The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1853-04-05
NJ is CELIA NEOUS
From the Yazoo Missy Wing.
A Mississippi Editor i'm wash.
lmgdOn.

Our old friend Mr.. D. Walker, of
the Vicksburg Sentinel, is being chap
eroned through Some of the gaitics of
the Federal capital. His primitive
ideas of female propricty seem dread
fully shocked ut the dressing and dan
cling of the fair daughters, wives and
sisters of the Salons of this great and
glorious Republic. The dance he speaks
Owe Thinks the same NO saw elabora-
ted last winter atthe soirees at the St.
-l 4onis -and @Areeand lab Il hotels in n ew
Orleans, so graphically described by
Ben. Jonsipg, called the the Red IVar
dance-and in fashionable circles the
Redowa. Dear, austere friend Walk
er, you should do as Jonathan Slick
did at the opera, put your silk bandan-
ma handkerchief before your eyes, and
be sure not to peep between the fin
gers of your yellow gloves. We give
an extract:
There was only one thing in which
all seemed to agrcc-that was, 10 leave
uncovered as much of their busts as
possible. 1t appeared to one just from
the land of alligators, mosquitoes and
sunshine, where ladies have kept up
the old fashion Of dressing all over, that
they had put their dressing on in a
great hurry, and had protruded their
bodies six or eight inches too far
through; and hence, as an old lady of
good taste justly remarked, 'thcy come
TOO low down, and didn't come high
enough up;" the 1nilliners, too. careless
creatures, forgot to put sleeves to the
dresses, and the ladies all had the ex.
treme modification, poor things, of ap-
pearng in very large crowd Of gen
tlemen with their arms bare up to
their shoulders Horrid in those mil
liners! The gentlemen-kind, modest
creatures as they are-bIushed a little
ut first, and held their scented cam
brics before their eyes, but they soon
recovered from their embarrassment.
and it all seemed to be nothing after
they got used to it.
Altogether, from the haste of the
ladies in showing themselves through
their dresses and the cnlpable neglect
OF the mi!lincrs in not putting in the
sleeves, | would say that the bodies of
the ladies were not over half covered;
and what singular, and sustans my
idea Of their having crept little two
far through, in their haste to dress and
be at the ball last, is, that the skirts of
all the short ladies, and few of the
tall ones, wore from eight to twelve
inches long and swept the floor for
yards behind the wearer. There was
another thing which backwoodsma
like myself could not exactly under
stand. Some oftho ladies willie dan
cling would seize hold of the skirts of
their dresses and raise them about eigh
teen inches, and stretch them out at
arms length, reminding one of buz-
zard in wet weather, thus exposing to
view handsomely ornamcnted second
skirt, and then swing around at an
amazing rate.
The only other popularity was
new dance called the "Scottiche Dance.
which saw for the first time. Twill
give as near rs words can, descrip.
ton oft. The gentleman takes the
lady's right hand in his left, places his
hand and arm around her waist, draw
ing her close against his breast; she
places her left hand and chin on his
right shoulder, and leans her cheek
gently against his whiskers, if he has
any; they then pitch off in leap frog
fashion, stop, and keep time by q sort
ofGg.ajig, jig ajig motion; then leap
frog again, and go alternately leap frog