From Chapter 13 of In the Way: "Well," said Ellen Amelia, "I s'pose that's true about the things he made. But it's wicked to like pretty clo'es, ain't it?"

"Well, no; I don't think it is. There is a difference between liking pretty clothes, and being so fond of attracting attention by showy dressing that one thinks of nothing else. I think everyone ought to be as careful about having the dress neat and tasteful and becoming as they are about having their faces washed clean every day and their hair neatly combed. It is a duty. Did you ever read 'Ethics of the Dust' or 'Sesame and Lilies'? No? Well, Mr. Ruskin says dressing is a virtue." Click to read The Ethics of the Dust Online