The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1854-10-27
-BoNNETs AND THINGS.

B0NNETS AND THINGS.
/, The crop Of bonnets this season is unusu
ally large. We were ct bonnet-show last
Thursday which was equal to a flower show,
ykell,biia-crop is nothing 70 it. There was
one mammoth bonnet which sold for fly
dollars. Such M endurance Of feathers,
aud ribbons. and velvet, and lace, was never
before exhibited. But the average size ran
small. Bonnet growers appear TO have paid
attention Of !aie chiefly to producing new va.
,ieties and rich lints, Out, OF thousand
bo6nols on exhibition. no two were alike,
and each seemed TO rival the other IN bril-
tircy. Our pale skinned women are running
10 colOrs, The plain black and brown velvet,
Ms we'll as the simple buff and green silk. are
found to be too severe. They don't leave
scopa enough for taste. Moreover, having
no flowers in their cheeks, our bellies want
them in their bounets.
This is an age Of show. The old proyerb
about "bsauty upsdornsd" is secuted
Even our brides scout it. The bridal bonnets
we saw nj the show were so beieathered and
bshowered, that We heard several ladies say
they should like to be married over again, for
the:sake Of wearing one OF them. The young
ladies, meanwhile, are all on the hutter so
that with the prospect Of such coitHes be-
forc them, they will sell their hearts this
winter at half price. We predict there will
DO more marriages the next three months
than have been known in any one season for
twenty years.
Whether this is to be desired, considering
the present state Of the corn market and the
low price Of stocks, is another question
which we turn over TO the Malthusians. We
don't see. however, why milliners shouldn't
be consulted in this worlds affairs. as well
rs millers and milliOnaires. As for US, we
have neither wife, nor corn, nor stock, and
look upon the market for each CT these CON-
modities with indifference. But we do take
an interest in bonnets, aud, for that matter.
with certain mental reservations, in bonnet
wearers. The bonnet itself We look upon
us the capsheaf Of civilization. We agree
with st. Paul, or whomeyer, That women
should never appear in public uncovered.
Their little heads were never made
To dazzle human eyes.
They require good setting as much as di
almonds. We never form our final judgment
of a woman till we have seen her bonnet
This is her browning glory. The prim Qua.
keresses, in adopting uniform bonnet, are
fools. As for the humility Of the thing, it's
all nonsense IL takes one OF these cunning
DESCENDANTS Of Fox more time to select thar
chaise top she wears than for any Of her
sister witches to choose bonnet Of more
colors than Joscph's coat. Quakeress or
Shakeress - orthodox or heterodOx - wo-
mau is woman and rs long as she is a
wsmaB that upaccouutable head of hers will
occupy the most of her time. She may poh-
poh blight colors, and fine flowers and combs,
and curls, and bows, and whatever other
head fxings she may, the innate coquettish.
ness Of her nature can be no more suppress
cd than spontaneous combustion. Il will
break out, despite herself. The Quakeress
who excludes all other elegancies from her
room, has always had a saving clause in be.
half Of the lOoking-glass. Before that. like
any other woman, she stands by the hour,
and arranges Der head.dress, whatever that
may be, as If it involved las in fact it dOes)
the desliuies of the world. Well, we like
hor all the better for it. Fine feathers make
fine birds. YOnder cooling dove is as partic-
ular to have her white plumage in order
against the arrival OF her billing mate us u
bird OF Paradise. There is no use in saying
that Handsome is who handeome does :"
for it isn't true. Our laundress is rs hand
some doing woman Especially as far as
doing mp tine linen is concerned) as any
woman in the world, but she is rs ugly as q
Hottentot.
It Is not pleasant to tell disagreeable
truths, but the fact is, female beauty is u
very rare thing. We know some very bright
eyes, scattered abroad among the sex also
set or two Of very brilliant teeth, and a
well.shaped nose or so, besides here and
there passable hand, and, in enc instance.
a couple Of pretty feet; we even remember
one OF two ladies who have pretty ears, and
one who has perfect mouth. Now, If these
charms could be brought together n little
oitener, and conferred in one person, perhaps
the aid OF such trifling things as bcnuets
might more frequently be dispensed with.
We say perhaps, for we doubt even this. In
fact, having seen few savage beauties in
our day, who presented themselves "just us
they were,n in the primitive toilette Of ma
ture, we mnst say that their appearance
only confirmed US in the popular opinion,
that, with woman, dress is everything"
An aboriginal belle is as unattraciiye to us
MS q dismanted ship; and as for civilized
belle - eiviiireiie, as Fourier might call
her - with her natural beauty pretty much
civilized away. why, without the aid of the
milliners' and dressmakers art, she would be
rs uninteresting as ghost This is as il
should be. The soul Of civilization is com.
merce, and a most important part Of com.
merce is the importation Of silks, satins
and other nick.nacks, for the enhancement,
Of female beauty.
"a thing OF beauty is a JOY forever"
says Keats; and though this is not univer
sally true, since our friend, Sally Joy
who was certainly "a thing Of beauty" is
now o Smith--still it Is generally true, and
therefore, IL we would keep the world sup,
piled with "joys forever" we should Ger
tainly inaist upon elegant toilettes, and
especially Ito return to our subject) upon
bonnets. There is a story gcing the rounds
Of tho papers just now, Of New Hampshire
gallant, who was 50 fascinated with the
bonnet OF young lady from the South who
was airing her finery among the White Hills
that before he had seen her face (which
n A. L.. ~ 4