Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1850-12-05


among the advocates Of woman's rights
Her practice is in accordance with he
theory. and she wears male attire ans
carries on farm. Her defence OF thu
fashion she has adopted is racy:
The neither garment was first worn
In the bifurcated form by the women OF
ancient Judea. How far It resembIed
The modern trowsers we have no definite
information; but the fact is worth keep
iro in mind that women were the original
wearers of trowsers. The exclusive
claim which man so pertinaciously main
tains to the use of this garment, is foun.
ded upon no principle Of moral or social
uolicy. 1t is an arbitrary claim, without
4 solitary Argument to support 1t. not
even that Of prior usage. Nature never
intended that the sexes should be distin-
auished by apparel, The beard which
She assigned solely to man is the natural
token Of his sex. But man effeminates
himself, contrary to the evident purpose
Of nature, by shaving off his beard and
then, lest his sex should be mistaken, he
arrogates to himself a particular form of
dress, the wearing of which by the fe>
male sex she declares to be grave mis-
demeanor.
"Common sense teaches US that the
dress which is most convenient, and best
adapted to our wants and circumstances,
is the dress most proper for US to wear.
Scarcely case can be imagined in which
the superiority of the male attire is NOT
palpable. am cogpizant Of no reason
why women Sh ,uld nat wear this dress.
Ii girls were accustomed to it from early
age, we would see fewer delicatcly form
ed women and none with over Tapped
ribs"
The following is a description of the
personal appearance and manners Of Miss
Weber, from the pen OF AN American la
dy, who visited her in the Spring Of
1e49.
"Miss Weber's figure being unusually
tall and straight is well adapted to mas
culine costume. She dresses in the Paris
fashion, generally in black dress coat
with pantaloons to correspond; though !
saw her in the evening wear stylish
blue coat, enriched with lustrous plain
gilt buttons, and small clothes of a light
color. Her vest is Of buff cashmere, with
a row Of fiat surfaced gold buttons. per-
fectly plain, but exquisi,ely polished
this is the only style of vest that she ever
wears. Her hair, of course. is cut short.
She is about twenty>four years of age.
and is possessed of beautiful face, and
her manners are strictly lady-like. She
enjoys the friendship of the great and
good Of both sexes. Unlike most Learn.
ed ladies, she is full Of solitary and un-
tagging merriment; but her every word,
look and action is characterised with the
most refined womanly delicacy."
She has an excellent farm, the business
Of which she manages in person; aud,
by all accounts. her farming operations
have proved to be steady source Of profit
and pleasure to her. Her family consists
of a widowed mother. with two female
cousins, between Is and go years OF age
Miss Weber's style is sententious, Wig
orous, and graceful, with dash Of quiet
humor, sufficient to relax the gravity 9
Of the surliest old bachelor in The Y orld
Her essays appear 10 cover the whol'
ground in dispute. She claims the righ1
Of women to enjoy the elective franchise
to fill every description of civil and ec-
clesiastical Offices, to hold their own props
erty independent Of their husbands, to
have full moiety Of domestic authority to
dress without restriction as to the form
of garments. and to be the conipeers in>
stead Of the illegal slaves Of their hus-
bands, It will be perceived that these
demands embrace everything except the
right to command armies aud ships Of
war. The omission Of this claim. how
ever, was no oversight. Though herself
the daughter Of a military man. she is
opposed to warfare. and has no exalted
opinion Of pluned heroes.
II