The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-11-26

when gown IS pIiai but the gowns are no;
I'll prints; and if Ell require eight or ten
brsadtts in The skirt, the difference at the end
OF the year, 10 q girl whose wages are ten OF
twelve poauds, is rot small. Even the cheap
print gowns require 80 much making, and are
50 tr0ub.esoU1e 20 wash and iron, that the Gus
tom IS 2 tyrannous enc on whom it weighs
least "a Tor the most numerous order of its
vIclus-thst CT mioGle-class ladies-this year,
1857, Will be notifying or disastrous one in
the family history CT too many households. The
cost of dress has become so disproportionate to
other items Of expenditure as to create serious
difficulty in the homes of men of business, who
have hitherto been able to provide their wives
and daughters with whatever was needful to q
moderate competency. The rich silks of the
day, under their various names, of which every
lacy now thinks one at least absolutely neces'
sary, cannot be had for a wife and daughters,
with the prodigious trimmings which are
equally indispensable, under less sum than
would maintain country Clergyman, or half
pay officer and bis family. The paraphernalia
of ribbons, lacez, friEgss, and flowers, is more
expensive than the entire gown of ten years
ego.
1t is not our purpose, as we have notified, to
20 into tie serious, moral consideration of the
cnHe, or We might disclose decline of respect
ability In this clsss, as well as in ranks above
aud below, which would make other hearts as
heavy as our own. Our readers can imagine,
il they do not know, the process of decadence /;
exhausted credit, debt, secret rambling, in one
shape or another, and even theft, in the form of
a great spread of shop-lifting and the purchase
OF stolen goods. OF these things we might say
much; bat our theme is the bad taste of the
fashion. The middle-clsss man, then, finds his
house snd garden too small. The dinner-table
will not accommodate the old number; and if
a leaf is inserted, the waiting maid can hardly
&c, round-a process the more difficult, from
the number Of brea6ths in her skirt, and the
ex'eEt OF stiff cord in her petticoat. The most
delicate flowers in the garden are cut off by
the ladies' hems as they walk the path, and the
little greenhouse is no place for such tragedy
queens; they cannot move without knocking
down half dozen pots. If the children are
young, the parent does not commit more than
one at q time to the charge of the nursemaid
for a neghbor's child was actually swept into
the water from bridge by stiff skirt which
went hannting By, the wearer being uncon-
scious of the mischief. If he walks with his
wife, he has to be on his guard all the time. If
the wind blows, he is fettered by her superfuity
OF garments; and If 1t rains, no umbrella can
cover them both. If the weather is settled fne
the ladys train raises cloud Of dust, and
sweeps The path Of all loose filth as they 90. IL
they enter the parks, the steel rim of her petit.
Goa; cuts his leg as they squeeze through the
narrow gate; AMI if they try the high road
there is too much probability that the whole
apparatus may become inverted by sudden
gust catching the balloon Umbrellas get turn.
Cd wrong side out; AID the existing skirt is
much more easy to invert.
II II is to he a drive and not a walk. the
good nan RUS the risk Of being dismissed, as
J
a-vehsment prob bitive gesture she drove him
bach from the carriage.s'ep, with" Pardon
me, ard my dress occupy the carriage" The
same women who in their youth marvelled at
the slavery to fashion which induced their
grsndmohers to kneel in the carrisge for
drive Of many miles 90 save their lofty head
dresses, now tanish husband Or father to the
box, or compel them 10 walk. 70 make room for
the accommodation Of houncas or steel springs
Sunday "a changed. The children cannot 90
to church. because mamma leaves no Dom for
them and papa has to stand aside, in the face
of the congregation, while his lady is effscting
the difficult enterprise OF entering her pew
Are the ladies aware that the dullness Of church
is relieved to bachelor gentlemen by the amuse
meDt OF watching, and afterward discussing
the comparative skill Of the ladies' in passing
their pew doors? We are concerned to find
thu; new method of getting up Prayer Books
and Bibles for church use enables the ladies to
find their own amusement, while apparently en-
gagged in worship. 1t seems to be really the
fact, that the ladies' Prayer Books have a small
mirror bound up with the cover-probably
about the came size that in the hat-crowns
of Handkerchief they consult while devoutly
covering faces on entering their pews.
He becomes pensive, and almost lachrymose,
in the contemplation of
THE IRON AGE OF FASHION.
- We would fain think that our countrywomen
may attain In time that true selfrespect which
will destroy the last degree Of resemblance be.
tween them and the aboriginal savages-a
resemblance which they themselves at present
perpetuate. We need not point out the analo
gies between savage and fashionable decora.
tons; they are obvious and mortifyiug enough,
from the duchess who makes holes in her ears,
as the Fejee woman makes q hole in her nose
to hang jewels by, to the maid servant who this
summer has had an entire clothesline hem
med into her petticoat, thereby hkenirg herself
TO the squaw who winds herself about with a
hundred yards of vampum. We would rather
refer our cOuntrywomen TO the more refined
works OF nature than to the silly and conceited
savage. Throughout the range Of animated
mature, the spleudcr of ornamentation is a.
signed to the male, while quiet grace is the
appropriate charm of the female Throughout
the universe of birds and insects it is 80 and
among the superior animals the same order
is very marked. IL would be well for women
if they could perceive the wisdom of conformity
to that order IN their own case; for it ia incon.
testabe that the grace which they lose in ma
king dress mere than adjunct carnot be
compensated Tor By anything IN the dress itself
Let them try for themselves in regard to the
most graceful creatures Of other races. Wrap
up an Arabian horse In the gayest trappiugs of
the Old hobby horse ard what is the effect
Devise q dress fer the deer which shall tram
mel their limbs, and where is their charm, be
their caparison never 80 splendd3 Is the
hooded falcon more beautiful, with its pert
feather on Its crown, than when it can use its
brilliant eyes st viii?
Imagine for moment the absurditY of sub.
iecting any other creatures, as our women sub.
ject themselves, TO the rage of the day. We
call ours en- iron age. We have our iron rail
ways and ships, Cur palaces framed in iron, and
our iron stsircases, and even houses, as security
from fire; our iron cables and telegraph wires,
putting girdie round the earth; and we can.
not stop here, but frame aud case the female
form in iron, as the currier would defend his
b.siegei town with an apparatus Of leather.
TIE stays had steel stitfenings before and now
the hsad-dress can be kept On only by profuse
employment Of long pins. The boquet has q
metallic foundation, ! Ike everything else, and
each blossom and leaf is supported on a wire
Aud 50 is each prominence and movement of
the prodigious skirts for our ladies are actu.
ally Gagged in steel, and merely cover their cage
with gorgeous silks, which are 10 more really
clothing than the bToughsm in which they ride
IL is a mournful climax with which nature caps
the absurdity. When the tender creatures are