Lady Washington's Rebuke

In the jear 1789 General Washington i yiclded to the cali of hia eountrynieu and : bis owu couviotiou of duty to the newboru state, and was inslalled aa ■ deut of tlie young republic. His wife, ] Mrs. Martha Washington - generally ' culled by courtesy Lady Washington - of coime, went up with her hunband to ' the Govornmtuit Jlouse. Sbe was a ' tinni, thoughtful woman, with a great ' blendug of strength, sweetnees, uud ' siuipiieity iu her cliaracter. With tbe ( calm self-possession of a Christian lady ' she eutered on hm' dnties as wife of ibe President, aud, officially, the first j uiau in tbe laud, wliilt; slie continued to : maiiitain o her habita and deportment the siuipiicity of drusa and the siuoerity , of speech (ar nhich t-hu had alwa;j b.etm remarked. At f.rst she waB alraost overwhelmed . with the hosU of viaitors, niany of tbcm : die and fiivcfluus, that she had to receive. Thia was soou brought into rule, i Geuerul WANMQgtál) had a ''recepiiou" on Wednesdays from gue to fiye o'clock, aod his wife on ÏYniays, for the same numler ot hours, dispeusiog wilh asiuucb of mere ceremonial and state as poseible. ..'ilicre were, Lc sever, some ladies wbo wanted more splendor, and they i solved to nsk a Fpecial uadienco, and try to alttr the plans of tbe wife of their illustrious Piesideut. i üue moruing Ütse fair dames appear d at tho Governuieut House; they were I ;ressed out in the utmost gayety and i plendor, as if nature iiad foniied tbem i merely to cany finery and trinkets. i iioudn sparkltd in their Mra aud glit.or d ou their necks. Their bair was putfd out, frizled, crjmped, and tortured n every funu out thát of naitire's eleanee. They wore, alto, bigh , irt'sscs, adorued wilh anificial fljwer nd uodding pluines, and fluí tering i oup, to crown the editii e of hair ivbich 'ai-liion theti decreid should encumber hf ir heads aud bi ains. Their hands w,ere eajblajtoped w;th rings, their wiistu encuoibered with ru,Qlfcf, clacp, aud racelel8. StifiF uaut-lin roee liko foam arouud their uhests and stioulders ; and houüh their rich brocadud eilka feil in costly folds about them, und partially lid e jjreëaure ,that grippcd in tbe ir waidt.1, yet the jicut-up beart bad to yui[ athizc witb tbe oppressed brain, over-weighted with Fashibo's load. Tbey canie ruelling and fin i tering ino '.he presence of the lady they scught. Shu reseivcd theoi in a plainly furnishcd room, ia which sho speal her tnornnge. Wiih dignified courtesy tbe tbougbt'ul neuron r.pse to gr.cajt, iber vis.it,ora ;Ier voll-fikd bsok case - made fo,r u8, , uot siiow. - wh3 beliifd hor ohair; herí table, with her work-batket and materials 'or work, before hor ; and ia her hand were her knitting-ueedles, the useful companio.ns of many lonely hours. Gravely yet moet cavuteaui'Jy she beard tbe remarks which, with faliering speech, they hd ome to make. For they did not find it so etty U speak of uxury and display as du.-ifble, when they wero face to face with the noble woman wbo, through yuars of antiety und prhvation, iiad ministered to tb wantü and mitigatcd the uufferings of the eoldiera durir.g the terrible struggle for iudependence. &omcuow their faces soon lost the detiiiiit air aud vain simper they had woru when ihey first entered her preseoce, aud had deep ned into Meriousuess and re tpectful attenlion, as the wife of Washington, after hearing them, aaid : "Ladiee, you eaine to adviee me, and, as tar aa kiadness prompted you, I am obligcd for the motive, tbough I oannot act on your suggestions. You are all in the blooin of life. Many yeurs, I trust, are befure you. My age, even more, far more than my station, nanotions my giving you some advice. Dtar lndiuH, xuffer the word of ezhortation. Should Ohiistian womeu, bonored wivee and ointhtTH, be content to aim at no higher glory tbau tbat of the insect that putters in the sunbeam, - to be as the fire-fly, or tbe hummiug-bird ? "You spoke of the greatuesa of my husband. His dfar mother ever look ed woll to the ways of her housebold Sbe tuugbt liiin to be industrious by her example, lor her spiuuiu wheel spun tbe clotheH he wnre trom his carlius iI-.ivk ; and she, like myself, loved the kiiitting-neudles." (She looked, as sh spoke at her knitting ) "Ladics, during eight yeurs of cease lees s'ruggle, the women of America - the mothers of the land - pent no mon ey on finery for themselves. They spent all their availablo means in providing clothiog for the army, whicb, hut for that succur, must have pcrihhed iu our j long and bhter wioters. 1 do uot wisb to boast; I did only ujy duty ; nay, I kuow it wus my .privilege, aa Washing tou's wife, to toil for the men undur liis coiumand. I ulways went into winter quarters with liim. In suminer time I ai ui Lis motlier and ruv friendo ware at our Kiiii.ning wlieela. Ouce. iu the winter, I bad eizteen loom under oue roof, all weaving cloth - coarse, indeed, but warm - for the soldier of tho nation. Tru-t me, woinan was made for nobler et. ds thaa merely to display fincry which mars, rather tban iw pro ves, tliu graccs tbat nature bas bestowed." "I know," unid one of tho ladies, thoughtfully, "tbat Mrs. Sarab Buche, the ilaughtor of Dr. Bonjamin Frauklin, oíd ber ornamenta and all tbat she oould possibly spare to commence a fund, wbioh otber ladies in Pbiladulpbia were induced to aid botli by hand and pure. Tbey made, I reraeinber, 2,2t0 ahina io ono scasoii for the army." "Yes, deur young ladies, the ezample of Frunklin's danghtur iufluenced the less thougbtful but uot leas kiad-hearted ladiea ot that city. One fuitbful woumti, - how much be oan do to ubeok the iutiuouce of lusury and folly ! Our oountiy women, btfore the troublos, had grown fund of foreign fuHhiong, aod it wai feared tbat, as we depended for luxui'w op Europe, the patriotic desire for independeuce might be cbeoked bj a cauce so trivial and yet so dangerous as tbe frippery of female fashions. Mri. Warren, I reineiuber, did good service to the cause of iiberty nd truth when, io a poem sbe wrote, she tatirized her euuntry wuuien's love of dreso." "Tbat poem," said another lady, "was one Huggested by tbe ruinurk of a frieod of hers - 'that all articles of foreigu comoieroe sbould be dispenied witb, excepi absolute ueoessarjes.' I remember Mrs. Warreo amusingly pat down a faucied list of anieles au Aiuerican lady eould not dispense witb ; I forget tbe words, but-" "I oan find them," said tbe lady President, reaching ber haod to a book on the sbelves behind ber, and, after a littlo eeurcb, coming to the worde : "An lnvcntory clear Of all she neecis, Laniira offers here : Soine lawns and lutestrlngs, blonde and Mechlin laces, Fringes and jewels, fans and tweezer-cases; Gay cloaks and hats of every shape and size, Scarfs, cnrdinals.and ribbons of all dyes, Willi rutiles stamped, and aprous of tam byur ; Tippcts and huudkerchiefs at least three score ; 4-dd teatbers, furs, rich satina am.1 ducapes, And iieud-iircsses iu pyraniidul simpes, tío weak Lamira and lier wants so lew Who cau refute 't Tluy're but her sex's due. Iu youth, Indeed, an anttquated page Tauglit us tlio threat'uiugs of a líebrew fage 'Galnst wimples mautles, curls, and crisping pina : But rauk not these among our modern sins, Uur mlnda ad majanera are wcll anderTo settle iu a stomacher and hoort." ïhe poor ladies, as the inve:,torj was read over, looked down at tbeir dre$s;s witli dismay. Almost very urticle euumerated ihey were wearing. [mpreseed, not oüended, tbey left the presence of i Le noble inutron, bearing her words in their minJs, and it is to be hoperi, thuir iuflueiice in their hearts ; for she guvo uot merily the precept of the lip, but the esample of hor life. -