Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 July 1875 — Five Flounces. [ARTICLE]

Five Flounces.

I made a call the other day, and found Anna Harper, Mrs. Harper's little daughter, ten years old, looking very sad. She had been crying hard and was still frowning and pouting, so I could not help asking: “ What is the matter with Anna?” '*l am ashamed to tell you,” said her mother. “ You may tell,” cried Anna in an injured tone. “ She is crying because she cannot have five flounces on her dress.” “Yes,” added the little girl, ‘‘when Emma Paul has five, and Eva and Jane Dearborn and ” “ Five flounces!" I exclaimed. “Children often have good reason to cry; but I never before heard of a complaint like this.” “We shall have to give our little daughter to some rich woman,” said her mother gravely; “her papa and I shall hardly be able to keep her.” ‘ But do you mink five flounces will

make up for the papa and mamma which she will lose?” I asked. • . “lam afraid so,” said her mother, “since she is not willing to be gnided by our taste and wishes. We think it wrong to spend so much time and money in dressing up a dress. We want her to be neatly and prettily dressed; but as for dressing up dresses that is quite another matter; we have no time nor money to spare for that.” “ Besides making children look like dolls and rag-babies, peacocks and frights,” I said. Anna began to wipe her eyes. “Neatness, simplicity and good taste are the best dressmakers, and these I always consult in making Anna’s clothes,!’ said her mother. “ Which is the reason her dresses are so becoming to.her,” I added. “People turn away in disgust from children loaded with finery and flounces. They should rather be pitied, I suppose, poor things.” ~ Afterward, when I saw Anna in her new dress, it had not a single flounce, and she looked as fair and sweet as a lily. Our bodies should be nicely cared for; our clothing should be tasteful, neat and becoming; but any dressing which shows it has taken a great deal of time, pains and money to prepare shows that we set a greater value on display than becomes modest and Christian people.— Child’s Paper.