Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1816-04-27
Dress should Fave the safre relation 70

III & . t
Ileriye from this principle all the ru'e s
| of the art which We propose 10 'eecH
it is clear for example, that tire lax'fS
IF dress should be in proportion to rank
land fortune: whilst this proportion Is
followed, is is useful pomP which sup
lagrts the industry of toe poor at the eA'
.ense OF the rich, and every thing IS ~
| It's proper pace. A woman OF rank ar
| raged like the wife OF my farme, OF
The wife of my farmer like woman %
frank. would be as ridiculous as sub.
lime thought in rhine, or the burden o.!
ballad in Alexand inc verse.
We recoma eud to women Tho main
lain the Grst rank by their birth and
Iseauty. the taste Of an elegant simplicity.
subject which Is sufficient OF itself has
10 need of foreign ornament. Art may
tiis figure the Finest FORM, it cannot hope
To improve it. Bat beautiful woman
being the most beautiful object Of beau
iful natare, should adopt a style of dress
i tirely Epic, but Epic like the muse of
neil, noble, modest, aud without the
slightest mixture OF tinsel. We forbid
er therefore,, and it is under the penal
es that belong to it, every species OF
inket. in word every thing which may
esemble the concetti' of modern lite.
allure. We exhort her to remember,
| that it is with dress as With expression.
re most simple is that alone which taxes
othing from the subimity OF the idea !;
he most happy is that whish being con
founded with The idea cannot be peIcelv-
led. 1t is never necessary to speak OF a
beautiful weman's toilet, if we conceive
lit possible she should be ever any thing
Iolt beautiful. And we must here render
Justice to the nest celebrated beauties Of
f. viaod an France we have met with,
.2t their q es,, Of rlieir whole sex. has
- the fartbest removed fr0m lidiCute
I'd ady. I good sense Of Della is
.ewn liz her garments. she does not
2pesr either too neglioe or to- care
Al, bu simple and oeccnt, in t9tt just
rdiln which is equally di,tans rom
= eAasgetations of tashi n, from that
..uIa ity which seeks observation, or
3at toroSul negligence hich announ.
beauts too proad of her powers.
bar iIecepts viii be less severe tol
gse wuiaen who are only pretty. toI
ipuse whose charms ise rather from al
certain air, spread over ttei whole ,er-
,sn, fhan fro the regularity OF theii
edtures, 81 The dignii, IT their Il ire
i e ab4utloh f. them all the iesou' ces
H. the art, We will even par Oh them the
I,acon istcncies uhict a,ioe fl m Lively
IA j pIa, fol uns sinaHon These are sub
liect, Of fancy, sus eptihle OF all the
charn S, which the mss.c OF style, the
variety OF tones, can give Let them
inn ate in their attire sometimes the
taste Of the n Ct. sometimes taat OF
Il z madri9al rondeau, and be lesser
: races. Let the young Flayla De their
model, the care OF her toilets not lndeed
her most important business, but it IS theI
sweet Of her amusements. howeye'
ID iiiiant her attire. We never see IN III
any thing uou ecessary; the chtac err Il
'aer face supports all the pomp with which
she is surrounded. Ii she owes to her'
iisweis am lustte which she would notE
have had without them, it may also be.
sa d, that he gives them IN return sracej
which they would have sought III HalnI
elsewhere.
There is a third order Of women,i
when I shall beg leave to Distinguish byE
the name of neuter faces these acmen
are neither beautiful nor ugly, and thelrl
only merit consists il a httie delicate Il
cure with lively sparkling eyes All
that can do Tor them is to permlt them
TO initiate in their dress that BRET. lively
and natural turn which should charac-
ter,se the Epigram--notFing more.
After having tI.ss determined what BE- |
longs to the three cIa> ses OF my fair coun-
try women who are permitted to makeI
use Of ornament, viz. those who arel
those who are pretty, and those
who hold certain medium between ug-
illness and beauty, ! add that this privi
ege is Lifted by common sense to al
certain number of years, after which
term it must be regarded as void. Ar
rived at that degree of latitude, where
there are no more favorable wisds, it is
time to gain the first port, and lover the
sails.
have now reached the nost melan-
choly division OF nay subjccts. and l trem'
ble at the dispIeasure which the freedom
of my reua ks may sring on nae. IAN
| however. avoid speaking--and SPEAK
iog-and speaking withou resa to mel