Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1857-12-12

for such tragedy queens; they cannot move
without knocking down have. dozen pots.
II the children are young, the parent dares not
commit more thar one at time to the charge
of nureemaid, for neighbor's child was ac.
tually swept into the water from d Bridge by
a stiff skirt, which went Haunting by, the wea.
/ rer being unconscious of the mischief. IL be
walks with his wife, he has to be on his guard
all the time. fthe wind blows, be is fettered
| by her supetluty Of garments and if it rains
no umbrella can cover them both. 1f the
weather is settled fine, the lady's train raises
a cloud OF dust, and sweeps the path of all
loose filth as they 60. If they enter the parks
the steel rim Of her petticoat cuts his legs as
they squeeze through the narrow gate and
If they try the high road there Is too much
probability that the whole apparatus may be-
come inverted by sudden gust catching the
balloon. Umbrellas get turned wrong side
out; and the existing skirt is much more
easy to invert. 1fit is to be drive and not
walk, the good man runs the risk of being
dismissed as naughty actress dismissed an
old friend. With vehement probibitive
| gesture she drove him back from the carriage
step, with Pardon mel and my dress occu-
| py the carriage" The same women who in
their youth marvelled ct the slavery TO fashion
which induced their grandmothers TO kneel
"
save their lofty head dresses. now Danish
husband or father to the box, or compel them
to walk, to make room for the accommoda-
lion Of hounces or steel springs. Sunday is
| changed. The children cannot 90 to church
because mamma leaves no room for them !;
and papa has to stand aside, in the face Of
the congregation, while his lady is effecting
the difficult enterprise Of entering her pew.
Are the ladies aware that the dulness Of
church is relieved to bachelor gentlemen by
the amusement Of watching.and afterwards
discussing, the comparative skill Of the ladies'
in passing their pew doors. We are concern
ed TO find that new method of getting up
prayer books and bibles for church use, cha
bles the ladies to find their own amusement
while apparently engaged in worship. lit
seems TO be really the fact that the ladies'
prayer books have a small mirror bound up
with the cover-probably of about the size aa
.hat in the hat-crowns OF dandies which they
consult while devoutly covering faces on en-
tering their pews.
In the present travelling season, the trip
is found pursuit of pleasure under Difficult
ties, unless the ladies will retrench their gar
ments. 1t is now q common thing to take
more places everywhere than the number of
individuals requiring them and on cross roads
where Coaches and posting are the only means
OF conveyance, the gentlemen have no chance
OF room unless the ladies take more places
than they want. On the Scotch English and
Irish lakes, the decks of the small steamers
are unsafe for children and other unwary
passengers amidst the sweep of hoops and
hidden clotbes.lines. 1t is out Of the ques-
tion for the ladies to trust the mselves to
pony for mountain ride, while carrying
balloon about their waists aad they cannot
climb TO the ridges in dress as heavy as
themselves. and longer than their own heels.
II they venture on foreign travel the prevail
ing fashion compels kind and amount of
custom.house search highly distasteful to
any family man. And where Is the recon-
pense Of oil that If it is troublesome at
home that no wardrobe or closet will hold
the household gowns, it is no compensation
to witness the effect of those dresses in
company. An admiring father, who till
lately delighted in his daughters grace
and lightness Of movement. and, her elegant
figure, now sees her deformed and trammeled
whether at the piano, in the dauce, or simply
sitting on the sofa. IN the first case, she
can perform only at arms length; in the
second, she steers about like great steamer
on the river, which all boats get out Of the
way of with all speed and in the third case,
the spectator is reminded Of nothing so much
as the old way Of bathing at Bath, when the
ladies waded about in ponds, finely dressed
to the shoulders. while hoors and tie waters
concealed all below the waist. A girl at
partynow looks like romp. half hid in
haycock, or the aconite pushing up bis bios
som between two leaves we fear we must
add like hunchback, all ruffed and friled as
huuchbacks are wont to be. There Is an an
ecdote tod by traveller in the United States
Of atar in ,,ill
who, on being reproached about the ct OF
The goans she made, replied that she did not
see how she could do more than she had done;
she had obtained the proportions of the
Venus de Medci and il the ladies were not
satisfied with what would fit her, why, then
their taste was not to be admired What
would the Venus 6e Medici aud her devoted
dressmaker say to the spectacle Of pretty
slim girl so smothered in apparel that, as she
sits, she eeems like person up. TO the arm
pits In feather bedf
As to the hidden apparatus requisite for
the management OF such mass OF clothing,
it is really too well known TO require much
description. When man has gained fl0,-
900 by such an invention as lady's petticoat
his commodity becomes an object Of study
at once and no doubt the gentlemen have
contemplated the pettlcoats III the shop win
dows-crinoline, gutta percha, and steel
with as much interest as the lady customers
within. The gutta percha tubing Ito be in-
hated by persons who despise thet ancestors
for stulfing their neither garments with bran)
seems not to answer very well, judging by the
proposals made to buy il up for transatlantic
telegraphic purposes. Not only may the
steel bird-cage which seems the most eligible,
to be seen Of drawing up the hoops by string
over the left shoulder, 10 enable the wearer
to sit down. More harmless were the hoops
Of the Grandson days. when, rs Harriet By
ron shows us, the ladies made room for the
gentlemen in carriages, and for their ewn cir
cumference in sedan chairs, by slipping the
hoop upon the left shoulder.
1t would be we'll for women IL they could
perceive the wisdom OF conformity TO that or
der in their own case: for il is incortestible |
that the grace which they lose in making |
d. sss more than ah adjunct ,ca9net be CON-
pensated for by anything in the dress itself- !
Let them try for themselves 10 regard to the |
most graceful creatures Of other races.-
Wrap DIP an Arabisn horse in the gayest |
trappings of the old hobby horses, and what
issthe eieetf Dew SO dress for the deer /
which shall tremmel their limbs, and where
is their charm, be their caparison never so
splendedi II is the hooded falcon more
beautiful with its pert feathers on its crown.
than when il can use its br ! liant eyes at willi /
mapine for n momeut the absur1tv Of sub |