Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1868-12-30
The Philosonhr Of Drsssing.


Women want diamonds in order t.
shine each other down, and they dress
for precisely the same purpose. As IA
rule, they can have neither dress nor
diamonds unless men lavish these
things upon them; and that men have
done so in abundance is in itself u
demonstration that in SOME way or
other, they have already made them
selves exceedingly pleasing to the d.
nOrs. Here lies the secret: WOmh
do not dress to please men, but in or
| der to show each Otherthat they have
pleased them. Thus dress is, withwo-
men not themeans Of victory, but the
signs and proof of it.
We're we to assert that men dress 10
| please women, we should be saying
somethingvery much nearer the mark
than the aveTtment that women dress
to please men. And it is worth asser-
/ ting-thOugh, of course, in order to
make it strictly true, il would require
qualifieatiOn-inasm as it viii help
to show us why what, nlUtdtis n,tf0Il-
dis, can be pretty freely predicated Of
one sex cannot be predicted at all OF
other. Society is the business of
wOman's life; il is mans pastime and
relaxation. Accordingly the woman,
when in society, are mostly bent upon
promoting what they conceive to be
their interests, while men are prinei-
pally occupied in seekidg what they
conceive to be their pleasure. To be
reciprOcally pleasing is one of the OBJ
jects in life of the members of both
sexes but it is the exclusive object OF
neither.
Men are as anxious to make Them
selves agreeable to women as women
are to make themselves agreeable to
men; but it is not in order to make
themselves so that that they study
prices current, worry their brains over
pleadings, master the intricacies of
of the pOOr-law or go through the dir
ty turmoil of a political election
There are other ways and other Op-
pOrtunities of gratifying the vain and
amOrous side of theirnature; and when
the occasion arises, they are not ne
glectful of the external devices which
they fancy will assist them in that
particular quest. Accordingly, as we
say, men who are desiTOus of render
ing themselves graceful to women are
eOnspicuOusly attentive TO their dress.
As we put it, they dress to please wO-
men. And though we must do woman
the Justice to observe that the arts of
the pOpiniay are by no means sure
approach to her affections, the wisest
of mankind, if bent upon attracting
her, will not wholly disTegarm them.
But she by no means thinks to please
Others by the methods which partial
" please her. The society where fe-
male attire is of consequence IS her
place of business, her mart, her pub
lie arena; and in it she has something
TO think of besides moving the hearts
of men. We do not say that the lat
ter object is wholly foreign to her
thoughts; but, as far as dress is con-
cerned, it is. Should she steal five
or ten minutes from the general 5usi-
ness Of the evening, and dedicate them
to that special point, where does she
spend them? Surely in some corner,
alcOve, conservatory, baleOny-gaTden,
may be-where the splendOr of her
attire can no longer be duly seen.-
She knows that, for the subduing OF
man, mOmentary glance, a transit
tory tone, an uncertain pressure of the
hand, are worth all dresses in the
world. But, in order to conquer wO-
man, to put her heel upon the neck
of her own sex, she must 'shine them
down" Her husband or father may
the expense, her lover may
question her taste, and her brothers
may tell her that she has made her
self perfect fright. But, so long as
she feels sure that women do not think
she has done anything of the kind,
she does not care pin for fraternal
and she is confident that
she possesses the peculiar arts which
will compel father, or husband as the
case may be, to allow her to , pre-
risely the same tomorrow evening, or
if possible, to do ever so much more
in the same direction. The error lies
in overlooking the material fact that
to say thevery least, are just
IS ambitious as men, the only differ
ence being that, as the field of their
ambition is not the same, neither are
their arms; and as, in the pursuit of
this common passion, man contends
with man and not with woman, so
woman contends with woman and
not with man. 1t is what his fellow
men think of his speech, his book,
MS picture, his influence on Change
his military capacity; and not what
woman think of it, that is an ambi-
iOus mans main consideration.
Similarity, it is what her fellow
woman think of her skirt, her bonnet,
ler pdF1Tc of pearls, her necklace,
and not what men think OF
t, that is an ambitious wOman's con-
liberation as she moves among her
plendid rivals. In reality, she val
les and rates mems opinion upon
iress about as highly as they do hers
IpOn political economy, the prospects
II the budget, or the Lord ChaneellOr's
asst argument. In plain words, she
links rather meanly of it, or, at any
ate, regards it as foreign to the puT-
)Ose. Long aftersh pretends or even
ares to captivate men, for herself at
east, she is still all sOlicitude about
Ter attire. In fact, il rather wakes
han wanes with age, thus affoTding
IS a fresh presumption of its being in
Ter the analogue to that ambition in
nan which also grows and deepens
With the growing years. She may no
onger have youth she may no longer
lave beauty; but, so long as she can
lress as handsomely and in as costly
fashion rs other women, she gives
hem manifest proofs that she still re-
aims power, and the masculine atfec-
ion which, nine times out of ten,
gave it toh her. Herhusband
nables her to dress fashionable, not
hat she may please him, but that he
nay please her; and this is precisely
What he has done all along, from the
cry first day of his marrying her.
%s4O~s
Making Horses Work.
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