54 



ask how many ladies can claim the latter title? Can those who have queer tempers? The true 

 gentlewoman is she who understands her position, and conscientiously acts up to it, and it only, 

 and who sets a faultless example to all her inferiors, so as not to lead them astray. 



At a time when there are so many philanthropic people who appear to be desirous to dis- 

 courage vice, this is a question of great importance. The old maxim is that " Prevention is 

 better than cure." Now when it is so conclusively proved that the love of dress often leads to 

 vice, why will not society generally give a helping hand in the right direction and try to put 

 a stop to extravagance in this matter by using some self-denial and showing a good example ? Let 

 those who have wealth, and can afford to spend large sums on dress, expend it on some fabric 

 which cannot be imitated, yet quiet in composition. As it is, one cannot walk along the streets 

 without observing the miserable attempts at fashions totally unsuitable to the wretched wearers; 

 but instead of being treated with scorn and contempt, as they generally are by many who 

 should have set them a better example, they should be subjects of our pity, and we should all 

 consider whether we were not, to a certain extent, to be answerable for the position they 

 occupy, in consequence of our not having set them a better example. 



When one reads the police reports one often sees some wretched man severely punished 

 for striking his wife. Are we to suppose all women are angels? I would like to know in how 

 many cases the man acted as he did under what one would consider the greatest amount of 

 provocation from his victim ? Certainty of punishment is perhaps the greatest deterrent of 

 crime, and I would be the last person to try to excuse any one who deserved punishment, at 

 the same time, where the provocation was great, and had been of frequent occurrence, the pun- 



