The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1866-01-10
A PLAN FOR SUPERINTENDENT.


get along. There are great many persons
that cannot find EN- ploymeut; there are
great many others who cannot col ect the wa
ges for their labor; there are great many
who procuring employment and receiving
what they earn, find those earnings inadequate
to give their families the necessaries of life
everything almost having advanced fifty per
cent. on the old-time prices. The agricultural
pursuits of the country are carried ON, owing
to the disorganization of labor; in languish-
ing way. The bricklayers and carpenters,
among the mechanics, have little employment.
The tailors are undersod by the clothing
stores. Persons cannot employ the timer or
the painter to roo or t. paint their houses for
want Of money. The doctors have lost much
of their practice by the emancipation of the
slaves. The colleges are but poorly attended.
The schoo-busness is so overdone that few
find it profitable employment. The law
yers are set back by the stay law. The clergy
are worse paid than ever. The printer can
not collect his accounts--and so we find our
entire society struggling for lviug-and
many only preserving life.
This train of thought led us to look around
for the subjects of retrenchment in our daily
expenses. A roof, garment little food. are
all that man absolutely needs Our houses,
as general thing, are plain enough Our
food is very greatly wasted. We eat more
meat than required, and great deal of whis-
ky is unnecessarily drunk. Still we drink no
wine, which is a considerable item of expense
in European countries, and the bulk of our
population consume no ardent spirits We
presume too, that, at least in the towns, house
keepers are much more economical in their
tables than they used to be. But when ones
thoughts are directed to it, we are startled
with the immense outlay that is made on our
clothing.
Let us, without unnecessary delays come
at once to our subject-Fenlale Dress.--Read-
er-poor, toiling son of Adam-has it ever
occurred to you what a prodigious number
and quantity of products woman has on her
back Go into any plain, Woodworking
family, where distress warrant impends at
the end of every quarter-and take an inven-
tory of the equipments of that comely and
amiable young female whose exemplary life
is the subject of comment among all her
neighbors. She is not aware of the capital
and labor that have been exercised in her
modest adornment herself. An elegant pair
of shoes-sik stockings-kid gloves-a bon
net which is world in itself-pomade-t
plugged-conibs hair-pins, hair-net, rouge,
starch; sozodont, cologne, earrings, brooch,
chain, crinoline and linen, fanel, fnger-rngs
fan, watch bracelet, collar, cuffs, paraso, and
the main dress itself. Add cloak, furs, over
shoes, sea-foam balmoral, lace pocket-hand-
kerchief, gold pencil, portemonnaie, prayer
book, smelling bottle.
Nowit takes all these things to dress sin
gle young woman one time. The bonnet and
the frock are each intricate and complicated
machines of itself Think of the braid, lace,
cord, buttons, flowers, feathers, beads, span-
giles, ribands, rosettes, buckles, furbeiows,
tucks, Houncos, embroidery, ct Get. ct Get
and of the immense amount of cunning sew
ing-involved in these two single articles to
say nothing of the richness and cost of the
main materials
Was woman intended for all this excessive
ornamentaYion?--to glow in as many colors
as a South American bird? Consider that at
least one third of woman's life is taken up
in buying the materials Of dress, in going to
the mantua makers and milliner's, in talking
over and planning how she shall dress, and in
exhibiting the result when reached. 1t is
certain that among themselves the subject Of
dress is almost the exclusive topic of CONVEX
| sstion.
We have the remarkable fact--aud we are
surprised that attention has never before been
called to it-that about one fourth of the
time of the human race, and perhaps one
fourth of their earnings, are devoted to the
dressing of women.
We would recommend in our Southern soci-
ETY., so impoverished and Frustrated by war, a
palmer costume for our females--aud indeed
we think the men might have a sim
pier and less expensive dress also. For the
ladies the Doric Chiffon might perhaps err in
simplicity-but the Roman paila would GER
tainly fulfil all the objects OF dress. The Ro-
man ladies never dreamed of bonnets I'm
| agine statue of Diana with bonnet On | 1t
is undoubtedly sinful for human beings to
| spend as much money, and as much time, as
our females do, in ornamenting the body
What would we think OF man that spent
| several hours every day arranging his back
hair and spent the bulk of his incomein buy
ing l.ats?
We believe a respectable female may be
dressed for one year for about SIS; and we
suppose they really average about S 100 in the
United States The population is about thirty
three Million so that if sumptuary laws We're
passed and rigidly enforced, estimating that
one half of the females " dress" land allowing
only $75 for those under fifteen, we find that
the enormous sum Of $91i,000,00 might be
saved to the nation every year in this one arti-
Gle alone.
Weeannot be expected in such calcula-
ton to reach more than an approximate. re-
suit but we may safely say that we are within
several hundred millions OF the exact sum
and if only $600,000,000 would be saved, the
subject is certainly one deserving the reflections
of every serious young woman.
Putting the quota of the Sonth at $780,
000,0 00-by reduction of the dress of our
females, here is a sufficient capital to put an
entirely new face on the country Ne should