wings, and flown away from the presence of envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness.

Again, there is a style of beauty by no means rare, which attracts very much at first sight, but of which we soon weary. The features may be faultless, and nature bountiful in all other respects, and yet the tout ensemble is that of a lovely doll. This is because expression and mind are wanting; and those fruits of the spirit, to which I have already called your attention, are not there.

To you, then, my young friends, who are beautiful, I would say, be thankful for the gift, but do not value it beyond its real worth. Bear in mind that accident or disease may, at any moment, bereave you of it; and that, even taken at its best, "such treasures are but fleeting."

And you, my young friends, whom nature has not so richly endowed, let me remind you that you are spared many a temptation and many a snare; and that that higher class of beauty-the beauty of goodness and the beauty of holiness— is still within your grasp.

There is yet one other point in connection with beauty, on which I must say a few words ere I close this chapter; and glad indeed should I be,

were the advice I am about to offer, needless. It is on that prevalent practice of the present day, of using powders and paints and lotions, to what is called "improve the complexion and conceal blemishes." Were these things had recourse to only by the old and the middle-aged, I need not allude to them here; but it is not so. Their chief purchasers are, I am assured, quite young girls ; and in the truth of this statement, I must confess I am somewhat confirmed by my own personal observation. Should this paper, then, fall into the hands of any such, let me entreat them earnestly to renounce at once and for ever such evil practices. Those whitened shoulders and those darkened eyebrows are not only to be avoided as injurious to the skin, and sometimes even dangerous to the user, but they are a hateful deception, and often, like all deceit, lead on to worse transgressions. Leaving, however, the morale out of the question here, I will content myself with a physical view of the matter only. And independent of all sorts of art being unpleasant, there is another serious evil attached to the use of these powders and cosmetics, namely, their extreme unwholesomeness. They check the natural relief of the skin, which is perspiration,

and many an eruptive disease has arisen from their use. Even when not apparently injurious to the health, they are so to the skin, drying up the cuticle, and giving it an appearance far from attractive.

Banish, then, from your toilet every essence, powder, or lotion which is not requisite for the cleanliness of teeth and hair; and remember that pure water and fresh air are the best and only cosmetics that any girl should use.

And whilst on the subject of these meretricious adornments, I wish I might think that any words of mine would induce you to renounce and banish likewise false hair and all its manifold abominations. How horrible the idea that those glossy plaits and curls now mingling with your own have, most probably, been taken from a convict, a lunatic, or a corpse. And how odious too, the now prevalent idea amongst men that no beautiful head of hair can ever really be a girl's own. They know that the enormous chignon, or any unnatural abundance of tresses can be so in no other sense than that you have bought and paid for them, and you would feel but little flattered if you could hear the jokes that are made on the subject. Playful allusions to hay-cocks, fuzzy

birds' nests, and gun tow are amongst the least objectionable of these; but there are others of a more offensive nature, which I must leave to your imagination. Sufficient that I assure you such things are; and a word of counsel therefore on the subject cannot be out of place.

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CHAPTER XVII.

FASHION.

"Shall the world's selfish maxims my reason control?,
Shall I yield up the freedom and life of the soul?
Shall I cease in the arm of Jehovah to trust?
Shall I bow down and worship frail creatures of dust?
Shall I give up the hope I received at my birth,
The promise of heaven-for the trifles of earth?"

"AN extremely fashionable girl!"—"A very worldly girl!"-"A thorough ball-room young lady!" Why is it that the above exclamations are so frequently heard in reference to the débutantes of the present day? So general are they that I doubt not even the youngest of my readers have heard them applied to some one of her relations or acquaintances. That they are terms of reproach more than of commendation there can be little doubt. That they imply censure rather than approval no one will deny.