It
is truly a great misery to be taken up with undue solicitude for the
fragile and perishable part of our being; but more especially so,
when such preference is given it by minds which are otherwise noble
and elevated. It is painful to be obliged to confess that many women
of high and cultivated attainments spend a considerable portion of
their life in this futile occupation. It seems incredible that a
ribbon-knot, the color of a robe, or the form of a head-dress, could
become a capital matter for an intelligent creature destined to
contemplate with the angels of heaven the majesty of God.
If there are so few women who enjoy all the advantages of their
happy dispositions and attainments, it is because of their inordinate
love for toilet and fashion; for nothing narrows the mind or
contracts the heart so much as excessive care of the body. When they
neglect the soul, the noblest part of man, she revenges herself of
the insult by concealing all her brilliant qualities, which alone
constitute woman's true beauty and adornment.
It is impossible for a vain or gaudy woman to converse on any
serious matter, but she will talk for whole hours on the form or
quality of a dress; should the conversation happen to turn on a
serious subject, capable of engaging the attention of an elevated
mind, her countenance will soon betray a sense of dissatisfaction and
weariness.
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