Tea at Trianon: Modesty: A Veil for the Sacred

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Saturday, November 6, 2021

Modesty: A Veil for the Sacred

From Born Dignified:

The God of the Universe veiled Himself in human flesh to save us, and He veils Himself in bread and wine every day so that we can receive Him. Our Creator is profoundly good and holy. We won’t have the capacity for perfect communion with Him until Heaven, so for now He is behind a veil. Consider His glory and creative power reflected in your own body — the breasts that will nurse your babies and the hips that will rock them to sleep — and know that your body is incredibly sacred. The Father has allowed us to participate in creation in an intimate way, and it is insanely beautiful. However, that beauty isn’t intended for just anyone to see – not in its fullness. The only person on this planet who could ever come close to being worthy of seeing you in the fullness of your beauty is the man who stands in front of friends and family to pledge his life and love to you until death do you part. You know this truth, so please dress like it.

You have the freedom to choose whether or not to reveal the dignity and sanctity of your body in your dress. What you wear can never change your inherent worth, but it can tell people about it. The truth is that there are men who will objectify your body with no provocation. It’s disgusting and unfair, but it’s true. It’s never okay for a man to look at you lustfully, regardless of the way you dress. However, you can deter the negative attention and remind the world of your worth by dressing with dignity. You can choose to play slave to cultural conditions of worth that demand you put your body on display, or you can refuse to play by the rules of the world and insist that your mind, heart, and love are of much greater value than your sex appeal. (Read more.)