And health outweighed the tinsel modes of dress,
Coined by the milliner. And I have heard
From good authority, and am right glad
To tell it here, that many a leading belle
Of fashion and nobility in France
Abjure the corset, and maintain a form
Erect and graceful, without busk or cord,
Ambitious to bequeath a name, unstained
By suicide. Would that my friends at home,
Those sweet young blossoms on my country's stem,
Might credit the report, and give their lungs
And heart fair play, and earn a hope to reach
The dignity of threescore years and ten,
Free from the taint of self-derived disease.
Thursday, January 5, 1841.
"Our kind ambassador."
How justly is this adjective applied to General Cass, and all his family. His unwearied attentions to travellers from his native country, during the whole time that he has represented its interests at the court of France, are deeply felt and fervently acknowledged. Without reference to political creed, or other adventitious distinction, he not only gathers them around him with liberal and elegant hospitality, but, aided by his whole household, strives to teach them the luxury of home-feelings in a foreign land.
