Cabinet des Modes, 23e Cahier, 1ere Figure
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October 15, 1786 |

MESDAMES, admit it; while your children are rather little, in order not to make you honest about your age, and not to shut down your coquetry, you take them with you in society, in the promenades, in all the frequented places: and even, when they are pretty, fine, playful, babbling, you glory in showing them off, because your self-esteem loves the praise accorded to them, which necessarily comes back to you; (the fathers truly have this weakness) thus you want them to be elegantly dressed, with taste, in the same fashion; you find that at this age they bring you honor. We therefore only would know best what to do to give you fashion for your children.


If, on the contrary, he is not fortunately born, he will have made a habit of fear and submission, he would no longer have thought with genius and liberty, he will have obeyed all the impressions which will have been suggested to him, and he will become a null and passive man, when he is rendered to himself. Parents, make sure to free your children from the hard and fierce schoolmasters, such as we would be able to cite a large number of. They are the Preceptors who give them the social life.

We will not give why the second, timid, weepy, unmoving in his childhood, becomes so playful, so witty, so friendly in his adolescence: the extent of our Issue and its nature does not suffer a long philosophical dissertation; but we believe it possible to dare to say that we do not remember having seen this latter question proposed and resolved in Locke, in Helvetius, and in the illustrious author of Emile himself.* We counsel all parents, happy enough to children like these, to observe them, follow them, humor them, cherish them, and worship them.
The fashion for children of both sexes is to wear men's redingotes, in wool, with two collars, and with sleeves à la Marinière, as can be seen in the Ist PLATE. The little Boy wears a violet one over the coat of his matelot, made of silk, canary's tail color; and the little Girl wears one of Sky blue, over a little pink corset, and a white muslin petticoat, which covers one of blue Pekin. Both have hair cut à la Jockei, which falls freely; both wear a felt hat, either black or a varied color, with plumes, or without plumes, with ribbons wrapping it, and bows in the back and front, or without ribbons and bows; both have shoes with bows on top; both have colerettes, or cravats; both have a belt; or both do not wear them.
* John Locke (1632-1704), "Father of Classical Liberalism"; Claude Adrien Helvétius (1715-1771), writer of De l'esprit; Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), writer of (among many other things) Emile, a novel that treats on children's education
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