Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-10-14
The War on CrinOline-.A New
Sin Discovered.


The law of Moses was-to use phrase
in vogue in Yankee land-"pretty tolera-
bly," strict in matters of human deport.
ment. If that law was ever actually car
ried into practice, rs it is written down in
the Penteteuch, the people in those DAYS
had troublesome time oft; and Upon "A
close calculation, it is probable that it wohld
have been quite as easy to endure all the
penalties attached to non-observance, as to
go to the labor Necessary to a rigid fulfil
ment Of all its provisions. Indeed such
appears to have been the opinion of the
Jewish people themselves; for if we are to
credit the testimony of their sacred books
the Kings and the Cbronicles-ihe law
was suffered to become obsolate and for
gotten-havng been lost beyond tn, knowl-
edge even of the priests and prophets Of
the nation, for the space of 400 years,
preceding the reign of King Josiah-when
a stray copy was disiiterred in a decayed
chest, hidden away in pile of rubbish in
the neglected temple-the nation, in the
meantime, having taken up with variety
of other deilies and divinities, whose wor-
ship, according to th~ir unchastened no.
tions of the fitness of things, was, if not
quite so safe, and good deal more agreea-
bic. To tell the truth, what between the
native proneness to sin of the Jewish bu-
man heart on the one side, and the rug
ged and uncompromsing character of its
requirements on tn other, the law Of
Moses had but sorry time of it, from
beginning to end; and we cannot but feel
that, in spite of its divine authority, when
Jesus came and proclaimed its abrogation,
be did about the only thing that, at that
time, was practicable to be done in the
premises.
Moses, however, did not die with his
law, although the contrary is affirmed in
the book OF Deuteronomy. John Bunyan
brings him to life with all bis pristine strin-
gency, and as fully bent upon thrashing
people into religious traces As ever; and if
the Christian world is not at this Toment
in danger of being thrust back into the
canon of Leviticus, it is not for the want
of legitimate descendants of the Levitical
priesthood, willing, for moderate COM
pensation, in cash or country produce, at
cash prices; to initiate the movement
There are those who still attach the same
Importance TO iiie washing of cups and pots,
as when lie teinple Of the man with the
thousand wives was in existence; nor are
there wanting pious and devoted people,
among whom the color of bonner, the
shade of robe, tile length and split of
coat-tail, and the difference between
hook-and-eye and button in particular
place, involve questions essential TO saliva
tion.
But we are keepirg our readers in ig-
norance of the subject matter of our essay.
In this, we have done wrong; for it should
have stood in tie boldest of capitalism
the first line of the first paragraph. There
has been new revelation. Moses has
spoken, and there is tail to be appended
to the Levilicus; al the next authoritative
edition. Give ear, Oh ye sssterine, plunged
as ye are in the vanities of tLis wicked
world: Hoops are immoral. Hoops are
irreligious. Hoops are anti-Christian.-
Hoops are an abomination. Eschew crino-
line; cast away whalebone and buckram;
avoid rattan, and put far away from you
the whole catalogue Of rods of steal, aud
springs Cf brass and wires of iron: ''Pat-
ent extensions is the latest form of orr
ginal sin, and the 'Honiton" is but another
name for Apollyon. Dear sisters: as you
value your own welfare, here and hereafter,
collapse-do; for the last Quarterly Con-
ference of Rumley Station has signifed
that your present inflated condition Is i'm
minently perilous. Moses sat at Rumley,
and Moses knows" He wore on that oc
casion a butternut- brown cloth coat with
standing collar, the tail six inches and one
quarter in length, and running to sharp
point at the extremity, with three hooks
and eyes in front-pantloons of the same,
evidently cut a priori upon the hypothesis
that preachers of righteousness should be
baudy-leggetl. Here follows the record,
taken from the archives of the last Quar-
terly Conference of Rumley Station, Mani
Annual conference, as published in The Or
gan of the same-lhe Dayton Telescope:
"Since the wearing of hoops by females
has become so prevalent, but it believed to
be in inconsistent with truly Christian
character, and indeed, by some, even con-
sidered Indecent, and to have originated
with those of suspicious character, ma
jority of the members of the last Quarterly
Conference of Rumley Station, Miami An
nual Conference, have adopted the follow
ing resolution, and they humbly ask their
dear sisters, and ladies generally, to give
this matter serious consideration:
"Resolved, That we, as Quarterly
Conference, disapprove of the wearing of
hoops by the members of our Church.
"R. GRAYBELL, Sec'y."
"Dear sisters, and ladies generally" This
is bad business! We pray you give it
your "serious consideration, Many Of
you, we doubt not, Lave gone into this
thing inadvertantly--have made broad your
with total unconsciousness of
permitted yourselves to undergo
the process of initiation with most entire
freedom from any wicked design. But
the question is, Now, when Ruuley has
spoken can you any longer touch The
abomnible thing and remain innocent?-I
We would not bo tedious in this matter;
but truly-as was observed by grave d
excellent individtal-if we were as tedious |
As King, We could find it in our heart to
bestow it all upon those for whom, collse-
tiuely, we entertain so exalted an apInlon.
Crinoline must dry up-lho drapery that
aspireih to spread itself to the four winds
Of heaven must be neutrality-suspicious.