Bellevue gazette. [volume] (Bellevue City, N.T. [i.e. Neb.]) 1856-1858, 1857-02-19
Written for the Bellevue Gazette.
Force and Effects of Fashion

II dnlAlbl - az lll' odlllI UNIV WV tiibob
%tyrnnnical and the most capricious dame
imaginable for what, one year she pro-
nounccs TO be in the most perfect taste,
the next, perhaps, She condemns as most
shockingly ridiculous, and devoid of both
grace aud utility not only 50, but she re-
quires perfect acluiescence in her judg-
ment, and a blind devotion to her be-
hests, from all her v~otaries. And surely,
never monarch had such loyal subjects;
for at one time we find them, with one
accord. e~ndeavoring to attain, as near as
may be, the graceful outlines Of a beam
pole, and according to the Danes decree,
pr~onounciug that figure the most perfect,
natural and graceful that was ever seen.
But c'er long, the fastidious Dame grows
tired Of willows, and conceiving, no
doubt, that the opposite extreme must be
the very acme Of grace and beauty, forth
with announces that the human form, as
it was made by the Creator, is destitute Of
true grace, which can only be furnished
to order by a cooper or umbrella-maker,
and that a sugar or molasses caslt APP
proaches nearer to the correct standard of
beauty thar aught that was ever dreamed
Of by the Graces; and verify, if these
same Graces were to dare show them
selves in society at the present day, they
would be hooted at, and compelled to hide
their heads in confusion.
Immediately upon the enunciation Of
these new principles of dress, by their
time-honorcd sovereign, all her loyal sub
jccts, from Maine to California, with one
accord, Internationally retract and ignore
their former opinions, and declare, most
cmphatically, that whales and coopers are
the greatest benefactors of human kind,
and that without them, the world would
be a vast wilderness, a fit place for saw
ages, who cannot appreciate the graceful
contour of n form modified TO suit a Paris
milliner's ideas of elegance. And if one
more reckless than the rest dares to dis
sent from these rules and dogmas, she is
forthwith condemned without benefit of
clergy, and hcnccforth considered as a
dangerous person, and one not to he adj
United to too close communion with the
loyal subjects of the fastidious sovereign,
lest the dissatisfaction becomes general.
Now is it not too bad that a people who
have struggled so hard for independence,
as have those of our republic, should be
subjected to the despotic sway of such an
inveterate %tyrantess as this Dame has
proved herself to be?
Then arouse we summon all your en-
ergy and free yourselves from this igno-
bic bondage; obey only the dictates of
prudence and true taste. Cultivate in
your souls a love of the beautiful, as seen
in nature, and you will cease to regard the
mandates of Dame Fashion as infallible,
and learn to live for a nobler purpose.
Learn that woman has a higher walk to
do than to fritter away her life in a fool
ish endeavor to outshine all others Of her
sex in gaudy apparel, while the jewel of
her mind is left unpublished and unprized.
BRAILA.
The Railroads of the world.
All the world knows hat the United
States of America is eminenily the coun-
l try of railroads; but every one may moi
> know the degree to which we excel the
, rest of the world in the solid assurances
| that we shall continue 70 excel, or finally
the proof which both afford that we are
; destined to excel in civilization. At the
/ end of the year 1856 there were in Grea.
Britain S,576 miles of railroad-ir all Eu.
rope together 24,203 miles, while in the
! United States alone, there were "a 800
= miles. As the grand total of all the mile.
: of railroad in the world is 81 ,266, it vii
n be seen that very nearly one-haIf of the
amount is in the United States.
To those who reflect what railroads are
and what they lead to, there is something
! almost overwhelming in such al array o
). facts, When at a present day a countr,
c possesses internal resources and railroads
q it has gained n~inety-nine one-hundredth
g of the essential requisites to prosperity
= That which takes produce more readil,
and cheaply to market, which supplies tn,
II manufacturer with raw material at tn
= lowest rates, and which in return bring
TO the adriculturiSt the results of manufac
lures and commerce, must be, of course
/ the medium to facilitate and encourage tn
l. interest Of all these. Let it be constantly
borne in mind that our railroads are tn
great assurance of our prosperity. Wit
them the country in its vast extent cal
never safer seriously from any cause
'e without them every individual in it woul
be in danger of utter poverty. Regardc,
in this, the true light, the conduct of tn
N wealthy mar who regards a railroad stoc
. which is destined to benefit the community
i solely with an eye to personal profit, mu:
t. often appear uncharilable and illiberaI
IN There is many a road, not directly yer
profitable to its posSessors, which neverthe
less upholds a community. We could wis
that this view Of railroads was more gen
e. orally entertained. If true charity con
:. SiStS I'm Drnvidinp emplovment for the nooI