The penny press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1859-1860, 1860-02-14
Pstticoats and their Appsrtenancss.

"sssst thou the angels with n Grosns
We twain have reached the sky." ..t.t.,
Petticoats and their Appurtenances.
In May last gentleman Of good posi-
tion was married to the daughter Of
lady who resided in Piccadilly, London.
In July the bride had to attend o ball,
and of course it was necessary that she
should have a bali dress. Application
was made to Mesdames Lewis and Cooper,
who are court milliners in Somersetstreet,
Portman Square, and there the bride OF,
dered ball dress, not only for herself, but
her sister. At the same time the fair
lady ordered magnificent steel dress
petticoat. The dress and the petticoat
were sent home, approved and much ad-
mired. In the same month Of July, un-
happily-so constantly in this life do
mournful accidents mingle with the gay
est--a painful event occurred in the fam
ily, gnd Miss Lewis received this note:
"Kindly come at once, as have some
important orders to issue which must be
executed Immediately. My poor dearly
loved sister has been summoned from
this world Of care" This imperative sum-
mons was obeyed, and the consequencewas
an extensive order for mourning dresses.
Some other colored dresses which had
already been ordered were sold, for the
season was over, at an abated sum; for
which credit was given to the lady in the
account. At last bill was sent in, a bill
involving the external interests of the
bride, of one or more of her sisters, and
of her mother. But the amount, rising
to the figure Of EOS los. 3D., the husband
of the lady in chief demurred he paid
ESQ into court, and declared himself not
indebted beyond that sum. There does
not appear to have been any dispute as
to the authority Of the ladys relatives;
the whole question lay in the reasonable
ness of the charge That the dresses
were not extravagant in their proportions
appears from the fact stated by Miss
Lewis, that when she took some Of them
home to show her customer, they proved to
be not long enough nor full enough.
The ball dress which was ordered cost
910 10s-Not large sum- Ii was very
nearly twelve yards in circumference.
There was also an extra full book
slip belonging to the petticoat,fl 9s, cd,
"What, asked Mr. Honyman, "was
the book slip belonging to the petit
coat?' Miss Lewis answered, "the crino
line, if you will enter into the mysteries
it is to hide the steal hoops" The more
we anatomize the phenomenon, the more
surprising do our discoveries become.
When the naturalist catches 'demoi
selle,' and subjects it, under the micro
scope, to the dissecting knife, he finds il
it, If not exactly the same structure a.
that Of higher animals, still the mos
wonderful complication oforgans, arteries
and nerves. There are, however, some
creatures in which the animal itself il
but a small and not readily discovered
fraction of the structure which appears Il
the eye; these are usually very low in the
scale Of the creation, and the demoisellt
which was under anatomy by Mr.. Hony-
man in his clinical lecture before tht
Court Of Common Pleas, appears to have
been an analogue of coralline rather thar
an insect. Beneath the full book sliI
was an exoskeleton of steel hoops, price
81 So. 6d.,-ap price which the dressmakel
declared to be 'quite reasonable" ," and W.
can well understand that it was 30. Mr.
Honeyman- now grew nervous, and wal
afraid to mention an article" that COS
3s. Cd. 'Is that reasonable9" he asked
Miss Lewis, more intrepid, looked at hel
bill, and replied, "a steel hustle, 3s Sd.
quite so."' The anatomy Of the bill
and financially Of the demoiselle, pic
ceeded until at last it was discovere
that the Court could not Of itself settl
questions SO extremely complicated; an
the case was deferred for the Master
this does not appear to be the husband
to decide the matter in difference betwee
the parties.
Imagine the Master thus appointed t
decide in detail the affairs Of the toilette
1t is fine practical satire on that falls
philosophy which makes women spo
themselves. For the greatest vast,
after all, Is in their own attraction
Look down any gallery Of costume, fror
time immemorial, and see if the mol
graceful garb, that which best sets fort
the womanly graces, Of from, carriage Q
expression, 10 not the very opposite Of thi
mad millinery which DISCUSSES the ang'
under heap Of manufactured? Il is
xUaiva the awaet comnekition nf the Crane
purse, for the benefit solely Of other
1ucre. When did you ever see th
Paphian Goddess or Hebe or Helen, {
any heroine Of tale, in prose or vers
imprisoned in hoop or crinoline2 rs
stands not the statue that enchants Il
world. Spectator.
A SIoNrProANr OMISSION. - A eli
kni0ht who Waa unah1a IN aarirata kha