Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1852-11-06
Woman and Her Pet Luxury.

Tho SHAWL is the pet article of dress
From time remote beyond computation, the
sheep of Cashmere lave been cherished on
their hills, and the goats of Thibet Oh their
plains, and the carnels of Tariary on their
steppeS, 10 furnish material for the choicest
shawls. From time inmcmorial, the patterns
which we know so well have been minded
down as a hall.sacred tradition through n
llindoo ancestry, which puts even Welsh pe-
digrees to shame. For thousands of years
have the bright dyes, which are the despair of
our science and art, heen glilering in Indian
looms, III those primitive pits under the palm
tree where the whimsical patterns grow, like
the wid-iiower sprnging from the soil. For
thousands Of years have eastern poienta;cs
made presents of shawls TO distinguished
strangers, together with diamonds aud pearls.
Al this day, when an eastern prince sends
gifts to European soycreigns, there are shaws
10 the value of thousands Of pOun Is, together
with jewels, perfumes, aud wild bcasis, and
valuable horses; Just ms was done in the DAYS
of the Phnraohs, ms the paintings on Ewp-
ilan tombs show It's at this day. And the
subjects of sovereigns have ms much liking
for shawls as any queen. At the Russian
court, the Indies Judge one another hy their
shawls as by their diamonds. In France, the
bridegroom wins favor by n judicions gili of
this kind I'm Cairo and Damascus, the gift
| of II shawl will cuuse almost ms much heart
burning in the larem MS the Introduction of
n new wife. In England the daughter of
the house spends the whole of her first
quarters allowance in the purchase of n
| shawl. The Paris grisctte and the London
drcssmnkeI 20 10 their work with the little
| shawl pinned neatly ut the waist. The lost
gin-drinker covers her rags with the remnants
of the shawl of better days. The farmers
! daughter buys white cotton shawl, with a
gay border, for her wedding; and it washes
aud dyes until, having wrapped all her babies
IN Iurn, il is finally dyed black TO signnlize
her widowhoOd. The mnidcn-uunt, growing
elderly, takes 10 wearing n shawl in the
house in mid-winter; and the granny would
no more think of going without it nt any
season Than without her cap. When son or
grandson comes home from travel. far or
near, his present is n new shawl, which she
puts on with deep consideration; pnrting
with the old one with sigh. The Mnnches-
ter or Birmingham factory girl buys CAV
! shawl on credit, wears il on Sunday, nuts il
in pawn on Monday morning, aud ,nkes il
out again on Saturday night, for another
Sundays wear, and so on, until she has
wasted money that would have bought her n
good wardrobe. Thus, from China round
tie world TO Oregon, and from the mleen
down TO the pnuper, is the shawl the symbol
of woman's taste aud condition. Whence
come all these sllOwls? For il is clear that
the supply which arrives from Asia, over
blenk continents aud wide oceans, can lie
only Tor The rich and great. Some of the
| shawls from Bokara sell, in the morke, on
the Russian frontier, for two thousand four
hundred pounds each. Whence come the
hundred thousand shawls that the women of
Great Britain purchase every yearF
Some of the richest That our ladies wear
are from Lyons; and the French taste is SO
highly esteemed that our principal manu-
iac'urers go 10 Lyons once or twice year
greatest ladies Of all, even the queen and
| certain duchesses and countesses, offer TO
our chief manufacturers sight of their
treasures from India, their Cashmere and