Daily national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854, 1854-02-14
LITERARY MISCELLANY.
For the National Era.
BELL SMITH ABROAD.
No. XIII

FASHIONS AND FoLLIEs.

friends, begging earnestly to send them the
fashi0ns--the latest wear. have been very
delinquent To tell the truth, ! am ut a Tors,
and have been since my arrival, upon this i'm
portant point. The French women are the
best-dressed persons in the world, and being
such, have no one pattern Of an article which
all exhibit, as with US The fair and brunette,
the tall and short, the slender and robust, can
not save by miracle find one garment suitable
to all Yet, at home, the attempt is made, and
the unbending milliner deals out to each the
one thing casting every one who dare depart
from it outside Of good society. This is one OF
the mysteries of Partisan toilette that have
made some approach to solution. The spirit,
which adopts the becoming gives q peculiar
wear to the dress. Come with me upon the
Boulevards, this sunny afternoon, and let us
take Paris as ii promenades. What q count
less throng and all on parade. IL there is
single affair Of Importance in two miles of this
stream Of life, am no Judge Of business 1t is
the hour. for an exhibition, and let us take it
in such spirit and notice. The stores have
their contents in the windows; the idlers have
their best upon their persons, and represent
stives are here from all parts Of tho world in
competition, but without success The Paris
ians are at home, and without equals. This
English woman, with her thick shoes costly
furr, comfortable dress, and ruddy complexion,
is q real daughter of John--has, doubtlessly
many acres, good health, and feels independent
and above all creation--but she is not Parisian
oil her money and influence cannot make her
that. Here comes q pale, delicate, American
girl-intellect in every feature, and unlimited
wealth, too, at her commapd--yet all her in
genuity and imitation, sustained by unlimited
resources, only make her q conspicuous failure.
The very bonnie in cap and gown, is some-
thing more than they. Look at this animated
instance, as she walks gracefully along What
complete picture. The dress is not dress,
but grace born with her. and far beyond the
touch OF art. She owes nothing to the bonnet
that is 80 small and falls SO far back that in
front it appears only cap; she owes nothing
to the velvet cloak and rare furs, though she
carries three thousand dollars on her shoulders
and arms; she owes nothing to the well fitting
dress, so subdued yet SO rich; nothing to the
fair face even to the delicatc hand, to the WELL
turned ankle and exquisite foot-those all may
be given to another, and amount to nothing. 1t
is the manner in which these are carried-are
shown to the world it is not dress, it is grace;
not modest precisely, but spiritual She comes
and goes, thing inimitablo, unparalleled She
lifts her skirts to escape the soiled pavement ia
o way that would startle our home people--yet
how well done Crowds may jostle, carriages
may splash, yet she glides along, untouched,
nnsoiled, Q creature Of grace, Of beauty She
has not the dignity of the English woman, nor
the modesty Of an American-yet superior to
both ON the Boulevards, she has the talent for
dress that makes up for the want of all else
The grent evil, with US, il the spirit Of im-
tstion. An American woman dare not dress
becoming, for the fear Of appearing odd The
Parisians have q way Of holding their dress,
not unbecoming precisely in them, because
done with the talent. That manner will be
important TO the United States and one and all
viii attempt the ward and
unbecoming, TO say the least as it must ap-
pear. Yet, the "Bloomer, dress, costume
very we'll in its place, was hooted and laughed
out of the country, because it did not originate
in Paris Now, beg OF you to remember,
am not "a strong minded woman but quite
the contrary-something Of timid, weakly
conservative the Bloomer dress by no
means think becoming; In il we lose the long
sweep Of drapery SO beautiful in our present
dress; but, in the country, for fields and woods
riding, driving, or travelling, it is necessary to
comfort and health. Yet such are the wrongs
OF our humble imitation, that the very evils OF
Paris are unhesitaiingly adopted, We wear
improper dresses at evening parties; we dance
improper figures IN public assemblies and suf
we dare not be honest and independent
We have the belief, prevalent ut home, that
gaudy colors in dress are peculiar to our coun-
try. This 10 not correct The Parisians on q
bright day, resemble, IL you can imagine such a
thing, garden OF promenading sunhowers The
Boulevards have looked 10 me- at times. as if
the merry owners had put 10 circulation their
window curtains. Strangers perhaps, do not
notice this 50 much as with W because Paris
ian women can carry anything 80 gracefully
Before we pull down the curtains and share
them lotto dresses, we must learn TO walk: and
70 learn this art, we must walk. The sham.
bling, rolling duck-step-the hard, angular,
upright, grenadier quick-step---the slow, the
fast the uncertain, may all be hid in car
riagos, OF kept st home-but never cured save
BY exercise, continual walking in the open
1t is my duty 10 give you some information
of the gayeties a Paris. But you must look to
come other correspondent have neither
health nor inclination. Save few Wits 10 the
opera, and three dinner parties, know moth.
ing The bal-masque, once so famous that all
strangers were expected ut least to see one
have degeDerated into such vile things that no
one having the slightest self respect ever wishes
10 witness the second. The most famous
was tempted 10 write infamous--are at the
Italian Opera House, and commences at mid
night Saturday. This makes it Sunday
orgie and IL continues on Sabbath morning
until daylight Our little party, one and ali,
declined witnessing such, until curiosity over.
came their tcruples, and they went, DR.. Bob
protesting that il was o shocking affair--any
other day i would not he 30 bad D. answer.
ing, that Bob reminded him Of the old lady in
Virginia, who begged the gentlemen engaged
IN running the boundary line 10 to arrange il
rs 70 keep her houae where IL was, for Caro-
iiny was sich sickly State I'D. thinking the
evil TO be in the ball, and not in the day.
saw nothing Of our friends until after a late
breakfast when they appeared, looking much
ashamed Of themselves, and were loud 10 their
condemnation OF the affair They amused me
with little history Of an elderly gentleman
they wore pleased to call Ancient jones'
This individual had accompanied his only .oa
20 parie Ia see that his medical education