American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-05-25
The Dress Reform Movement.


cles of luxury, particularlyof foreign i'm
portation, during the continuance of the
war, was held Monday afternoon at Cooper
Institute.
The great hall of the Institute was
nearly filed at one o'clock, which was the
appointed hour of meeting, and after that
time scarcely seat could be found unoc-
cupied. 1t was strictly a woman's meet
ing not one man was in the room at one
o'clock as an auditor; but it was evident
that the class of persons who should make
the chief sacrifices suggested by the or
ganizators of this movement were not the
majority.
Only few of the persons present came
in carriages; nearly all these were com
paratively late and took the back seats
so that the body of the hall was filed by
women who came from curiosity or from a
laudable desire to assist in the movement,
but whose moral aid will be more import
ant than anything else they can render.
There was continual whispering and the
buzz of conversation was interrupted on
ly by the impatient persons among the au-
dicnce, who expected the proceedings to
begin punctually at one o'clock; they
stamped visibly and sometimes audibly.
Many specimens of American manufac-
tured goods were suspended to the railing
front of the platform.
AT a quarter past one o'clock, VIM. II.
Dodge, Jr., appeared, and said that the
gentlemen who were to address the meet
ing would be very much obliged if the la
dies of the committee whowere in the au-
dience would confer with them for one mo-
ment.
Peter Cooper also came forward and
pointed out the way by which persons in
vited might come to the committee room
in the rear of the great hall.
The recognition of the influence of the
ladies produced applause in all parts of
the building; and there were many smiles
and consultations. The number Of per-
sons who arose, as if to go to the commit
tee room, suggested the idea that the COM
mittee comprised one-tenth or at least one
twentieth of the entire assemblage, which
must have numbered two thousand per-
sons.
While the consultation was in progress
the demonstrations of ladies', who tho't
the exercises of the meeting should go
on, continued and became louder.
A few minutes afterwards the process
sion of speakers and others appeared on
the stand.
Among the number were President
King of Columbia College; Rev. DR.. Os-
good Rev. DR.. Hitchcock and Rev. DIR.
Vinton. There were several others and
few ladies had places on the platform.
President King, of Columbia College,
was called to preside, and on taking the
chair he spoke briefly. He said that 1--WE
of the other sex always assume that the
ladies dress for us; and when we ask that
they should, during the continuance of
this war, abstain from luxurious dress,
and present themselves to us as American
women in American clothing, venture
to say in behalf of our society of the mas
culine gender, that they would be more
lovely and more loved Laughter and
loud applause.
Mr. Peter Cooper spoke as follows:
This meeting, called together by ladies,
has for its object the formation of a union
"a union which is intended to commend
itself to the intelligent heart of every pa
triotic lady of our country.
At time like this, when all our hopes
for freedom for ourselves and our posteri-
ty are threatened with destruction by the
vilest despotism that ever disgraced civ
ilized nation-at such time it is honora-
BILE to the ladies to join in union of eff
fort to economize the labor of the country,
so as to make it all contribute strength to
the arm of government. This should be
done to enable our government to with
stand the desperate men now at war for
its destruction.
You may all have noticed that high on
the front of this building stands word
a single, solitary word-it is a word en-
craven in stone, and should be deeply en-.
craven upon every American heart-that
word is Union 1t is word that embod.
les in itself the only hope of our imperill-
ed country, and the only hope for the fnal
triumph of freedom and free government
| throughout the world.
1t will require, my friends, union Of
science and art, with all their powers ot
combination exerted, toenable us to with
stand the terrible energy of men who