The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1853-08-25
From the Cincinnati Gazette.
What the French Wear.
AND HOW THEY WEAR IT

| AMI 6OW THEY WEAK IL.
The French regard the American peo-
pie in much the same light as they do
the "outside barbarians" of the faro
islands of the sea; for they assert that
they find an equally good market with
each for the sale of rich aud gaudy ar
ticles of manufacture. Thus large pro-
portion of the silk looms of Lyons are
constantly employed in the manufacture
of gaudy tissues for the North American
market: while the finest and most costly
styles of the cloths and cassimeres of Ell
bauf and Sedan find nowhere SO ready a
customer as the United States. The Paris
merchant sometimes complains when ask
ed for fine piece of goods, in which his
stock is deficient, that all those styles are
carried off at higher prices than he can
afford to give, by the American import
ing agents. When an American, on en-
tering tailoring establishment in Paris,
announces, in reply to the polite interro-
gatory which is sometimes put to him,
the name of his country, he is very apt
to be saluted with a broader smile and a
greater convexity of the spine than the
citizens of other countries, followed by the
remark, "Then you want to see the best
goods we've got" The moral conveyed
by these facts should not be forgotten.-
The fact is we are a nation of envious,
money-making spendthrifts, and in the
absence of titles, and those class distinc-
tions universally recognised in Europe,
endeavour, by gaudy display, to place
ourselves in advance of each other in the
worlds appreciation. Our country offers
the curious anomaly of possessing more
aristocrats, and at the same time more
republicans, than any nation in existence,
1t is the aristocracy of broad-cloth,
| brown free-stone fronts and fast horses
From the fsct that America drives its
fashions from Paris, one naturally ar
riyes here with the idea that he will see
/ at once in the streets of the city the best
dressed people in the world. He is quite
astonished to find how far he has been
deceived. He sees much, very much less
of fine goods in the street, particularly
on the men, and he sees much greater
variety of style, both in London and in
Paris, than in the large American cities
The latest style is confined to very few
persons comparatively-few In compari-
son to the population, and few in compar-
ison to the number of persons who con-
form to the changes offashion in the large
cities of America. Outside of that limi-
ted number one could not decide what
was the reigning style, they are so diver
sifed. One cause of this diversity is, that
no people pay SO much attention to con-
trasts of person as the French; while an
other very powerful one is, that money is
less equally distributed than with us,and
fewer persons can afford to conform to
the frequent changes of fashion. But
frequent changes must take place in
France; it is national characteristic,
which is ground so deep into French
mans existence, that its influence runs
through every action of his life, to be ar
rested only at his religion, and even to
that he holds not too tenaciously. So
that, in some measure to compensate for
the frequent change which is required
the French have acquired the habit of
wearing coarser quality of cloth than
that which their manufacturers send to
our country. The Emperor of France
wears every day coarser cloth than nine
tenths of the downtown" clerks of the
American cities.
In Paris, however, every one but the
workman engaged at bis work, looks neat.
l am inclined to believe that it is this
general neat appearance which has in
! duced other nations to borrow their fash
ions from Paris. Certainly, for elegance
and appropriateness, the French styles do
not equal the English or American mod
ifcations. 1t is easy to recognise New
York or London man in the streets of
Paris by his back. The Parisians ask
nothing more than to see a mans back to
know whether he is English or American,
provided he be a fresh arrival, and car
ries with him the clothes which he bro't
from home.
Another reason why We endeavour to
follow the French style is, that the French
people carry their clothes with such in
finite grace, giving to the most unnatural
and out-of-taste styles an easy elegance
that our more awkward people cannot
approach in any style which they may
choose to adopt. 1t is rare to see a
French fop, that is, what We understand
by a fop. There are plenty of men who
pay as much attention to their clothes as
with US, but their manner, when carrying
them, don't advertise their thoughts. 1t
is amusing to look at our very young
men when they get on their first Paris
out fit: thing which soon takes place,
unfortunately for them, for the longer a
man stays here, the more simply he
dresses. | do think the most ludicrous
sight man can see in Paris, is freshly
arrived boy y-aristocrattrying to be grace
ful in one of Dusautoy's best out6ts-for
our genuine "blood" won't go to shop
that is not patronised by the Emperor
If American fathers would give their sons
whom they send here, one or two good