Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1852-06-23
Parody On Farewell 40 asaerisn. >,
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Art OF DRESS.
+ Eatracts for the Ladies' in ne

an OF DRESS.
Extracts for the Ladies to reQdl
The currency of popular saying is no proof
OF lis truth People pass it as they do bad
sovereign, because their own interest is concern
ed in turning it to account Every age has its
avonte fallacy suited to the favore foible of the
period, which is passed eagerly from mouth to
mouth, till some one comes who can afford to de-
tect it. Thus, for centuries it suited us to ereu-
late well turned set of fallacies respecting wo-
man S incapacity for keeping secret-the motive
being merely thereby to secure an innocent scspe-
goat, on whom to lay the shame of our own in
dlscretions. Now we are too happy when one Of
| the sex will condescend to become the conf
dante OF any secrets we may possess, and feel
| them honored by her acceptance, whether sha
keeps them or no. For centuries we agreed that ed
ucatlon was dangerous thing for her--only be-
cause we felt how much better use she would make
of it than ourselves: and Milton taught his daugh-
| tiers to pronounce Greek and Latin, so that thew
might read the classics aloud for his pleasure,
but forbade their understanding the meaning of
word for their own-for which he deserved to
be blind. Now, we not only make them well
come to help themselves TO any of the fruits of
science, or flowers of literature, as pentfuy az
they please, but are too happy, as all editors and
publishers will testify, when we can prevail upon
item to help us as well.
There is one fallacy, however still current
against women, which we must take this public
opportunity of renouncing A certain old father
soured by the circumstances of his lot, relieved
some of his spleen by defining woman zoon phi.
| Observation-Disclosures animal that delights i'll
| fnery: and this saying, naturally SO acceptable
| to disappointed gentlemen of all ORDERS continu-
| ed an authority even to the time of the amiable
| Spectator, who was not ashamed to quote it. We
had, nevertheless, long ago serious doubts on the
| venerable dsctuna: and are, therefore, the more
obliged to the books now lying before s-especial-
y to that which, being written by ga Lady of
| Rank, is not to be questioned-for the accumu-
lated evidence they have produced in favor of our
hesitation. They have made it pretty clear that,
in all that appertans to finery in dress, the sex
| to which the Father himself belonged has not on
ly always kept pace, but frequently outstripped
the other and that. whilst our poets, moralists,
| and clergy have ssn satirising and denouncing
/ the extravagances and absurdities of female ap-
parel, we have been Haunting and strutting away,
under cover of our own fire, far more extraya-
| CANT and absurd than they. 1t appears from Mr.
Planche's history and the other meritorous works
now before us, that we cannot point to one sim
| gle excess or caprice of dress which has appear
ed on the beautiful person of woman that has not
! had it's counterpart, as bad or worse, upon the
! ugly body of man. We have had the same effe-
! inmate stufs-the same fine laces-the same rich
! furs-the same costly jewels. We have had as
much gold and embroidery, and more tinsel and
| trumpery We have worn long hair, aud large
sleeves, and tight waists and full petticoats.-
earrings and love-locks. We have rouged and
j patched, and padded and laced. Where they
have INDUCED little extravaganza in one part,
/ we have broken out ten times worse i'll another.
If they have had head-dresses like the moons
crescent, we have had shoes like rams horn.--
IF they have lined their petticoats with whale
bone, we have stuffed our trunk-hose with bran.
If they have wreathed laceruffs round their love-
/ ly threats, we have buttoned them about our
clumsy legs, If they carried little mirror OPEN
ly on their fans, we have concealed one silly in
our pockets. In short, wherever we look into
the history of mankind, whether through annals
of courtiers. the evidence of painters Or as now,
through the condescending researches of Lady
of Rank, we find two animals equally fond Of
dress; but only one worth bestowing it on
| which the Greek Father doubtless knew as we'll
| as we.
In this age, however, it would be difficult to
impugn us for any over-indugence of this pro-
pensity-the male costume being reduced to
mysterious combination of the inconvenient and
| the unpicturesque, which, except in the light of
a retribution, it is puzzling to account for. Hot
| in summer-cold in winter-useless either for
keeping off rain or sun-stif without being plain
| bare without being Simple--not durable, not
becoming, and not cheap. Man is like corrupt
borough: the only way to stop the evil has been
| to deprive him of his franchise. Hove mean
| the man of civil life-the military not at pre-
| sent in queston-is no longer even allowed the
| optlon OF making himself ridiculous. Not q Siu-
gle article is left in his wardrobe with which he
can even make what is called an IMPRESSIONS
conquests out of the question. Each taken sep
arately is absurd as the emptiest fop could have
devised, and as ugly as the staunchest Puritan
could have desired. The hat is machine TO
which an impartial stranger might impute yari-
ETY. of useful culinary purposes, but would never
dream of putting ON his head His stock looks
like manacle with which he has escaped from
prison, or his cravat like lasso with which he
has been caught III the act. His shirt collars may
be entitled to their name Of uater-mordern Tor IA
Their murderers) in Germany but certainly never
did any other execution there or elsewhere His
coat is contrlvance which covers only half his
person, and does not fit that; while his wasteoat,
if strait one, would be excellent restraint for
one who can eontentedly wear the rest of the
costume. Each article, i'll addition, being under
such strict laws that whoever attempts to alter
or embellish only gets credit for more vanity than
| his fellows, and not for more taste.
Not that the exercise Of taste in such matters is
by any means forbidden, or even restrained in US.
1t would be dreadful if it were, being as it is,
powerful instinct ofnature. The mistske has been--