Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1854-04-12
BloOrners OutdOne.

BlOOmers OutdOne.
Miss Mary B. Williams contends for the
right of women to wear mems clothes II
they choose. In a letter recently publish
ed, she thus argues the question and lays
down the laws of good taste in regard to
the cut aud color of jackets and ,trowsers
for the fair sex:
'Itis, as | am informed, 'misdemean-
or for woman to assume the garb OF man
with intent to disguise her sex-the law
presuming that such disguise is intended to
cover some evil design but II no intention
to disguise the sex is apparent, thep,no Of
fence is committed. Under this interPre-
tation of the law, it will be seen that we
are not, after all, entirely restrained from
wearing the male style of dress. hold
that women should wear this costume
whenever and wherever they choose to do
so, either in town or country, in doors or
out doors, occasionally or constantly. If
the male part of creation should find any
trouble in determining our sex, let them
quit shaving their faces, and then the diff
Guilty will be obviated. sWhat kind ofmale
SUIT may we wear?' is question that often
suggests itself to timid reformers. In an
swer to this would say, wear any dress
that YOU like you have the whole range OF
mems fashions to choose from. Wear
black, blue or brown coats, in the sack,
frock or close-bodled form. as you may pre-
fer; blouses of gray linen, or linen check ;
pantaloons of black, drab or blue cashmere,
or of white or gray linen buff, white or
black waistcoats and fur or straw hats, or
cloth caps. All these, and more too, are
omen to YOUR choice. In Difference to good
taste, avoid striped, cross barred ndsnake
and toad colored pants; let yours be plain,
and cut snugly to the form, without being
too scanty for the free motion OF the limbs.
Eschew all kinds of tawdry waistcoats,
such as we see sported by fancy young
men,. A buff cashmere vest, with plain,
flat, gilt buttons, is eminently genteel, and
is always becoming; plain black vest will
be found desirable to alternate with the buff
one. If you wear blue dress coat, have
| it trimmed by all means, with plain, flat,
| Gilt buttons; but no other coat whatever
should have metallic buttons of any kind
Generally the sack coat is preferable tc
any other form Of this garment; and fol
working, the blouse is better than ALL
do most of my sweeping, and other house
work, in a check linen blouse. For walk
ing and riding, and driving, wear blue
sack coat, buff vest and drab pants-a suit
which comes fully up to my idea OF neat
ness and comfort combined.
FASHIONABLE FoLLIEs OF NEW YORK
Soc1ErY-CountlesS Instances Of the reck'
less extravaganza Of our "best society,
might readily be adduced. We will take
the single article of dress. We are given
to understand by those familiar with the
subject that lady's dress-lace and jew.
! elry included-such as are worn at ouI
balls, is thought quite common unless 1t cos
thousand dollars. That is TO say, the
fair wearer, whose total stock in life IN the
way of intellectual and physical acquire
ments would hardly secure her living, OF
enable her to educate a son, spends a:
much in one evenings folly-for the dress
cannot possibly be worn twice-as gray
haired book-keeper,o or an ingenious mechan'
ic, or skillful foreman printer can make
in his year. Her nights gaddlng cost;
society as much as would support family
I for twelve months.
And who are the people who wear these
ST., 900 dresses? Are they sensible intel
/ iectuaL, honorable, amiabIe2 Have they
even the poor recommendation of high
blood, or hereditary responsibility Alas
Snooks' father was joiner, and his own
hands have been hardened by the use OF
the plane. jenkins grew his own potatoes
and supplied fashionable families with the
1 vegetable when fashionable people lived in
Dey street. StubberSlops painted doors
and windows in bis early youth, and Mrs.
s. mixed the paint, Worse than this
Snooks is stupid dog-headed clown Jen-
kins is mean and narrow-minded ; Stubber-
sops believes that Dickens wrote Shake
speare, and that the midsummer Nights
Dream" is the work of Mr.. Barry of the
Broadway. Respectable, though ignorant,
in the humble station in which they began
life, they are now snobbish, contemptib e
and extravagant.-.N Y. Herald.
COME KISS ME.-Thls is the name that
should be given to the fashionable modern