Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-02-13

~mea.ure-. Not Men. /.

From the Round Tabls
An article in recent issue Of the Home
Journal is devoted to the morality Of
mantna-making; deriving its text from
the custom pursued in several of our fash
ionabie cloak manufactures, of employing
men to measure the sylph-like Tor othsr-
wise, as the case may bel forms Of the lady
applicants for outer garments, and deplor-
ing the want of mOdesty displayed in fe-
male tolerance of those male manipula-
tions. The writer cites the establishment
of Worth, the male measurer of Paris, and
extracts therefrom the following morali
have cited the Worth establishments
merely that might draw the parallel, and
make the application. Here you see in
this immodest, l might say outrageous,
substitution of q man as ladies' milliner
and maid, the final result of a submission
to male measuring. By degrees, the ladies
learn to tolerate the thing, and finally, be-
come convinced that the men have the
more tastei in fact that as toilets are
donned TO please the rougher sex, q defer
esee to male ideas upon the subject must
be the most rational means Of insurinz
success. This is a deplorsble result, as ars
all things which tend to lessen the most
charming, most winning trait of woman
her instructive modesty" s.
Why, bless the unsophistieated heart Of
this questionable critiel the parallel was
drawn and the application made IN this
our semi-Gallic metropolis years ago; the
final result limited at as a scarcely possible
elimination of this measure Of iniauity
and iniquity Of measure was long since
attained A German tailor, rejoicing in
the mellifuous cognOmen of Schmauider,
inspired, probably, by the success of his
transatlantic prototype, conceived the
scheme of replenishing his exhausted cof-
fers by offering his sartorial services to
the fashionable fair as a fabricator Of nd
ing-habits. Now, the equestrian costume
worn by ladies being in sundry particu-
lars more or less close imitation of the
habiliments of thesterner sex, there seemed
to be peculiar vindieation of the eternal
fitness of things in the construction of
the said costume by masculine mechanic;
and, accordingly, at first a few danes who
had recently returned from Paris, and
afterward great many who had only i'm
ported their manners from that gay city.
placed themselves literally in his hands 10
be measured for jackets, skirts, and-ft
is whispered-for ct estsras, too. l-s
Like most other things however, the
production of riding habits is confined
within certain limits A majority onlvof
the female beau monde is addicted to the
practices of the nlanege, and even Of that
minority some component members were
so enslaved by antiquated prejudices as 70
prefer dress-makers of their own sex 40
taking into further consideration the fact
that riding habits last longer than other
articles Of fe eninine attire, our knight Of
the shears determined to enlarge the field
Of his operations by including within its
range the elaboration of every variety Of
robe, deiggoir, toilette de bal costume De
promenade, &c, required BY his customers.
Here was something entirely exclusive
for the world Of fashion here was a
'mode' which the vulgar horde would be
deferred from initiating by ridiculous and
plebian notions of modesty. r
The riding-habit system might possibly
be popularized; but the irving on .
of deeoILete ball-dress by a Rirsuts
TeutOn, was surely q privilege which
might be enjoyed exceptionally BY
the Upper Ten" Hence, business
flowed in upon the Semaulder establish.
ment with an auriferous 1oOd-tide; his
order-bOok contained the names Of reign
ing bellies and budding mot blushingl as
plrants to bellehood; husbands became
unpleasantly conscious of private chamber
interviews between their halfclad wives
and bearded foreigner, at times when
themselves were excluded from the Oon-
npbial department; but having bssas
familiarized with the audiences granted
by mesdames while en- desha5eIle 10 whis-
kered hair-dressers, they shrugged their
shoulders, and only reflected upon the
summary course they would be Justified
in pursuing if the interloper were a ren-
tleman. It is, undoubtedly, q rather an
riOus, not to say inconsistent, condition Of
affairs, when a man is denied access to his
wife's room-nOt merely because she
is undressed," for that expression of
extreme modesty we consider highlV.
laudable-but because, in addition to.
that partially nude situation
strange man is adjusting her eorsags or
French refugee Is exercising his tonsorial
art upon her eoifNrs, and his eOnversa-
tional talents upon the ION dts of sOcie-
". But. que 1ottIez UotsS 1t is the FASH
ion; and what avail against that response
the subtleties of argument or the crude,
trite sophistries based upon old tangled.
sehLihenLs OF proprletyf Let US rather
be thankful, brother Benediels, that mat
ters are no worse that it is not yet fash
ionable to violate allthe usages established
by our simple minded predecessors; that
if our fair rulers admit to the mysterious.
rites Of the toilet other obvious bipeds
than ourselves, the practice does not ap-
ply to our social equals, with whom the
dangers Of pistols and ten PAGES might be
entailed upon US, butts confined to persons
whose coarse-mindedness and unrehned
manner Of thinking place them far be-
meath our notice. A. L. O.