Elizabeth-Town gazette. [volume] (Elizabeth-Town, N.J.) 1818-1821, 1819-10-19
From the National Advocate.
DOMESTIC ECONOMY.

Il
often thought that Fashion should also be
personiied, and if we call her dame,
she mast be more tickle and eccentric
than ever Fortune was.
The variety of changes 10 which the
world has been subjected by Fashion, and
the inordinate extravaganza which has re-
suited from these useless changes has pro-
duced incalculabie evils in laying foun-
dation for waste and profusioD, the i'll ef-
fects OF which are now felt. In former
times house was furnished with the ut
most prudence--no useless articles were
ever purchased-and the high backed
mahogany chairs, the heavy carved mir
rors, the bed aud durable curtains, and
all the ornaments of the mansion we're SCI
lecied for their lasting and useful quail
ties :--after an absence of twenty years,
friend returned TO his country, and his
eyes were greeted with the same old fash
ion, yet ponderons furniture, which time
had familiarized, nay, even rendered dear
TO him he saw and recognized the old
china jars, the sprigged tea cups and
lowered plates, the old chafed sugar dish
and tea pot, the spinnet, the highly pol
ished wardrobe, in which were deposited
The brocaded dresses of his grandam, and
the embroidered waistcoats Of his grand
father; all these objects revived the re-
collection Of earlier days, of happy mo-
ments, and served to increase that at
tacbment to home, in which are conferred
so many epjoyments. But now the scene
is altered, and the furniture Of a house is
changed as frequently as coat or waist
coat-instead of the useful and durable,
we have the light, the costly, and the
A:a'sy ornaments Of a drawing room; gilt
vases, cut glass chandeliers, grand upright
pianos, silk curtains, and all the parsphar-
MALTA of fairy's palace, and immense
fortunes are thus thrown away on these
tickle. thoughtless changes, and, as Peter
Trott says, " the upholsterer has scarce
done knocking up, when in comes the
auctioneer, and knocks down."
Thus fashion may be called fek!e, ex-
pensive, and sometimes imperative; it
ought to be resisted with firmuess and
decision / would by no means be SO
much out of fashion as TO be peculiarly
strange and absurd, but to follow all its
eccentricities, to be slave to its capri
ces, and ruined by its changes, is to be
at once deaf to prudence, to discretion,
and good sense. 1t is not alone over the
domestic organization that fashion exer-
cseac q 1nrearf.I snNrrnpro II ovton.lc tn
the person, aud is equally as tickle and
as costly in matters of dress and personal
ornament. Look in the bureaus and
trunks of modern men of fashion, and see
the number of coats, waistcoats, pauta.
looms, bats and boots. Why this unne-
cessary accumulation of expense ? Why
purchase more than is absolutely necessary
to make respectable appearance Think
you it adds TO the importance of man,
to wear blue coat at breakfast, pea
green at dinner, and black in the eve
ming (? Then the ladies, though they have
not as many superfiuities as the gentlemen,
still they have many to spare there are
many expenses which they could curtail,
many little trifles which they could econ
omize. 1t frequently happens. that both
male and female, in following fashions
with an extreme devotion, and pursuing
her through every mary course, fall into
many ludicrous errors, aud frequently cut
a very sorry figure.
A few evenings since, l casually paid
a visit to an old friend, and was surprised
to find the rooms illuminated and filled
with gaily dressed ladies and gentlemen.
As l like innocent hilarity, | took my
seat on sofa between two smiling pretty
lasses, who said many handsome things
to me, though I am an old man. The
conversation at last turned ON fashions,
taste, extravaganza, and SO on, to domestic
economy young gentleman, some
would have called him buck, others a
dandy, came 10 front of the sofa, and
stood before the ladies, 10 an attitude in
expressibly inelegant, though it may have
been fashionable; he had on pair of
petticoat pantaloons, SO short that the
calves Of his legs were visible; striped
waistcoat, and his waist compressed by
corsets to nearly, the size of wasp's a
cravat which nearly choked him seals
and keys in the usual quantities the ami
NAL straddled before the ladies, with his
thumbs elegantly hitched in the flaps of
his pantaloons, and with squeaking ef-
Terminate voice pronounced sentence Of
dispieasure on all those meddling busy
bodies, and philanthropic writers, who
having no money of their own insolently
obtruded their advice 90 men of fashion.
and presumed to dictate. The ladies
smiled, but not in appreciation. and they
seemed TO enjoy the appearance which
this ciracaiure Of man made, holding
olass of ice cream in one hand. and with