Fond love, the gentle vow, the gay desire,
The kind deceit, and still reviving fire;
Silence that speaks with eloquence of eyes,
That captivate the good, the great, the wise,
Languor that fascinates, all conq'ring charms,
That tempts the sage, and e'en the stoic warms.
Yet, Oh! the pride, the glory of our race,
For want of prudence, is the world's disgrace;
Guilt, which in ages past in darkness lay,
Is now the pride and order of the day.
But this degen'racy is big with woe,
To social order a destructive foe;

The race of mankind are by nature frail,
And strong temptations with the best prevail.
Th' enticing ladies who their charms expose,
At once ensnare, and are ensnared by foes;
Each am'rous fop with greedy eyes surveys
Their charms exposed, and covets still to gaze;
This makes the husband soon forget his spouse,
For man is false nor recollects his vows;
With wild inconstancy for all he burns,

Each shameless miss subdues his heart by turns;
He views each true or artificial charm,

These fatal sights his sleeping passions warm:
Seduction is his last resource-hence woe,

Disgrace, and shame o'erwhelm th' ensnaring foe;
And hence, Oh! hence, such num'rous rakes we
And idle women, plung'd in misery:

Hence misses who have scarce twelve winters seer
Become the victims of degen'rate men.

So lost from shepherd, and its mourning dam,
Through some lone desert roves a struggling lamb,
No danger fears, but as she idly strays,
Round every bush the heedless wanton plays,
Till raging wolves the beauteous toy surround,
Or tigers slay her on the crimson ground;
Then from her guiltless heart the purple flows
A precious morsel for the hungry foes.
By dire example ruin'd, thus wretched ligy

Many a youthful dame with streaming eyes;
No more their lips like dewy roses glow,
Their weary eyes no peaceful slumbers know;
But left to strike their pensive breasts in vain,
And curse the authors of their lasting pain,

CHAPTER II.

Miscellaneous and desultory strictures, intended to demonstrate the authenticity of the antecedent arguments, and respectfully submitted to the candid consideration of parents generally,

I HAVE, in the preceding chapter, delineated a few desultory and spontaneous thoughts on fashion. Refinement in composition, or elegance in arrangement, has been no part of my object and design, which are simply to deliver my sentiments unadorned and unadulterated, descending to particulars when necessary, and animadverting on the most popular vices, when introduced on the carpet. My primary object is to be useful, without paying the least regard to the critic's malicious sneers, the debauchee's vindictive frown, or the fashionable dame's consequential declamations. The adulation of perishing mortals, I do not solicit, nor deprecate their censures; for, though I love all men, I fear no man, being perfectly independent in this respect.

A large field for contemplation presents to my view a train of interesting common-place thoughts, connected with my subject, which are so natural, and at the same time so reasonable, that one would suppose it altogether superfluous to suggest them, but if we may judge the people by their relative conduct, we must come to this conclusion, that if they are apprised of these thoughts, and well informed respecting the subject matter of our in

vestigation, they have a queer way of showing their information. For instance, can we, for a moment, suppose, on the most superficial view of the manner in which many parents bring up their children, that they are convinced, when the love of unwarrantable pleasures, imprudent companions, fashionable appendages, however indecent, are allowed to attract the attention, engross the affections, and envelop the practices of children, their degradation, contamination, and, perhaps, even destruction, approaches with long and steady strides. Surely, we cannot believe that they are convinced of this truth, though it is as plain to behold as the beams of the sun in an unclouded atmosphere. We all know, that intemperance, by enervating the mind and debilitating the body, produces a state of wretchedness, while temperance has the contrary effect; and even imprudence in dress, and a deleterious obsequiousness to injudicious as well as indecent fashions, have brought many a young woman, in the meridian of youth, to a premature death, by producing the most destructive disorders; while, on the contrary, the prudent, judicious female, by not listening to the solicitations of wayward fancy, and by refusing to expose her constitution for the gratification of her vanity, and in obedience to the capricious mandates of fashion, lives to become an useful and ornamental member of civil society, the virtuous wife of a reputable husband, the prudent mother of a happy, as well as numerous progeny; and though her personal charms may not be equal to others, yet her virtue more than doubly compensates for it; for virtue, like the shining gold, or glistening jewel, the more it is used, the more resplendent it appears, and a more brilliant radiance it acquires. Thus, the sun, in

his western declination, darts his horizontal beams less glittering, but more captivating, than in his meridian glory, when majestically grand he displays at once his magnitude and beauty. This similitude illustrates the characteristic of an amiable woman, possessed with personal charms in mediocrity, without affectation, but blessed with sentimental charms in superabundance without pedantry. But, to what shall we liken the affected coquette, whose very physiognomy expresses to every beholder the quintessence of vanity and self consequence. Though her beauty transcended that of the sun at noon-day; yet would her affectation and haughtiness draw a veil over it, and excite contempt, instead of admiration, like the sable cloud, that big with showers, shrouds the radiant sun in solemn sadness, and causes a gloom to rest even upon the beauteous flower garden.

We would compare such a one (and many such there are) to a wolf clothed with a lamb's skin. By his mimickry and affectation, the deception is recognized, and he receives contempt and execration.

The horse is a beautiful and useful animal, and is of course admired and esteemed. The leopard is still more beautiful to behold, yet he is viewed with horror, and avoided with dismay. What a pity it is, that the proud and imperious votaries of fashion, while at their toilets, or strutting along the streets, will not ask their own hearts these solemn questions: What are we? Atoms of creation, particles of dust. Where are we? On this terraqueous ball, spending a few revolving moments, as probationary, a countable, and sensitive beings, on whom are bestowed, by the liberal hand of the Architect of Nature, transcend