Beauty and style are not the surest passports to womanhood--some of the noblest specimens of womanhood that the world has ever seen, have presented the plainest and most unprepossessing appearance. A woman's worth is to be estimated by the real goodness of her heart, the greatness of her soul, and the purity and sweetness of her character; and a woman with a kindly disposition and well-balanced temper, is both lovely and attractive, be her face ever so plain, and her figure ever so homely; she makes the best of wives and the truest of mothers. She has a higher purpose in living than the beautiful, yet vain and supercilious woman, who has no higher ambition than to flaunt her finery on the street, or to gratify her inordinate vanity by extracting flattery and praise from society, whose compliments are as hollow as they are insincere.
Beauty is a dangerous gift. It is even so. Like wealthy it has ruined its thousands. Thousands of the most beautiful women are destitute of common sense and common humanity. No gift from heaven is so general and so widely abused by woman as the gift of beauty. In about nine cases in ten it makes her silly, senseless, thoughtless, giddy, vain, proud, frivolous, selfish, low and mean. "She is beautiful, and she knows it," is as much as to say she is spoiled. A beautiful girl is very likely to believe she was made to be looked at; and so she sets herself up for a show at every window, in every door, on every corner of the street, in every company at which opportunity offers for an exhibition of herself. And believing and acting thus, she soon becomes good for nothing else, and when she comes to be a middle-aged woman she is that weakest, most sickening of all human things--a faded beauty.
These facts have long since taught sensible men to beware of beautiful women--to sound them carefully before they give them their confidence. Beauty is shallow--only skin-deep; fleeting--only for a few years' reign; dangerous--tempting to vanity and lightness of mind; deceitful--dazzling often to bewilder; weak--reigning only to ruin; gross--leading often to sensual pleasure. And yet we say it need not be so. Beauty is lovely and ought to be innocently possessed. It has charms which ought to be used for good purposes. It is a delightful gift, which ought to be received with gratitude and worn with grace and meekness. It should always minister to inward beauty. Every woman of beautiful form and features should cultivate a beautiful mind and heart.
-------------------------------------------------
(End Quote)
I chose to use this segment first because we are so often guided by our first impressions of people and those impressions are primarily derived from our sense of sight. We focus so much on how we present ourselves to each other visually. The way we dress. The pictures we choose to show ourselves to others on the internet. There is, I believe, significant truth to be found here.
Take for instance the fact that individuals choose to use pictures other than their own to present themselves. There has become a need for something called a "salute" just to verify your own visage to others. Why is this even necessary? Are we so shallow that we not only seek to misguide others by hiding ourselves but ALSO to misguide ourselves by demanding that we see a person "for what they really are" when we all supposedly know that the true value of a person is within their person.
Do you really think you have some intention of ever actually physically seeing this person that you have met online. Many of us might have thoughts of this nature. However, to those of us who don't; what reason do you assign to your desire to see an individual?
I believe this to be telling of a weakness within ourselves. Seek to know a person in the way they interact with you. Avert your eyes to your desire to judge an individual for things which are beyond their control. We cannot change how others see us but we can change how we see others.
