The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-12-14

tics, some Of the vulgar di hes she
remembers as the pride Of her mother
aud the table treats Of her girlhood.
FOREIGN FASHIONS.
In addition TO the prominence
given to fashions and fashion gossip
by existing journals, further evidence,
if any were needed, of the new i'm
portance attached to the subject is to
be found in the number Of periodi-
Gals recently started, all of which
centralize fashions as their one point
of interest and attraction.
Among them all, however, there is
not one hat really meets the want
that undoubtedly exists for a high
toned lady's newspaper. The Bouioir
was simply an advertising sheet, poor
~ initiating IN appearance the Eng
fish Queen. some OF whose articles it
copied. but with the exception of its
puffs, having no claim to originality
Of its own.
The new Bazaar is a still more au-
dacious effort to foist a mere repro
duction of a foreign journal upon the
| good taste Of the American public.
With the exception Of a few stories
and sketches and its local business
puffs. it is a simple bodily transfer Of
the German Baz0r, a capital paper
for poor Berlin dressmakers with its
bewildering pattern sheet, containin 6
fifty tangled patterns each week, cross
eel and ~recrossed like the web of fate,
and quite as difficult to %unravel, but
about as valuable as a Chinese puzzle
to the majority of American women
So eminent a firm as the Harpers
ought to have done better for their
own reputation and that of the En-
pire City, than this. There is a de-
mand from intelligent women from
all parts of the country, for an organ
of their views, sentiments, feelings,
opinions, habits, and those of good So
ciety generally. As has been stated,
even the papers that devote the most
space to subjects interesting to the
ladies as they are called, confine
themselves outside of mere details of
fashion to paragraphs and sensation
items of soirees and weddings, or if
they venture on an editorial or article
of social interest, try above all things
to make it pretty" and relating in
some way to matrimony, the only top
ic, beside dress, they consider likely
to interest the female mind. All this
is humiliatiDg and renders such jour
nails distasteful rather than otherwise
to the thinking part of American wo-
men, and wanting In some thing they
know not what, to all who possess
the ordinary amount of sense, taste
and appreciation. The American wo-
mans newspaper of the future must
be different from this. It must be in
dependent in its ideas of dress and
fashion, willing to adopt a good mode,
but equally ready to denounce a bad
one. Not the organ of a few MILL
ners and dry goods dealers, but the
representative of the American house
hold and of the science of American
social life. 1t must have It's opinions
and be capable of a decided express
ion of them. IF there is one thing
more than another for which the
American women have a faculty, it is
having a mind o. their own " upon
all sorts of subjects and liking to give
people 9 piece of it,"
1t should teach the art Of house
furnishing as we'll as housekeeping;
how to make clothing and how to wear
it; how to cook in addition to what
to cook, and how to dignity home life
and social life by earnest purpose and
resolute endeavor.
No one disputes French taste nor
German either, according to the Har-
pers, but there is something better
than taste, which should never be sac
rifced to it, and that is individuality.
American women are quite as capable
of exercising this function as any 9th
ers, and there is a growing indisposi-
ton among them to be used as mere
blocks for the exhibition of the second
and third class inery Of European
capitals.
WINTER CLOAKs.
The most Objectionable feature o.
the new winter cloaks is the waste o.
costly material. The designs are re-
stricted in length and amplitude, but
they are absurdly cut in and notcheO
out in a tricky, fanciful way, which Is
neither in keeping with the heav!
fabrics of which our winter garments
are composed, nor with its purpose.
of warmth and usefulness.
Some of the most fashionable cloaki
are only short sacs, wastefully cut ou'
in sharp spikes or square teeth, will
additional waste in long sash ends
which extend below the edge of the
garment at the sides, and serve NJ
purpose. either of use or beauty.
Others are cut short at the bacl
and long in front; aud still other
gashed out at the sides, without an.
r apparent motive, except to afford an
f other evidence of the prevailing eloal
, lunacy.
IT, ~r;ols ,,so1 Cor +boso oho-