Nor is the school itself, or the mode of treatment there, to be regarded as the source of these ideas and conclusions. The customs of modern society and the taste of modern times are solely in fault. And wherever young ladies are congregated together with the same means of communication as at school, the same results must follow, until the public taste undergoes a material change, or until the women of England have become learned in a higher school of wisdom. ber of polite and refined individuals having combined to attach a high degree of importance to the means of procuring the luxuries of life, all who belong to this class, when compelled to exhibit in public a manifest destitution of such means, regard themselves, and expect to be regarded by others, as having become degraded in the sight of their fellowcreatures, and no longer entitled to their favor or regard. It is of no use asserting that we all know better than to come to this conclusion-that mankind are not so weak, or so unjust-that we With the preparation here alluded to, our young women enter upon social life; and as years roll on, the habits thus acquired of mak-appreciate the moral worth of an individual ing custom and fashion the rule of their lives, strengthen with the establishment of their character, and become as parts of their very being. What then is the consequence of such habits in the day of their adversity, when the diminution of their pecuniary means leaves them no longer the power of conforming to the world they have so loved? The consequence is, that along with many real privations, their ideal sufferings are increased a hundred-fold by the fact that they must dress and live in a manner different from what they have been accustomed to-in short, that they must lose caste. How little has the mere circumstance of relinquishing our luxuries to do with the distress attendant upon the loss of worldly substance! We find every day that persons travelling expressly for enjoyment, joining in social excursions and even seeking the invigoration of their health, and the refreshment of their spirits, from the sea-breezes, or in places of customary resort for the summer months, voluntarily resign more than half their habitual indulgences, and subject themselves, without a murmur, to the occupation of apartments which they would scarcely think possible to be endured for a single day in their native town; and all the while they are perhaps more happy and more cheerful than in their elegant drawing-rooms at home. It is evident, then, that it cannot be their individual share in the gratification of artificial wants, which they find it so heart-breaking to resign. It must be that a certain num beyond the luxuries of his table, or the costliness of his dress. It is easy to say this; but it is not so easy to believe it, because the practical proof of experience is against it. If, for instance, we cared for none of these things, why should the aspect of human life present such a waste of time, and health, and patience, and mental power, and domestic peace, in the pursuit of wealth, when that wealth is expended, as soon as gained, in maintaining an appearance of elegance and luxury before the world? I am not prepared to argue about the benefits resulting from the encouragement of artificial wants, and the increase of luxuries, on the broad scale of national prosperity. There are pens more able and more fit for such a purpose. My narrower views are confined to the individual evils resulting from an overstrained ambition to keep pace with our wealthier associates in our general habits; and I would write with earnestness on this subject, because I believe that in England, at the present time, these evils are of rapidly increasing extent. It may seem unimportant to those who have no experience in these affairs, to speak of the private and domestic disputes arising out of artificial wants, on one side, and inability to provide the demanded supply for them, on the other. Yet what family, in moderate circumstances, has not some record of scenes, alike humiliating to human nature, and destructive to human happiness, in which the ill-judged request, or the harsh denial I do not mean that these miseries arise di our personal appearance, or the furniture of our houses; but when we contemplate the failure of pecuniary means, as it is regarded by the world, and attempt to calculate the immense variety of channels through which the suffering it produces is made to flow, in con the importunate appeal, or the agonizing reply the fretful remonstrance, or the bitter re-rectly from, or are by any means confined to, tort, have not at seasons cast a shade over the domestic hearth, and destroyed the peace of the circle gathered around the social board. It may appear still more like trifling, to speak of the sensations, with which a member of a fallen family regards her dilapidated wardrobe, and looks, and looks in vain for a gar-sequence of the customs and habits of society, ment sufficiently respectable to make her appearance in before a rich relation. Perhaps she has but one-a call has to be made upon a person of distinction, and as she proceeds on her way, eyeing with watchful anxiety every speck and spray that would be likely to reduce her garment below the average of respectability, a storm overtakes her. There are carriages for all who can afford to pay for them, but none for her: and the agony of losing her last claim to gentility takes possession of her soul. The reader may possibly smile at the absurdity of this case. A half-clad savage from some barbarous island, would probably smile, could he be made to understand it. But nothing can be further from exciting a smile than the real sensations it occasions. Nothing can be further from a smile, than the look with which a failing tradesman regards the forlorn condition of his hat, when he dares not brush it, lest he should render its destitution more apparent. Nothing can be further from a smile, than the glance he casts upon his threadbare coat, when he knows of no possible resource in art or nature that can supply him with a new one. And nothing can be further from a smile, than the cold welcome we give to a guest who presents himself unexpectedly, and must, perforce, look in upon the scantiness of our half-furnished table. It is easy to class these sources of disquietude under the head of absurdities, and to call them unworthy of rational beings; but I do believe, there is more real misery existing in the world at the present time, from causes like these, than from all those publicly aknowledged calamities which are more uniformly attributed to the dispensations of Providence. I believe they will be found to extend through every variety of human life, to the utmost range of human feeling. Is it not to escape this suffering that the man of unsound principles too frequently applies himself to dishonorable means that the suicide prepares the deadly draught-and that the emigrant sometimes forsakes his native land, and consigns himself to the solitude of unpeopled wilds?—In short, what more remains within the range of human capability, which man has not done, with the hope of flying from the horrors attendant upon the falling away of his pecuniary means? When the reality of this suffering is acknowledged, as it must be by all who look upon society as it exists at the present moment; the next subject of importance is, to consider how the suffering can be obviated, and its fatal effects upon the peace and happiness of society prevented. The most immediate means that could be made to operate upon woman would unquestionably be by implanting in her mind a deeper and more rational foundation of thought and feeling-to put a stop to that endless variety of ill-natured gossip which relates to the want of elegance, or fashionable air in certain persons' dress and manner of living; so that there should be no questioning, “What will be thought of my wearing this dress again?” "What will Miss P., or Mrs. W. say, if they see our old curtains?" "What can the Johnsons mean by travelling outside ?" "What will the people at church or chapel say, when they see your shabby veil ?" "I positively don't believe the Wilsons can afford a new carpet, or they would surely have one; and they have discontinued their subscription to our book-society." It is neither grateful nor profitable to pursue these remarks any further than as they serve for specimens of that most contemptible of small-talk, which yet exercises a powerful influence over the female mind-so much so, that I have known the whole fabric of a woman's philosophy entirely overthrown, and her peace of mind for the moment destroyed, by the simple question, whether she had no other dress than the one she was so often seen to wear. There is another instance that occurs to me as illustrating, in a striking manner, the subject immediately under consideration: it is that of wearing mourning for a deceased relative. This custom is so generally acknowledged as desirable, that it needs no recommendation from my pen. One would suppose, however, on a superficial view of it, that the wearing of black, as a general costume indicative of the absence of festivity or merriment from the bereaved family, was all that had been originally intended by this custom; and that it should thus become an outward testimony of respect and sorrow for the dead. The fashion of the world, however, has imposed upon this custom, as applies to females, certain restrictions, and additions so expensive in their nature as to render it rather an article of luxury to wear genteel mourning, or that which is indicative of the deepest grief. It interferes but little with the sorrow and seclusion of a recent bereavement, for the mistress of ample means to give orders for an external exemplification of precisely the degree of sorrow supposed to attend upon the loss of a parent, or a distant relative. But when the means of pecuniary expenditure are extremely small, and the materials for appearing properly in public have to be made up at home, and prepared for use within a very limited time, it is evident that greater regard to the sacredness of sorrow would suggest the desirableness of a less elaborate style of dress, or perhaps a dress not absolutely new for the occasion. Ladies, however, and those who have been accustomed to make gentility the primary rule of their conduct, must mourn genteelly; and, conse quently, there are often scenes of bustling preparation, of invention, and studious arrangement-scenes, upon which, if a stranger should look in, he would see an appearance of activity, and interest, almost amounting to amusement, in the very house where the shutters are still closed; and which are wholly at variance with the silence and the sanctity of a deep and solemn grief. Nor is this all. So extremely becoming and lady-like is the fashionable style of mourning, that, under the plea of paying greater respect to the memory of the dead, it has become an object of ambition to wear it in its greatest excellence; and equally an object of dread, and source of humiliation, to be compelled to wear it in an inferior style. Thus, when the loss of a father is attended with the failure of his pecuniary resources, it adds no little to the grief into which his daughters are plunged, to be under the necessity of appearing so soon after their twofold loss, under such an outward sign of poverty as is generally understood by the world to be betrayed by cheap and humble mourning. It is evident that if the preparation of mourning had never been reduced to a system-so many folds of crape for a parent-so many for a sister, and so on-the peculiar style in which it might be made up would never have obtained half its present importance, and respectable women, of fallen fortunes, might then have appeared in public with the credit of paying as much honor to the memory of the dead, as the more wealthy; nay, they might even have been so absorbed in their heartrending loss, and in all the solemn and affecting impressions it was calculated to inspire, as to forget to have any new preparation for the occasion, and might, without loss of respectability, appear again in those accustomed habiliments of darkness and gloom which former instances of family affliction and bereavement had been the means of bringing into use. I mention the instance of mourning, not because it differs materially from many others, but because it appears to me to illustrate clearly and strikingly the degree of shame, and trouble, and perplexity, in which women are involved by the habit of attaching too much importance to the usages of society. I know that it is beneficial to the character and the morals of women, that their good name should be guarded from every breath of reproach; and that the wholesome restrictions of society are absolutely necessary to prevent them from sometimes venturing too far under the influence of generous and disinterested feeling. But my remarks apply exclusively to cases where their moral worth would be established, not endangered; and I would earnestly request my country women to bear in mind the immense difference between deviating from the rules of fashion, and breaking through the wholesome restrictions of prudence. I have spoken in strong terms of the sufferings and inconveniences incident to women, from their slavery to the opinion of the world; but were this consideration all that had to be taken into account, they would unquestionably have a right to adjust the balance, and act according to their own choice. There is, however, a far more important question connected with this subject—and that is, the question of integrity. If there be one moral quality for which England as a nation is distinguished above all others, I should say it was her integrity: integrity in her intercourse with other nations; integrity in the administration of her government and laws; integrity in the sound hearts and honorable feelings of her patriotic sons. And shall her daughters be less solicitous to uphold this high standard of moral worth? They answer "No!" But they are perhaps not all aware of the encroaching and insidious nature of artificial wants, and tastes, and habits, founded upon the fashion of the times rather than upon any lasting principle of right. They are not all aware, that to dress and live beyond their means, is a species of public robbery; and that even if every lawful debt is paid, and the balance struck without injury to character or credit, there are still the poor, the starving, hungry, helpless poor, unsatisfied with bread. They have therefore the strong claims both of justice and benevolence to fulfil, before the integrity of their Christian character can be complete. With regard to general benevolence, and charity to the poor, we are apt to deceive ourselves to an extent which would be beyond our belief, were we not convinced by the observation of every day, that few, very few of those even in the middle ranks of life-few even of those tender-hearted females who are so painfully affected by every exhibition of human misery-do any thing at all commensurate with their means, towards alleviating the suffering which is to be found among the poor. I am not inclined to attach any high degree of merit to the mere act of giving money to the poor, because I esteem it a luxury to be thus instrumental in relieving their pressing difficulties; and I am also in considerable doubt whether this is the best method of relieving them. The point I am about to remark upon, however, is the extreme inconsistency of those longings, so prevalent among ladies, that they could give to the poor, and the lamentations they frequently utter relating to the absolute necessity they are under of not giving more. We find them elegantly dressed, dwelling among costly furniture, and denying themselves nothing which their wealthier neighbors enjoy; and all the while they do so wish they cou.d give more to the poor! I confess it sickens the heart, and wearies the mind, to listen to absurdities like this If these individuals would but let the matter rest, and be content to be fashionable without pretending to be generous, half their culpability would cease to exist. But they go on to explain to you how their station in life, and their credit in society, require them to dress and live in a certain way, and how they consider themselves doing a benefit to their country by their encouragement of its manufactures. It would not be inappropriate to ask them, as they enter a fashionable and expensive establishment to purchase some costly articles of dress, whether they are doing it in reality for the benefit of their country! and there might be seasons when it would be equally appropriate to inquire, whether they prefer their appearance before the world, to the spiritual consolation of having made the injunctions of their blessed Saviour the rule of their conduct. The measure of charity which it is our duty to bestow upon the poor, is a point of very difficult adjustment, as well as the manner we may choose to adopt in the distribution of our means. We cannot properly make ourselves the judge of a brother or a sister, in these respects. But if we have sufficient resources for the purchase of luxuries, it is in vain to pretend that we cannot give to the poor; and if we will not spare a little out of our little, we cannot expect to be believed when we boast of the pleasure it would afford us to be charitable with more. There are noble instances afforded by women in the middle classes of society in England, of what can really be done in the way of benevolence, in a persevering and unobtrusive manner, which it is truly refreshing to the soul to contemplate. And I would earnestly recommend my young country women to look diligently to these, and to ask whether they cannot go and do likewise, rather than to accustom themselves to the dangerous habit of inquiring whether they cannot afford to purchase what is fashionable and becoming to a lady, even when it is not necessary for comfort or respectability. By this means they would at least be able to attain a degree of merit; for if they did not go to the extent of the truly devoted and praiseworthy, they might avoid involving themselves in that interminable chain of expensive contingencies, which are sure to follow, if we set out in life by making it our first object of ambition to stand well with the world, and to accommodate our dress and mode of living to that which is most admired in society. The fallacious mode of reasoning induced by too slavish a conformity to the fashions and the customs of the world, creates an endless series of entanglements most fatally seductive to woman's better feelings. The fact of having, or not having, absolute debts unpaid, seems to be, with most young ladies, the boundary-line of their morality, as relates to their pecuniary affairs; and well would it be if all were strictly scrupulous even to this extent. Within this line, however, there may be deviations from the integrity of a noble, generous, and enlightened mind, which yet the world takes no cognizance of, and which do not materially affect the character, as it is judged of by society in general. I have said that the world is an unjust judge, and in no instance is it more so than in this. The world pays homage to an expensive, elegant, and lady-like appearance,— but it takes little note of the principle that would condemn this appearance, if it could not be maintained without encroachment upon a parent's limited means. The restrictions of civil law refer only to the payment of pecuniary debts; and when these are discharged, we may appear without reproach before society. But happily for us, we have a higher standard of moral duty; and the integrity of the Christian character requires a strict observance of points of conduct unseen by society, and perhaps known only to ourselves, and to the great Searcher of human hearts, by whose judgment we must stand or fall. Reasoning, then, upon these subjects, from higher principles, we clearly perceive that we have no right to indulge ourselves with luxuries, or to purchase the countenance and favor of society, at the expense of a parent's peace, or by the sacrifice of the comforts of his old age. We have no right to encroach upon means not strictly and lawfully our own, even though they should be granted to our necessities, for more than belongs to actual decency of appearance, and sufficiency of subsistence, except in those cases where it is the desire of wealthy friends or relatives that we should be adorned and supplied at their expense. We have no right, and no woman of good feeling would wish to establish a right, to dress and live at the extreme of expenditure which a father, by nothing less than hourly and incessant toil, can obtain the |