I am tired of the endless dress parade of the "Great Alike." I am
weary of walking in line, like convicts in stripes. I glory in cranks
who serve their own individuality and are in bondage to nobody. The
onward sweep of progress in this age has opened up the way for
non-conformists. It is not a matter of heresy, nowadays, to think for
yourself, dress for yourself, and be yourself. I confess that I have
no heart pinings for such nonconformists as Dr. Mary Walker or any
other individual who believes that eccentricity, serving no purpose but
to make one conspicuous, is interesting. There are certain general
rules of conduct that must be observed or the world would go to wreck
like a wild freight train. It would be embarrassing to all concerned
were I to decline to conform to the conventional custom of wearing
shoes and bonnets, but when fashion ordains French heels and dead
birds, if I decline to walk in file with the conformist, I am something
of a hero, perhaps, and certainly preserve my own self-respect better
than if I yielded to either a harmful or a cruel custom. When
etiquette rules that I go through the world armed with a haughty
reserve, like a picket soldier with a shotgun, if I conform to that
rule, I act upon the warm impulses of natural living as the
refrigerator acts upon meat; I may preserve the proprieties, but I
chill the juices.




XXXV.

IF GOD MADE YOU A WILLOW DON'T TRY TO BE A PINE

I wish I could spend a fortnight in a world where folks dared to be