The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1866-08-03
Fashion and Fashions.

We have for some time desired to say
few words on fashion and fashions; and
perhaps we shall find no better time TO dis
burden our mind than the present. If we
should accidentally drop any hint worthy
of notice, the Convention is now in session,
and, we doubt not, from the facility with
which they receive and refer to the proper
committee suggestions upon all other con-
ceivable subjects, will be able appropriately
to dispose of this.
Fashion, if we rightly comprehend it, is
law established by some arbitrary authori-
ty, either self-constituted or universally ad
mitted to be supreme, which undertakes to
regulate the modes and forms of dress and
manners of all persons who aspire to be
considered as belonging to ''good society"
Fashions are ''the modes and forms of
dress and manners prescribed by that ar
bitrary authority, and exclusively adopted
by those who submit themselves thereto.
1t is rebellion against the authority of
fashion to depart in any particular from the
fashions a0d no excuses on account of
health, incompaGbility of form, color or fea-
lures, are understood to be any extenuat:on
of the offence; but the individual so offend
ing is forthwith excluded from that mysteri-
GUS association, called 'good society"
In Tenn, however, this despotic rule is
exercised almost exclusively upon the gent
Ter sex; and in regard to both dress and
manners, the men generally seem to actupon
the rule that prevailed among the Jews at
the time when there was no king in Israel,
when "every man did that which was right
in his own eyes," and, accordingly, the
styles and forms of male attire are such as
would drive the prime ministers of that
arbitrary monarch, fashion, fairly crazy, if
compelled to see and tolerate such barbar-
isms as are daily enacted all over Texas
without blush.
1t is, then, upon the better half of our
people that this memorable despotism exer-
cises its grinding influence.
"And pray, Mr.. old fogie Editor" we
| think we hear from the Sabine to the Rio
Grande, eff it concerns US alone, why do
you meddle with what don't concern you?"
/
let the old fogie say out his say.
Where does this law originate? In other
words, whence do you derive your fashions?
From Frank Leslie and Harper, in New
York, or Cooley in Philadelphia? Whence
do they derive them? From the court of
London, the court OF Paris? Do the Queen
of Great Britain and the Empress of France
establish the Law? And will you, every
one of you being equally a sovereign, suf-
| fer them to control your choice of shoe
/ tie or breast knott to dictate that you
shall wear kid slippers in wet weather and
match brunette complexion with a dark
dress, because such things are the fashion?
Or hang to the back of your heads, thing,
composed of you know not what, and to
worship which, would be no violation of
the second commandment, seeing it is like
unto nothing that is "in Heaven above, nor
in the earth beneath, nor in the waters nm
der the EARTH" though it is called water
fall?
But this Old Foge doubts very much
whether most of these things called fash
| ions, have so respectable an origin. 10 our
mind, they smack unmistakably of Shoddy
and are redolent of Goldfish.
We have been observing you, fair read
ers, for more years than is particularly
necessary to be here set down, and the re-
suit of our observation is, that she who
follows her own pure, simple taste, with {
knowledge of the requirments of her owr
figure and complexion, will dress hersel
in such manner, that, though she may
commit terrible solecisms in fashion, every
eye that sees her will be grati6ed, and res
with pleasure upon her general appearance
and we may add (not that you care any
thing about it: oh, by no means!) that tt
the greater half of creation, lady so adOrn
ed is more, thousand fold more attractive
than the butterflies of fashion, though ar
rayed as Solomon in all his glory neve
was.
A Richmond paper thinks there shoult
be new Cabinet officer called the Secre
f tary of the Exterior, and appointed from
the South.
The MOrmons