Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1857-08-05

to spare
If he married woman who had nothing tt
wear9
Since that night, taking pains that it should not
be bruited
Abroad in society, I've instituted
A course of inquiry, extensive and thorough,
Of this vital subject and find, to my horror,
That the fair Flora's case is by no means sur.
prising,
But that there exists the greatest distress
In our female community, solely arising
From this unsupplied destitution of dress,
Whose unfortunate victims are filling the Dir,
With the pitiful wall of Nothing to wear"
Researches in some of the "Upper Ten" districts
Reveal the most painful and startling statistics
Of which let me mention only few:
In one single house, on the Fifth Avenue,
Three young ladies were found, all below TWEEN.
ty-two,
Who have been three whole weeks without any.
tling new
In the way of founced silks, and thus left in the
lurch
Are unable to go to ball, concert, or church.
In another large mansion near the same place
Was found deplorable, heart-rending case
Of entire destitution of Brussels point lace.
In neighboring block there was found, in three
calls,
Total want, long continued, of camel's hail
shawls;
And suffering family whose case exhibits
The most pressing need of real ermine tippets;
One deserving young lady almost unable
To survive for the want of new Russian sable
Another confined to the house when its windier
Than usual, because her shawl isn't India.
Still another, whose tortures have been most
terrific
Ever since the sad loss of the steamer Pacific,
In which were engulfed, not friend nor relation
(For whose fate she perhaps might have found
consolation,
Or borne it, at least, with serene resignationD
But the choicest assortment of French sleeves
and collars
Ever send out from Paris, worth thousands Of
dollars,
And all as to style most recherche and rare,
The want of which leaves her with nothing to
wear,
And renders her life so drear and dyspeptic
That she's quite refuse, and almost skeptic,
For she touchingly says that this sort of grief
Can not find in Religion the slightest relief,
And Philosophy has not maxim to spare
For the victims of such overwhelming despair.
But the saddest by far of all these sad features
Is the cruelty practiced upon the poor creatures
BY husbands and fathers, real Bluebeards and
Timons,
Who resist the most touching appeals made for
diamonds
By their wives and their daughters, and leave
them for days
Unsuppled with new jewelry, fans, or bouquets,
L %ba,r 1rbo
have a chance,
gance;
One case of bride was brought to my view,
Too sad for belief, but alas! twas too true,
Whose husband refused, as savage as Charon,
To permit her to take more than ten trunks to
Sharon.
The consequence was, that when she got
there,
At the end of three weeks she had nothing to
wear,
And when she proposed to finish the season
At Newport, the monster refused out and out,
For his infamous conduct alleging no reason,
Except that the waters were good for his
gout
Such treatment as this was too shocking of
course,
And proceedings are now going ON for divorce.
But why harrow the feelings by lifting the cur
tain
From these scenes of woe2 Enough it is GER
tain,
Has here been disclosed to stir up the pity
Of every benevolent heart in the city,
And spur up humanity into canter
To rush and relieve these sad cases instanter,
Won't somebody, moved by this touching des-
cription,
Come forward tomorrow and head subscrip-
tion
Won't some kind philanthropist, seeing that aid
is
So needed at once by these INDECENT ladies,
Take charge of the matter or won't Peter
Cooper
The cornerstone lay of some splendid super
Structure, like that which to-day links his name
In the Union unending of honor and fame;
And found a new charity just for the care
Of these unhappy women with nothing to wear,
Which, in view of the cash which would daily
be claimed,
The hying-ou Hospital well might be named 2
Won't Stewart or some of our dry-goods impor-
ters,
Take contract for clothing our wives and our
daughters9
Or, to furnish the cash to supply these distress
seS,
And life's pathway strew with shawls, collars,
Ere the want Of them makes it much rougher
and thornier,
Won't some one discover q new California;
Oh, ladies, dear ladies, the next sunny day
Please trundle your hoops just out of Broadway,
From its whirl and its hustle, its fashion and
pride,
And temples of Trade which t6wer on each side,
To the alleys and lanes, where Misfortune and
Their children have gathered, their city have
Where Hunger and Vice, like twin beasts OF
prey,
Have hunted their victims to gloom and des-
pair;
Raise the rich, dainty dress, and the fine broi-
dered skirt,
Pick your delicate way through the campness
Grope through the dark dens, climb the rick
ETY. stair,
To the garret, where wretches' the young and
the old,
Half-starved and half-naked, lie crouched from
the cold.
See those skeleton limbs, those frost-bitten feet,
All bleeding and bruised by the stones of the
street;
Hear the sharp cry Of childhood, the deep groans
that swell
From the poor dying creature who writhes on
the floor,
Hear the curses that sound like the echoes Of
He'll,
As you sicken and shudder and fly from the
door;
Then home to your wardrobes, and say, if you
dare
Spoiled children of Fashion-you've nothing to
wear
And oh, if perchance there should be sphere,
Where all is made right which SO puzzles us