Show our young women the young women of america of the present generation seem to have cra cla entirely lost the c capacity for enjoying tile tilo simple ind and inexpensive pleasures which sufficed for their grandmothers grand gnand mothers unless they tiley can live in an atmosphere of constant excitement they are miserable fashion dud and style costly dresses and splendid entertainments palatial residences and alid ambitious equipages equi pages are nn rin longer regarded by them as the luxuries of life but as indispensable necessaries without which existence becomes ahti ahil milia mil mii lation tion and a burden display and extravagance aie aio necessary to enjoyment and an insane disposition to measure tile tilo satisfaction to be derived from any pleasure by its cost pervades all ranks of society the wealthy give themselves up to the semi barbarism of bious living and people or of fowier n loile ate incomes are drawn into te vie terrible vortex by byan an often fatal ambition hence comes the tile fearful annual crop of delai cat ions embezzlements embezzle ments breaches of trust and anti other crimes of a still darker complexion hence in hithe the desperate effort to win fortunes fortune sata at a stroke or by a bold risk to avert impending c fiDanc financial lal lai ruin euln cowd coiro wild speculation t ioni loni gigantic gi 0 gantle s sv sa a gindling schemes and ackless ie gambling to this cause in may moy ay iy be tracee traces liaf half the suicides which have lave bc eromo omo ome so common that they cease to hock fiock ilg UP rhe alic extra extravagance oft of ir rl living iving is answerable in a large n asure for the corruption or of our mals mais m uis als ils on the tile altar of fashion men t py ilk ae cip rne une rifi cc their integrity and iu their virtue unless nil all li ii 11 current testimony as to american manners and morals in this year of our lord 1874 are grossly exaggerated republican new york and republican washington are not far behind the powdered pow pou dered paris of the regent d orleans or th tile tilo libertine london or of charles the second and we feel justified in in declaring that for this tearful fearful condition of things the women of america are mainly responsible As a general tiling men are not egly possessed by that kind of dation which finds its tion in fashionable and costly establishments establishment it is not often that a man of mature years in the possession of the comforts of life is so weak is as to feel miserable because ills his neighbor or his friend lives in a more splendid mansion maintains a more showy establishment or gives more morl magnificent ninn C e ent ut entertainments than lie I 1 can himself afford it is only to the feminine heart that the pomps and vanities are arc so dear is as to laake any sacrifice seem slight that is necessary to compass them it was the social ambition of a wife that not long iong ong ago h induced a member of 0 congress who had borne a spotless reputation to sell hl his influence as a legisla torand left him film with a blasted character c and aud ruined career it was the same fatal thirst for fashionable distinction on the part of a beautiful and accomplished woman that more recently drove a distinguished lawyer and rising statesman to petty frauds upon the department of Justic Justi ethe exposure of which has blighted his future prospects prospect no one on who wilo notes the changes ellan eilan es in our social conditions condition sand and ill in the style of living that have been going on for the last twenty years arid and more especially ally since the close of the war fa caa can it be blind to the rapid demoralization of what are called the upper classes kfouri society springing is as the tile evil undoubtedly does from certain ineradicable tendencies in tn human nature and from causes which are still in inactive active operation it does not seem easy to presen presed prescribe be a remedy the ex exhortations horta borta of the pulpit and the press pres appear to produce no appreciable app effect efi eft act and we have little hope bope of seeing the cur ent en t stemmed until that class of american women who i by their social position and their wealth have the power of setting tile the stamp of fashion upon such su cil ell customs aid and ald usages as they will shall unite to wield that power in restoring the simplicity in dress and the frugality in alvid living which prevailed in the days of ar our grandmothers whether any such united and concerted effort on the part of those by whom alone it can be made successful is a thing that can be regarded as among the hopeful probabilities isa is a problem for tile the solution of which we do not at present feel competent S P f chronic Chroni dc 0 |