Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1855-04-25
From the Home Journal.
LADIES DRESS,

very fertile Imagination, or brilliant fam
cy, TO realize labor of love in the en-
deavor to interest the lady readers of the
Home Johrnal; for l know that, whether
| state something worthy of being treas
ured in memory, or give them any advice
Of immediate utility, either will be appre-
ciated. And, relying-as their coniding
nature always prompts them to-upon the
sincerity of a desire to please, they will,
of course, take the will for proportion of
the deed. 1t is now pretty generally con-
ceded, and proclaimed by all intelligent
foreigners who travel in this country, that,
while the men of it are inferior to those of
any other nation, still our women are su-
Perior to them. Believing, as | do, most
sincerely, in the correctness of this decis-
ion, | am induced TO decline any credit
for the discrimination which makes me
prefer--above all otherjuries before whom
to be tried-such as might be indiscrimi-
nately selected from the ladies who read
this paper.
1t is true, that the exercise of the Supe-
rior intelligence of American women is
confined to a narrow sphere, being depri-
we'd, by domestic duties, from indulging
the gift ofinventive genius; yet, as salvo
which, we think, amounts TO a just quid
pro gao, they are free from the ignobling
influence and debasing chase after the
"almighty dollar" while their sphere in
cludes all the realm of interest worth liv-
ing for--requiring as high an order of
talent to properly fulfil, as TO plan siege
of SebastoPol, or bring Spain to consent to
reciprocity in our trade with Cuba.
Schools fail of eonferring the desired
results, unless the homes of pupils furnish
them the examples whereby to practice
the theories learned at them: and among
the multifarious duties and lessons to be
learned at home, are those of dress and
address; for it matters not how many for
eign airs the travelled lady may bring
home with her from long voyage, all
those which cannot stand the test of home
criticism must be abandoned. And so it
is with dress: the train that might very
properly and modestly become the En-
press Eugenia at the Tuileries, would call
down ridicule upon almost any American
lady who should display it at one of our
most distinguished balls. Our ladies'
should reject, with equal distaste, the
sumptuous displayof the Lorettes of Paris
and the tawdry bizarreries of the Girls,
cites, and adhere to that jEsts nailieu which
is offered in a toilet of modest pretensions
and price, distinguished for its freshness
and elegance, instead of its luxury. Con-
fusion of color should be avoided and
that which tones down on some-and
such as producces an enlivening effect,
by heightening the tone of complexion, on
oihers-should be selected with the great
est care as to nuancs, and adhered TO in
defiance of milliners' anathemas. Ladies,
as well as gentlemen, should exhibit an
Indigenous taste in their costumes, and all
foreign fashions should be Americanised
before they are adopted; for, as there is
a marked peculiarly observable in the
personal appearance as well as in the
habits of thought in Americans, so there
should be an outward semblance of dress,
in keeping with the erect attitude, noble
bearing, and free air of an American cit.
izen.
1t would be simply ridiculous for us
because the rulers of the English and
Frerch people, have plunged them into a
wicked, expensive, and frightfully decim-
ating war, so that mourning dresses are so
numerous as to have made black the fash
ionable color-it would be ridiculous on
this account alone to make Wack the fash.
ionable color here; particularly while
we are on the crest of the highest wave
of prosperity. There is time for every
thing, and in the order of events it does
not seem proper that we should go into
mourning just yet, and thus lower the
value of sacred obseryances and souvenirs
of respect for our departed kindred, by
making those outward signs of affection
too common, or afixing to them fashions
signet of sanction.
American ladies should receive the
compliment due them for possessing the
remarkable facility of being their own
hair.dressers, and for displaying more
skill and better taste in the art than do
even the cOi6surs of Paris, Rome or Ven-
ice. The heads dressed by profession
al coifeur are all uniform, and according
- the fashion-stifiiy so; while the heads
of American ladies are dressed according
to the prevailing fashion, but yielding to
the notifications dictated by nice dis
criminative taste, having especial refer
ence t. The style of face and neck. They
all know that the length of neck has
much to do with the style of dressing the
hair, as We Il as the cut ofa gown and wear
Of collar.
1t is also cFedi;able that our ladies do
not use many cosmetics, or oils for the
head for, in Paris-where the complex