Thibodaux minerva. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 18??-1858, 1855-12-22
Down with those Hoop Skirts!

without considerable squeezing. Real bellies Of
the fashion now seem like moving bells, literally
SO that mullets and men have to steer well in
the streets, else they will run against ropes.
hoops, bag mating, crinoline, and the deuce
knows what, which completely take up the
sidewalk and inhabit the dress. AS for the girl,
by Jove, she seems nowhere! The other day
we happened to see two of the dumpv kind of
moving ''bells" of fashion going along the
street, Ia pointer style-hands close and skirt
out. At forty PAGES distant they seemed like
miniature pyramids of silk; at twenty PAGES
we smelt cologne water and other essences; at
ten PAGES, little lump like bennett was
discernable at the top of the skirt pyramid at
three PAGES distant we heard the imbedded voice
of female in the dress at two PAGES we dis
covered four ringlets, of slim appearance. re-
sembllng cat-tails dipped in molasses: two eyes,
of weak and absurd expression, like boiled
onions; lips like unto thin sandwiches with n
and cheeks rouged with mienfun, Chinese COL
in us the impression or imagination that the
above things, dry goods, &C., formed woman.
We moved aside, and went on our way rejoicing
that such was not our share, to say nothing of
our future "better half"
DOWN WITH THE SHAWLS TOO.
The Mirror of Fashion says: ''The customer
who calls at tailor's to replenish his ward
robe, is too apt to think that all he lays out,
beyond sufficient to keep his body comfortable,
is so much wasted or thrown away. He will
take his wife to Stewards or Beck's and buy her
shawl worth several hundred dollars, and
other dresses to correspond, and very probably
will buy plain suit of clothes for himself, and
be-monkey himself by throwing shawl over
them, and in this contemptuous plight show
himself beside his elegant wife in most ludicrous
contrast For the ganins de Paris with glazed
caps, to adopt the shepherds maud, and thus
partly initiate the peasantry Of Scotland, there
may be found some excuse, but for q full-grown
republican to so invade the ri gifts Of woman as
to emasculate himself in appearance by wear
ing shawl, we can find no just reason or cause
for extenuation. They should be unrecognised
by man and pointed at by boys as noodles; for,
in this age Of progress in commerce and the
arts, whatever checks their regular onward
tendency, should be rebuked and put down by
palpable manifestation of popular displeasure.
If we are not to return to the Diogenes, nor
adopt the costume of the Scottish peasantry of
tunic, cap, bare legs, and shawl, then, for the
sake of sacred taste and personal manliness,
doff the shawl from your shoulders and use it
merely in travelling, to keep comfortable the
neither extremites.'
THE LONDON Posi- OFF1cE.-A writer in the
last number of Putnam's Magazine, speaking of
the London Post Office, says:
each letter goes through from ten to four
teen processes, and the wonder is, how 500 men
handle 100000 with SO. little confusion and so
few mistakes. A spectator is always astonished
at the rapidity with which the letters are made
to pass under the stamp. An active stamper,
will stamp and count from seven to eight thou
sand an hour. The process of sorting is car
ried on large tables, which are divided into APP
artments, labelled Great Western Eastern
Countries South Eastern, Scotch Irish
Foreign Blind SC. Those marked Blind
are carried to person called the Blind Man,
who has more skill in deciphering bad writing
than a Philadelphia LAWYER. He will take letter
directed thus: 'Srom Predevi,' and read at
once Sir Humphrey Davy,' a letter subscribed
'jonsmeet ne Weasel I'm Tin, he sees immedi-
ately, belongs to John Smith, Newcastle-upon-
Tyne In short, he is such an adept at this
business that it is almost impossible to write or
spell SO as to be unintelligble to him. The mail
bags are made of sheep skin, soft and pliable.
They are sealed up with wax upon the Irvine
that is tied around the top. This is thought to
be safer than locking, although bags that have
to go great distance are secured with locks
The average weight of the evening mail from
London is about Ia tons. The number of news
papers sent from the Office yearly is estimated
at 5000, 900; the average number of letters
sent daily is 267, 521; the average number re-
ceived is 2S2, 225.
GEORGIA OR THE KINGS PET-Is about the
best imitation of the style Of Mr.. G.. P. r. @.
z. x. James, that we have encountered. 1t will
scarcely fail to amuse the great story-teller
himself:
"It was near midnight, the close of the after
noon, on a sultry morning in December, 49,,
previous to the revolution the last war, when
the burning moon was setting in the eastern
sky, casting brilliant shadow upon the gorge
Gus clouds which entirely obscured the frma
ment; and the unclouded sun was sending down
its MONDAY beams with an intensity of heat,
like the shrieking of heavy thunder through the
deep mountain gorge of the western prairies
Lovely indeed was the sound of such spec
tacle to the feet Of the weary traveller for three
feline monsters Of the deep were just gathering
together for their evening meal, and separating
ere the sun was risen, for the sports of the
chase, and all things betokened response too
deep for utterance.
LII TIC cHSulHS dutuHis auout 6WU years pre-
vious to the above mentioned merry catastrophe,
two pedestrians might have been seen riding on
horseback in three-wheeled carriage up to the
brow Of precipice under the shade Of for
est which had been endowed before the trees
had began to take root, and engaged in eating
their evening dinner by the road side, in the
arms of Morpheus. The eldest of the three
gentlemen was young lady about ffty-three,
and about two younger than the other man,
which latter gentleman was, from the manner
in which she addressed him, evidently her young
est daughter.
The remainder of her dress consisted Of two
pairs of pantaloons, nearly buttoned around the
top Of her ears, and elegantly attached by a
neat golden strap of unwoven silk, to the axle
tree Of the middle aged gentleman's gray
horse.
The third individual was an old gentleman Of
about twenty two, whose venerable features dis
closed the venerable hue Of the Siberian negro.
His bald head was profusely covered with long
silver locks Of sandy jet, and which he has ev-
identity lost during q severe attack Of sea-sick-
ness, caught from next door neighbor, who
resided several blocks from him in the country.
He was also richly attired in the same manner
as the lady, being clothed in worn out frock
coat which was secured by straps under his
boots.
His feet were bare, and, save his gloves, he
had no garments to shield him from the balmy