The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1849-08-29
lost This was wise regulation, and
Bonapartc found his advantage in it,
Bou7aenne's Memoirs Of Napoleon.
Go fstg QHsrEa.
From Chambcrs's Edinburgh Journal.
Am Address TO the Indies ON &,
very Delicate Subject.

Am Address 90 the Ladies' ON q
very Delicate Subject.
10 every one of you, ladies, l ,binl
| can say, with safe conscience,
Il dn. ns is my duty,
| Honor the SHADOW Of ynur s!,or-,ie.'
| claim, however, that shoc.tics, to be
honorcd, should be seen. At present
they are cnvclopcd in such longitude
OF skirt az utterly cxtinguishcs them. -
Every now and then we find you, lca,
ladies', laboiinS under some monstrous
extravaganza of attire, as wide sleeves.
narachnold waists, md so forth. Now
the reiSning solccism is ovcr.lonu
gowns. 1t is case which may almost
excite s,mc doubts as to the s,undncss
OF the feminine understanding, 80 en-.
tirely does it seem to defy al! the ordi
nary rules OF common sense. All, gen.
tie damcs-but let us 10 k into the mat.
ter little in detail.
| See yon,cr elegant lady ing
along thcIaveMcnt, like 'Troy's i yun
danes, whose garments sweep the
ground Very we'll for the Trojan
DANES, perhaps, to indulge in such dress
in sounding epic; but oh, look at their
living inIta,rix Of m"dcrn England! 1t
has been damp morning, and stones
are bcsfrcad with a thin pas,c of mud.
One fine la1y's skirts Just skim this
soft substance, and behold they are
thlckly dabblcd fora few inches upward
wlth mud, which they have also com.
munlcated iii no small quantity to. the
shoes and stockings. She dare not
now hold up her skirts to save them
from further pollution, because that
would expose a state of matters about
her feet and ankles at which evcrybody's
eye would revolt. She therefore walks
desperately on, knowing she is always
getting worse and worse, yet unable to
help herself until she shall reach home,
by which time she will be in a state on.
" fit for the consideration Of her maid,
to whom Ilcavc her. is this n reason.
allie treatment either for silk or nous.
sclinc de laine? Is it doing justice to
Il pair of the ncatcst feet in the world?
Is it right to visit mortal shoes and
stockings with such indignity?
Or sec the same figure in the same
place on another day. 1t is now dry
weather, and what was formerly mud
isnow dust. The same garments sweep
mp as mach Of the volatile as they for
mcrly did Of the humid nuisance. 1t
does not clag and harken on skirts and
feet, but it goes farther, and produces
a worse abonination! The masculine
imagnations coming up behind dwell
for moment on the dus,.bath, III which
our Trojan dame is nAulginy, and lis
unpleasant Consequences. For Of What
is the dus;-bath composed? Alas, We
all know what matters ningic with Tic
soil o.! a crowded carraig &c thorouglifarc.
It's rs volunteer scaycnIcr that our
lady acts, with this remarkable addition
to the usual duties Of the class, that
she chooses to go home laden like bee
with the materials on which she one
rates. Nor is it inalimatc dust alone.
In warm weather, the powder Of the
streets is full Of insects visible md in
visible. Think oi. n proud and stately
gentlewoman gathering an entomology
Cal museum about her rs she lrcads the
pave. How mich obliged mus. sever
al of the better known parasites lie TO
her friendly skirts for transporting them
l1to new settlements, Some OF them
will probably make themselves known,
to her ere long; others she wil be SPAR
cd knowing, bat can assure her they
arc there nevertheless.
We're there any irresistible elegance
in long skirts, l should, dear ladies,
have somc little sympathy in vour sub,
mtting, for its sake, To these iuconvcni.
cnccs. But the fact is, that While Il
tram is fine thing in drawingvoom, 4
trailing gown is an unpleasant object TO
look upon III the street. 1t is so, be-
cause it is felt as utterly inappropriate.
We cannot admire anything if it grossly
shocks nationally. Long skirts which
can only he an Inconvenience and n
source Of dcflcmcnt in a street, shock
nationally: therefore we cannot admire
long skirts in walking,dresses. 1t IS
the plaincst and most incontroverliblc
sylloSlsm. Skirts which leave the feet
free to move without being touched by
them, fulfil the common sense idea Of
the matter, and are felt to be handsom-
cr accordingly. There is also what l
may call positive or absolute grace in
the neatly shod fealalc feet moving
smartly along q city way. A woman
should not DO purely boil shatpcd OBJ