Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1867-03-30
The Fashl0ns-ShOrt Dresses and CHG.
mana

volume vast improvement.
The Fashi0ns-ShOrt Dresses and CHG
mems.
From tho New York Times, March I5J
Yesterday, for the first time in four
weeks, 1t was possible for pedestrians to
walk the streets without being covered
with mud. A cold northwest wind had
dried up the whiting of Broadway, and
even the subaqueous crossings were
tolerable. 1t was "Opening Day
that is the day when Queen Fashion
permits her slaves to have glimpse at
the new treasures she had prepared for
them. 1t was noticeable, however,
that her devotees were fewer in num-
Der than usual, and it would seem that
there is some ground for hope that
there will be large detection from her
ranks this season. The first serious
inroad lately made was in the adoption
of the new style of dress-the short,
over-skirt pattern-of which thousands
have already been made, and seven
eighths of them from the secondhand
material of the full skirts with which
the ladies were wont to brush the side
walks or carry gathered like loose
grainbags around their heels. IT fash
ION really originated this new and neat
style, she has done at least one sensible
thing but ugly bachelors who have
so long been bothered with trails, and
suffering husbands who have paid their
thousands for the now old-fashioned
street-sweeper, will tell you that neces-
sity, and not fashion, is the motive
power When houses rent for So, 600 a
year, aud board is "cheap" at S25 a
week, il is quite possible that silks may
be held at So yard for a considerable
period without finding purchasers.
But never mind the cause the reform
is most acceptable. Women who have
for years moved along the streets with
out visible means of locomotlon, who
have swung up and down the pave
much as a cooper would roll funnel
shaped tub, at last confess that they
have feet, and are not ashamed to show
them-wIth boots. III this is result
of the high tariff on silks, let us hasten
to acknowledge that good may come
out of evil-that the toad has a jewel
in its head. We should like to feel
certain that the reform was spon-
taneous tribute to common sense;
but such a theory is at least haz-
arduous. The connection between
common sense and fashion is not sus-
ceptlble of proof-indeed, we may al
most say it is an impossibility. For
fashion delights in extravaganza, aud
so soon as any one of her inventions
comes to be reduced within the reach of
common people," it is no longer fash
ionable-she repudiates it and sets her
wits to work to invent its opposite.
Looking at the gay throng yesterday,
we felt encouraged to hope that the APP
preaching season would redeem women
from their oppressive chains. The
dresses are already reformed they are
not only neat, but convenient and COM
Portable, and Except in some cases
where forty or fifty pounds of glass
beads are dragging the victims into an
early gravel are so great an improve
ment in the way of cleanliness and
health, that we ought to give public
thanks for the change. Then the wa
teriall nuisance is acknowledgement
are on the move. We saw yesterday
lots of them that had crawled up from
the heretofore resting-place on the sim
ciput almost to the crown. 1t is true
the effect was ludicrous, as the big
bunch of some dead persons or horses
hair in working upward had drawn the
natural back hair up so that the suffer
er's heels hardly touched the ground,
and her shoulders were hunched up with
manifest evidence of plin aud what
added to the comicality of the picture
was that the little pancake called a
chat was pushed forward and hung
over her eyes just as Frank Chanfrau
used to cock his "kady" in "Mose."
And so, tipped over her toes by the rise
in her chignon, and half blinded by the
hat forced over upon the tip of her
nose by the same aggressive chignon,
the sufferer stumbled along the street
in stage suggestive of extreme dizzi-
ness. 1t is to be hoped that these as
piring chignons viii complete their
Tourney, pass entire over the head, aud
disappear with the ''hats" they are now
crowding out of place. As for the new
devices of Queen Fashion it is not the
province of this writer to speak. They
are wonderful to behold but there is
consolation in the fact that nothing
could be worse, more expensive, more
ungraceful, more ridiculous than the
fashions just gone or going out of date.
There IS every reason to believe that
we shall soon fiud that women have not
only feet but heads; and if it shall
also be found that those heads have
half as much brains inside as they have
horse-hair outside, the day of jubilee
will begin to dawn.
|
"A Washington letter-writer re-
marks: '"phere is an unusual number
of visitors about the capitol this morn
ing, the library having its full share of