anly quality; because it keeps
the things we wear and have about us under our control, and compels them
to express our will and purpose.

THE REWARD.

+Dress an indication of the worth of the wearer.+--Neatness of dress and
personal appearance indicates that there is some regard for decency and
propriety, some love of order and beauty, some strength of will and
purpose inside the garments. If dress is the most superficial aspect of
a person, it is at the same time the most obvious one. Our first
impression of people is gained from their general appearance, of which
dress is one of the most important features.

Consequently dress goes far to determine the estimate people place upon
us. Fuller acquaintance may compel a revision of these original
impressions. First impressions, however, often decide our fate with
people whose respect and good-will is valuable to us. Important
positions are often won or lost through attention or neglect in these
matters.

THE TEMPTATION.

+Dress has its snares.+--We are tempted to care, not for attractiveness
in itself, but for the satisfaction of thinking, and having others
think, how fine we look. Worse still, we are tempted to try to look not
as well as we can, but better than somebody else; and by this
combination of rivalry with vanity we get the most contemptible and
pitiable level to which perversity in dress can bring us. There is no
end to the ridiculous and injurious absurdities to which this hollow
vanity will lead those who are silly enough to yield to its demands.

+Cynicism regarding appearance.+--Vanity may take just the opposite
form. We may be just as proud of our bad looks, as of our good looks.
This is the trick of the Cynic. This is the reason why almost every town
has its old codger who seems to delight in wearing the shabbiest coat,
and driving the poorest horse, and living in the most dilapidated shanty
of anyone in town. These persons take as much pride in their mode of
life as the devotee of fashion does in hers. One of these Cynics went to
the baths with Alcibiades, the gayest of Athenian youths. When they came
out Alcibiades put on the Cynic's rags, leaving his own gay and costly
apparel for the Cynic. The Cynic was in a great rage, and protested
that he would not be seen wearing such gaudy things as those. "Ah!" said
Alcibiades; "so you care more what kind of clothes you wear than I do
after all; for I can wear your clothes, but you cannot wear mine."