I don't know if this would be considered "counsel" as much as it was just "admonishment." This happened way back in 1970, 45 years ago. About that time, my Mom, who WAS a Witness for many years, up until her death, told me that I would look nice with neatly-trimmed longer sideburns. She didn't say that I should grow them to "mutton-chop" length, just down to the bottom of my ear lobes, and keep them trimmed to that length. So, that's what I did. (She had seen a Circuit Overseer, who she had known for many years, grow his sideburns to that length---so that's why she suggested that to me) Fast forward to a District Assembly, in the Summer of 1970. I was helping out in the Expediting Department at that assembly, and working with another "Brother", who was a Pioneer. He took me aside one day, and said, "you should shave off those sideburns, brother." So,I turned to him, and told him that my own mother, who was a Witness, had encouraged me to do that, after seeing a C.O. sporting longer sideburns, too. That ended the conversation.
Now, this involves not me, but a sister that I once knew, and it was around 1973. She and her family had opened their house to the weekly Book Study. Now, about that time, a lot of Witness women, and a lot of women, in general, were wearing their dresses---not short---but LONG. Like down to their ankles. And that's how she dressed during a Book Study. Shocking, shocking! An elder took her aside one day, and counseled her on wearing a dress, that was WAY TOO LONG!!! (In his opinion) I kid you not. Now, that length of dress was the length that would have been seen, and considered appropriate, for a woman that lived in 1800s! But, to wear a dress that long in the 1970s??? Shocking! So, back then, I got to wondering, what length SHOULD a Witness female wear their dress? Oh, well, life went on. Best Regards, Folks.
Titch
