Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1868-11-26

woman On WOnaH,s Fashions.
From the New York Ledger.
e.. When L say that the street dress ofthe
majority of respectable woman of New
I York to-day Is disgusting, / but feebly
express my emotions. | say the respect.
able women, and yet, save to them who
know them to be such, their appearance
leaves wide margin for doubt. The
clown at the circus wears not more
stunning or parti-colOred costume; i'm
. fact his has the advantage OF being suffi
ciently 'tauti-tO use a nautical phraze
not 10 interfere with loeomotion; while
their's-what with disgusting 'buinps
upon their backs. and big rosettes upon
their sides and sholdiers, and loops, and
folds. and buttons, and tassels, and
clasps, and bows upon their skirts, and
striped satin pettieoats, all roo short to
7 hide often clumsy ankies-anti more col
or and shades of colors heaped upon one
poor littleSfashion ridden-bedy than ev-
er was gathered in one Fainbow-=and all
this worn without regard TO temperature,
or time or place. say this presents a
spectacle which is too .disheartening
even to be comical.
/ One cannot smile at the young girls
who are, one day-Heaven help them
to be wives aud mothers. IPires and
mothsrst L say to myself, as ] see the
throat and neck With only the protec-
+ ton of gold iocket between itself and
/ the cold aUtUmnal winds. Wives and
mothers, L say, as | see them running
their feet and throwing their ankles out
of shape in the vain endeavor to walk
on heels like corks, fastened far into the
middle of the sole of their boots; and
those boots so high upon the calf ofthe
leg. and buttoned across it so tightly
! that circulation is stopped, and violent
headaches follow, Wives and mothers.
( / say, as | see the heating and bnrden-
some panier tackled ON the most delicate
pOrtiop of q woman's frame, to make
Still. surer confirmed invalidism. What
fathers, husbands. brothers and lovers
can he thinking about, TO be willing that
the women they respect and love, should
Appear in public, looking like women
! whom they despise, is "A marvel tu me
| WHY they do not sdy this TO them, and
shame them into decent appearance, if
their glasses cannot effect il, | do not
know. On, the relief Ii Is to meet a
+. Iotly. instead Of ballet girl. Oh, the
relief it Is 10 seea healthy, ,firm-stepping,
rosy. hroad-chested, bright-eyed woman,
clad simply with a dress all OF one color.
and free from lunches and tags. | turn
10 look al sucl. an one with true respect,
that she has the good sense ana courage
and oood taste 10 appear on the sire I IN
dress befiuing the street: leaving to
those poor wretehed women whose bush
ness IL Is TO advertise thee psfsttitr nee
field without competition u seem to
speak harslly, it is because ! feel earn
estIy on this subject. j had hoped that
the women of 1858 would have been w0r-
thy of the day in which they live. l had
hoped that anthelr time would not have
been spent in kseping up with the
chameleon changes Of fashions too ugly,
too absurd for toleratlon. 1t II because
want them to be something. TO do
something higher than notler ti'an
peacock might aim at, that Iturn heart
SICK away from these infiniteslmal "trip
berries thai narfQT the soul and purse,
and leave nothing in thslf wake hut
eniptiresS Nor II il necessary, IN
avoiding all his, that woman sheuid
look 'sstrong minded, as The uiiEhtnr
phrase goes It is not necessary that
She should dress jikr rnerEfaldm"ther IN
order tsl ieok iiaea a aiecelIt wonian. !: *
not necessary she silqui.E :t'rSwe;ir orna-
meutation, because IL Weff Ieitet ai.d
nicsc respectable ~ l,aEt Il Hon'shad to
festai and home rrGasl:!jlr ana lees 10 tiie
public promenade. she IL moi ,ifiVcn 10
the alternative of muffiing herself Ike 4
an oyuuji,as driver in January or ratcd-
ing consumption with her throat pro-
tect..si only by gold lockei.
F Oh. wish that y bevy ofyoung hand.
some girls, of goo,ssocial position, would
i,,augurate IA plain iady-ilile costume Tor
street and citvreh wear. ] say young and
h;pdsdine. because il i,a OLD wonia:, does
this the little chits will tass their heads
and say, s'Oh, she has lad her DAY and
don't cate now wand we want ours"
Now tha#s perfectly natural, and
right. 100, that you should ha !e your
yuuti,: that you should as girls say,
'.iuake yu,,rso:Ye "hutin doing so don't
sou think it woul'i be we'll i;or ta essen
or cheam.n yourselves: ana snpinit,
with all .lefarepce To your dressinakers
aud nams>, that every one OF you VINO
api,tar in public in the manner have
described, are doing this very thlng-l
4, . e'efting vemanhacd, and bringing 1t
into de.ison and contempt, Whistler yoH
ar not. FANNY FEM