Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-05-03

BALTIMORF, MD,


| Some. time ago | saw In a museum 81 nrusp
| norm It was tall pointed horn of silver.
| very much the shape of an ld-fasbioped lin
| stage horn or farm dinner horn. But il was
not trumpet the small end was nointed
| ana the large end was filed with Qatcushion
Inc DruSeS are an Eastern people, whose
women are held in rather low esteem. and
are the subjects Of laws and customs, binding
II ABSURD. One OF them Is that every married
woman shall wear one of these horns unon
the top Of her head. From it hang tasseIs o.,
ornaments, and sometimes veil. OF course
the cushion relieved somewhat the pressure
upon the top Of the head, and strings on each
side kept the balance of the horn; but after all
it was q terrible burden, as one may guess who
has ever worn tight hat, or had q heavy pres
sure on the top of the head. Yet it must be
worm l was told, night and day, and that g
hole in the wall, or a sort of rest, was provided
Tor the end of the horn as the victim lay down.
! physician told me he had been called to
prescribe for women suffering with intense
and agonlzlng headache, the natural result of
tElS terrible pressure; yet custom would not
allow the only remedy he could suggest, viz:
the removal Of the horn. Of course, after
tlme, II the woman survives. her head becomes
hardened to the burden, and for the rest Of
her HE she suffers only the inconvenience of
the thing.
How very barbarous. Yes every one saws
so and yet there are customs-as Of screwino
up the waist almost to the stoppage of the
breath, and habitually pinching the feet into
misery and deformity-the last equally common
to men and women, which have not even the
apology of a binding obligation. as among the
Druses-and that in this highly civilized and
Christianized land Of which we boast
Slavery IS not yet quite abolished in this
land. There Is tyranny of fashion, or custom.
almost omnipotent. For instance, show me
The widow who dares unless she be a Friend.
to appear without a Grape veil No matter
what her age or condition. hear the unIlind
and malicious remarks aimed at her. And
yet suppose she prefers health and eyesight
to fashion?
The facts are simply these There is some,
poison Iotteu arsenic, I am told, used in dive
OF black Grape, and yet that and only that,
must be used for wells, and thew must be kent
on the face and the air brcathed through them.
" nave seen woman faint away and become
III Tor days after breathing under q heavy crane
veil, " e have seen a terrible eruption come
out upon her face from the poison: and this
last effect is acknowledged and is traditional.
aud yet It makes no difference. We have seen
The cye7ght ruined from the dim, unsteady
hight, and the Diagonal lines Of The crane,
always beUlldcring the sight The eyes in
many eases are sorcy weakened and in some
utterly ruined for life, by this conformity to
custom.
AT time when the system is depressed by
care and watching and grief, heavy, cumbrous
dress rs adopted, and in addition, q slow
poison Is administered through a Grape veil,
which must on no account be thrust aside TO
admit the free air of heaven. The burden
may not fall on as many but are the Drnse
women SO much more the slaves of custom?
Now, We do not ask what the world will
say, but sipply--if the Scripture enioins s'aIl
lawful endeavors to preserve our own lives
and the lives Of Others, and if we need our
best powers for our work in Hfe-are these
things right
Is 1t right, even in obedience to custom, to
do that which must most assuredIy iniure the
health, and therefore hinder usefulness? No
matter what side issues there may be, is 1t
right! This Is the question to which all others
must come.
1t is time this test should be applied to more
than one custom Of society.-N Y. Observer.