spoonful of     
white brandy1 boil the whole1 and skim  
it clear from all scum4 ,when  cool1 it 
is ready for use4      ,pommade de      
,seville4    ,this simple application is
 much in request with the ,spanish      
ladies1  for taking off the effects of  
the sun1 and to render the complexion   
brilliant4    ,take equal parts of      
lemon-juice and white of eggs4 ,beat the
 whole  together in a varnished earthen 
pipkin1 and set on a slow fire4 ,stir   
the fluid with a wooden spoon till it   
has acquired the consistence of  soft   
pomatum4 ,perfume it with some sweet    
essence1 and before you apply  it1      
carefully wash the face with rice water4
      ,beaume  l',antique4    ,this is a
 very fine cure for chapped lips4 ,take 
four ounces of the oil  of roses1 half  
an ounce of white wax1 and half an ounce

 of spermaceti2  melt them in a glass   
vessel1 and stir them with a wooden     
spoon2 pour it  out into glass cups for 
use4      ,wash for the ,hair4    ,this 
is a cleanser and brightener of the head
 and hair1 and should be  applied in the
 morning4    ,beat up the whites of six 
eggs into a froth1 and with that anoint 
the  head close to the roots of the     
hair4 ,leave it to dry on2 then wash the
  head and hair thoroughly with a       
mixture of rum and rose-water in equal  
quantities4      ,aura and ,cephalus4   
,this curious recipe is of ,grecian     
origin1 as its name plainly  indicates1 
and it is said to have been very        
efficacious in preventing1  or even     
removing1 premature wrinkles from the   
face of the ,athenian fair4    ,put some
 powder of the best myrrh upon an iron  
plate1 sufficiently  heated to melt the 
gum gently1 and when it liquifies1 hold 
your  face over it1 at a proper distance
 to receive the fumes without           
inconvenience2 and that you may reap the

 whole benefit of the  fumigation1 cover
 your head with a napkin4 ,it must be   
observed1  however1 that if the         
applicant feels any headache1 she must  
desist1 as  the remedy will not suit her
 constitution1 and ill consequences     
might  possibly ensue4      ,madame     
,recamier's ,pommade4    ,this was      
communicated by this lady as being used 
in ,france and ,italy1  by those who    
professionally1 or by choice1 are       
engaged in exercises  which require long
 and great exertions of the limbs1 as   
dancing1  playing on instruments1 c4    
,take any suitable quantity of ,axungia 
,cervi1 i4 e4 the fat of a red  stag or 
hart2 add to it the same quantity of    
olive oil1 7,florence oil  is preferable
 to any of the kind17 and half the      
quantity of virgin wax2  melt the whole 
in an earthen vessel1 well glazed1 over 
a slow fire1  and1 when properly mixed1 
leave it to cool4 ,this ointment has    
been  applied also with considerable    
efficacy in cases of rheumatism4      ,a

 ,wash for the ,face4    ,this recipe is
 well known in ,france1 and much        
extolled by the ladies of  that country 
as efficacious and harmless4    ,take   
equal parts of the seeds of the melon1  
pompion1 gourd1 and  cucumber1 pounded  
and reduced to powder or meal2 add to it
 fresh  cream1 sufficient to dilute the 
flour2 beat all up together1 adding  a  
sufficient quantity of milk1 as it may  
be required1 to make an  ointment1 and  
then apply it to the face2 leave it     
there for half an  hour1 and then wash  
it off with warm soft water4      ,a    
,paste for the ,skin4    ,this may be   
recommended in cases when the skin seems
 to get too loosely  attached to the    
muscles4    ,boil the whites of four    
eggs in rose-water1 add to it a         
sufficient  quantity of alum2 beat the  
whole together till it takes the        
consistence  of a paste4 ,this will     
give1 when applied1 great firmness to   
the skin4      ,a ,wash to give ,lustre 
to the ,face4    ,infuse wheat-bran well

 sifted1 for three or four hours in     
white wine  vinegar2 add to it five     
yolks of eggs and a grain or two of     
ambergris1  and distil the whole4 ,when 
the bottle is carefully corked1 keep it 
for  twelve or fifteen days before you  
make use of it4      ,pimpernel ,water4 
,pimpernel is a most wholesome plant1   
and often used on the continent  for the
 purpose of whitening the complexion2 it
 is there in so high  reputation1 that  
it is said generally1 that it ought to  
be continually  on the toilet of every  
lady who cares for the brightness of her
 skin4      ,eau de ,veau4    ,boil a   
calf's foot in four quarts of river     
water till it is reduced to  half the   
quantity4 ,add half a pound of rice1 and
 boil it with crumb of  white bread     
steeped in milk1 a pound of fresh       
butter1 and the whites of  five fresh   
eggs2 mix with them a small quantity of 
camphor and alum1  and distil the whole4
 ,this recipe may be strongly           
recommended2 it is  most beneficial to  

the skin1 which it lubricates and       
softens to a very  comfortable degree4  
,the best manner of distilling these    
ingredients is  in the balneum mari2    
that is1 in a bottle placed in boiling  
water4      ,rose ,water4    ,put some  
roses into water1 add to them a few     
drops of acid2 the  vitriolic acid seems
 to be preferable to any--soon the water
 will  assume both the color and perfume
 of the roses4      ,another4    ,take  
two pounds of rose-leaves1 place them on
 a napkin tied round the  edges of a    
basin filled with hot water1 and put a  
dish of cold water  upon the leaves2    
keep the bottom water hot1 and change   
the water at top  as soon as it begins  
to grow warm2 by this kind of           
distillation you  will extract a great  
quantity of the essential oil of the    
roses by a  process which cannot be     
expensive1 and will prove very          
beneficial4      ,virgin ,milk4    ,a   
publication of this kind would certainly
 be looked upon as an  imperfect        

performance1 if we omitted to say a few 
words upon this  famous cosmetic4 ,it   
consists of a tincture of benjoin1      
precipitated by  water4 ,the tincture of
 benjoin is obtained by taking a certain
 quantity  of that gum1 pouring spirits 
of wine upon it1 and boiling it till it 
becomes a rich tincture4 ,if you pour a 
few drops of this tincture into  a glass
 of water1 it will produce a mixture    
which will assume all the  appearance of
 milk1 and retain a very agreeable      
perfume4 ,if the face is  washed with   
this mixture1 it will1 by calling the   
purple stream of the  blood to the      
external fibres of the epidermis1       
produce on the cheeks a  beautiful rosy 
color2 and1 if left on the face to dry1 
it will render  it clear and brilliant4 
,it also removes spots1 freckles1       
pimples1  erysipelatous eruptions1 c4 c4
 if they have not been of long standing 
on the skin4      ,lavender ,water4     
,take four handfuls of dried lavender   
flowers1 and sprinkle on them  one quart

 of brandy1 the same quantity of white  
wine and rose-water2  leave them to     
remain six days in a large bottle       
well-corked up2 let the  liquor be      
distilled and poured off4               
,sweet-scented ,water4    ,this         
agreeably-scented water is not only a   
pleasant cosmetic1 but also  of great   
use in nervous disorders4    ,put one   
quart of rose-water1 and the same       
quantity of orange-water1  into a large 
and wide-mouthed glass2 strew upon it   
two handfuls of  jessamine flowers1 put 
the glass in the balneum mari1 or on a  
slow  fire1 and when it is distilled1   
add to it a scruple of musk and the     
same quantity of ambergris4      ,eau   
d',ange4    ,pound in a mortar fifteen  
cloves and one pound of cinnamon1 and   
put the  whole into a quart of water1   
with four grains of anniseed2 let it    
stand  over a charcoal fire twentyfour  
hours1 then strain off the liquor1 and  
put it up for use4 ,this perfume is most
 excellent1 and will do well for  the   

hands1 face1 and hair1 to which it      
communicates a very agreeable  scent4   
,remedy for the ,toothache4    ,in two  
drachms of rectified spirits of wine    
dissolve one drachm of  camphire1 five  
grains of prepared opium1 and ten drops 
of oil of box2  mix them well1 and keep 
it well corked for use4 ,if the pain    
arise from  a hollow tooth1 four or five
 drops on cotton to be put into the     
tooth2  or six or seven drops to be put 
on cotton into the ear on the side      
where the pain is felt4 ,should the     
patient not feel easier in a quarter  of
 an hour1 the same may be repeated4 ,it 
has never failed on the second          
application4      ,an excellent         
,eye-,water4    ,take six ounces of     
rectified spirits of wine1 dissolve in  
it one drachm  of camphire1 and half a  
pint of elder-flower water4 ,wash the   
eyes night  and morning with this       
liquid2 it clears the vision1 and       
strengthens the  sight4                 
,dentifrice4    ,the following is one of

 the best recipes for tooth-powder3--   
,take of prepared chalk six ounces1     
cassia powder1 half an ounce1           
orris-root1 an ounce4 ,these are to be  
well mixed1 and may be colored  with red
 lake1 or any other innocent substance1 
according to the fancy  of the user4    
,this dentifrice is to be used with a   
firm brush every  morning2 the teeth    
should also be brushed before going to  
bed1 but it  is seldom necessary to use 
the powder more than once a day4        
,,the ,,end4          ,transcriber's    
,notes    ,minor errors in punctuation  
and spelling have been corrected4