Fashions of the Present Age.
[Bro. Smith: From what I have seen among the remnant, as I have passed from place to place, it came to my mind as I read the following, that something might be gathered from it that would serve to admonish many that profess to believe the last message of mercy.—A.] THE more intimately I become acquainted with the genius of fashion, the more I see in it to deplore. I once regarded the evils connected with it as comparatively slight—rather as caricatures to be laughed at than otherwise. They now appear to me in a different light. I cannot resist the conviction that to these evils there is attached a moral character—that as the hot wind of the desert blasts every herb and flower in its path, so the influence of fashion, when it is powerfully exerted in the family constitution, degrades, debases, and blights the heart, and especially the heart of the young. The devotee of fashion can find little or no leisure for the concerns of the soul. None can serve God and fashion. True, every judicious mother knows the evils of inordinate attachment to this idol. But are they all fully aware of the extent of these evils; or, if aware of them, are they sufficiently watchful in guarding their children from the influence of the idol? I think not; and my heart is sad, when I see, as I frequently do, so much apathy on the part of mothers, when they must perceive that their children are breathing the infected atmosphere of fashionable life, which must eventually exert upon the mind and soul an influence for evil which it were impossible to counteract. How often have I heard parents lamenting, with bitter regret, that their daughters had fallen under this influence, and seemed bound by a spell of terrible power, when, if timely counsel had been given, or, what is better, if their children, early in life, had been withdrawn from the sphere of the temptation, it appeared morally certain that they would have escaped. And yet, there are thousands of mere children, scarcely able to speak intelligibly, who are undergoing just the system of education that is fitting them for this condition, directly under the eye, too, of an affectionate, pious mother, who would sacrifice a right eye rather than contribute to her daughter's passion for this idol. The other day I met a lady and her daughter, an only child, not seven years of age, who is now a woman, so far as the world of fashion is concerned. The mother does not see it; but many of her friends are well aware of it, and tremble as they see the daily and hourly illustrations of it. I called the little girl to me, when I noticed the direction which her mind was taking so prematurely, and I said to her, "Ada, if you were rich, what would you do with your money?" "Oh," said she, "I would have a beautiful carriage, lined with crimson velvet, just like Mrs. Bellflower's, and such fine horses, and I would live in a great house, and have ever so many servants. I would have"—and here followed a catalogue of dresses, sufficiently extended and rich to satisfy any reasonable mantua-maker in Paris. One of the dresses, I believe, was to have some six or eight flounces, and to be generously embellished with gold—a dress which was to be worn on state occasions only. "But Ada," I said, "what else would you do with your money? You would not spend it all in this way, would you?" Then followed another list of fashionable articles, such as rich carpets, mirrors, and chandeliers. Oh, such grand parties as she would give! Everybody would be there. There was no place in her mind for anything else. Even the usual establishment of a family of dolls, such as children at this age very naturally delight in, were left entirely out of the inventory. This child's mind had been developed, up to this period in her history, in a fashionable boarding-house, where the conversation, to a great extent, was respecting these details. The child had heard this gossip, and came, logically enough, to the conclusion, that nothing else in the universe was so desirable. [Many children among the remnant, having the society of the youth of worldlings, may come to the same conclusions.] Now it does not require any great shrewdness to see that, unless there is some strong counter influence exerted upon this mind, and exerted speedily, she will enter the vortex of fashion, and be whirled around in it until she is irretrievably lost. The time to save her is passing rapidly away. Why will not that mother see the danger, and act in view of it? Why will not all christian parents take a firm and decided stand against the influence of the fell demon, and resolutely determine to resist his ingress to their firesides, while the hearts of their children are tender and pliable?—Mother's Magazine.