Economy in Dress | AdventAI

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 15, 1869

Economy in Dress.

The elegant and accomplished Miss D., a lady of property, called at the shop and inquired for cambrics, dimity, and other articles of the finest texture. Mrs. W. observed, “I have not any of that quality, but I have such as is good enough for you, my dear Miss D., or for any queen in Europe. I will show them to you and tell you what you can do; you can take them, and I will state what a superior quality will cost, and you can give the balance to the poor.”

She immediately acceded to the proposal, and in about two hours returned with a poor little girl, and told her to look at the cheap calicoes and make her choice. The little girl’s eyes sparkled with an eloquence beyond words, and not really knowing whether to thank Miss D., or the lady of the shop, made two courtesies, and took a heavy bundle with a light heart. Miss D. smiled with ineffable sweetness, and thanked Mrs. W. for her advice, saying, “It has stamped a value on my wardrobe I never shall forget. I think I never shall be extravagant again.” She became a constant customer, and her retrenchments in dress, though hardly visible, I doubt not, gave bread to the hungry, and clothing to the poor.—Tract Magazine, 1826.