The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1857-01-22
THE WOMAN OF FASHION.

IA AIch'' dutHoT QeScTlOeS Il IaSlllOnaOle
woman as "an animal that dresses, undress
es aud rcdrcsses." The reader who has
ever visited watering-pla will take the
force Of the definition. Here woman
seems an actress, playing "many parts; ~
one day appearing as Miss Lily in the morn
ing, as Mademoiselo Rosa at dinner, and as
S'gnorlna Violetta, i'll the evening; dressing
elaborately for each character. The next
day different bill Of performances, more
varied and attn active, if possible, than any
preceding; and SO, from the beginning to
the close OF the season, she flowers forth
i'll hues of magnificcnce, to which Solo
mon, in all his glory, could make no pre-
tension.
Fortunately-or rather unfortunately,
some would say, we are not obliged to GO
either TO Saratoga or Newport, for an illus
tration Of the Frenchman's saying. The
watering-places are deserted and the fash
ionable woman is at home. She is to be
seen in church on Washington Street and
broadway, and in her own drawing rooms
and those of her friends; and wherever
she appears, the same characteristic is prom
incnt.
Last Sabbath, at tho solicitation of Il
friend, we visited the fashionable "placo Of
worship" AS observers and moralists, we
entered early; and, being carefully dressed
for the occasion, in our best coats and hats,
VIC succeeded in attracting the attention
and commanding the respect OF the sexton,
who made haste to seat US in good place,
where we enjoyed an excellent opportunity
of viewing the thronging worsLipcrs. We
thought the Being worshipcd there, must
feel highly complimcntcd hv so dazzling Il
display Of riches and beauty. The splcn-
dor of sati"s, silks, and shawls VIC witnessed
is indiscrbaLle. But it was to lis cold
spIcndor; woman appears f;.r-otf, and re-
moved from human sympathy, in the cloud
of so much magnificcnce. Our idea of love-
illness Is something different; being not
covered up and hidden in wealth
of gorgeous stuif,; n creature of sweet as
pect, humble micn, in modest and pure at
tire; with a he#rt Of love and Il soul Of
aspiration shedding their warm cffulgcncc
around brow n o hard and polished rs
the worlds, l.. simpIc AMI tender, and
around form whose outlines of grace are
not altogether married or disguised hy the
conventional waists and skirts. OF course,
~-' .~~... e. .>.~..~.. ~..-, III ::
coFdance with the popular opinion lust as
our conception Of a true woman's character
Is That "t gentle, enlightened, and atf.c
tonate being, whose mission and happiness
lie in comforting, soothing, aiding, teaching,
"leva''ng, by hand, and heart, and song and
cheering smiles, the suffering humanity
around her,-and not sort of animated
wax doll, slender axis of attcnuated lu-
man'ty, IN vast whirling globe of mag
us one of the latter description of beings
came sweeping down the bread isle, filino
1t quite full Of glis!eniug and rus.ling fash.
admirable creature, whose min
ute seed Of heart, bore apparently above
the same proportion to the immense pod Of
conce't and artificialty in which it was en-
cased, as her extremely little and refined
self did to its excess of silken husks-we
slightly nudged the elbow of our friend:
and as the creatures pew was reached. and
all that u"substantial mass of hooped and
bounced externals was by skilful manage
ment, and, as it were, by magic, made act.
aally to contract to the narrow capacity of
the pew door, we whispered reverenllv in
our friends ear -
What is the chief end OF wo,nan?"
ITO Dress" answered our friend, with Sc.
riously down-casl eyes.
We laugh at tile absurd costumes and of
nations; bnt surely, 10 see an American
woman Of fashion in the nineteenth century.
enter the so-callcd house of God, and hold
"g dainty her gilt Bible in one hand, roll
her hoops sideways into ller pew with the
other, savors slightly of the ludicrous.-
Will 1t be an improvement, when Hindoo
md Turk, converted from heathenis,n, cling
lcvoutIy to the skirts of our civilization
DR., does it not rather seem inconsistent,
hat the fashionable Christian woman should
leem it necessary, in seeking sphere of
Missionary labor to look beyond the hoop
If her own horizon.
n Man of Leisure.-A French paper
tates that NJ. Boulanger, Judge Of tile I'm
'er'"' Court of Paris, who lately died, left
10 less than ninety-five wills, in which lie
made many bequests, not a few of the leg.
'tees being persons entirely unknown 70
''m' except from notices in newspapers of
heir being distinguished for ac,s ~ v;r.,.