The Portland daily press., 1869-09-21
DAILY PRESS.
Tuesday Morning, September 81 1862
The Fash;ons--Their Extravaunuccs and
DpyOfeas.
BY LYDIA MARIA CHILD.
CORTLAND

| speedy elevation and enlargement of character
in women if it were not for their extravagant
passion for dress-a passion the qualification
OF which necessarily absorbs great portion
of their time and attention. The desire to
look pretty is natural, and there is nothing
bamabe in it. The invention of beautiful
costume is one of Ethe fine arts, and, like other
pleasures of the eye, should receive due
share of cultivation. Beauty is one thing and
fashion another. Nine times out of ten there
is no beauty in new fashion, and there is
often positive ugness.
1t is laughable to see how thousands ofpeo-
pie put themselves to great expense and incon-
venence to follow some fashion which or
i2lnated in the personal defect of some dis
tinguished individual The dissipation of
Henry Ill. of France brought on a disease
by which he lost his hair. He covered his
dishonored head with wig, and the courtiers
and fops of Europe soon felt ashamed to be
seen with their own natural growth of hair.
This hot, unhealthy. and unbecoming append
age to the human head continued in vogue
till the French Revolution, when it was swept
| away with other external signs of aristoracy.
| But for long time .aterward it was deemed
amark of democratic vulgarity to appear on
public occasions without wig. A Prussian
| clergyman who attempted opreach with his
| hair uncovered incurred such serious risks
| that the Government was obliged to interfere
for his protection; and Spanish judge came
very near losing his office by committing the
same indscretion. To this day judges and
lawyers in England do not venture to show
themselves in court till they have covered
their shapely heads with enormous wigs,
irightful to look upon. Hence the saying,
"He's biz wig" as indicative of rank. When
Capt. Basil Hail travelled in this country, his
British soul was greatly annoyed by prevail
ing signs OF the ascendency of democratic
principles; and he was especially aoerieved
that our judges committed the great indecO-
rum of presiding in court without wigs. If
Henry III. covered his diseased dissipation
with a wig, it was incumbent on healthy gen.
tlemen to put themselves to the same incon-
venience Louis XIV, not being so tall as he
considered desirable for royal stature, mount
ed himself ON very high-heeled shoes, and ere
long all the ladies and gentlemen in Europe
deemed it necessary to toddle about in the
same style. The Empress Eugene had her
| hair rolled over hot irons, and twisted and
pulled and frizzled till it grew thin undersuch
manifold manipulations; then she began to
supply the deficiency by masses of false hair,
and, in consequence thereof, the girls in far
| off, sensible New England feel obliged to de-
| form their pretty heads with those ugly ex-
crescences called chignons.
Personal vanity has been universally satir-
lied as peculiarly female weakness; but
believe there is no other difference between
| the sexes in this respect than that caused by
| the customs of society, which compel women
| to depend upon personal attractions to obtain
| rank, wealth, luxury, elegance, and all the
other agreeable external things which human
| nature is prone to covet. l think there is
sufficient proof that merf have by nature
quite as much vanity as women. Lord By
ron for long time lived upon potatoes and
vinegar, for fear his figure would cease to be
| slender; and no belle was ever more sensitive
about personal defect than he was concern
| ing his lameness. When hair-powder was in
fashion gentlemen would sit for hours under
the hands of BARRIERS in order to be presenta-
BILE at parties. The clubs and pig-tails that
were worn so long a time required the assist
ance of servant They were not so detorm-
ing as chignons, but they were sufficiently
ugly, as well as unclean-visibly soiling the
collar, and scattering powder over the coat.
Did women ever wear bOnnets more incon-
venient, more exposed to injury, and more
| difficult to be repaired than the high, stiff.
| bell-crowned hats which for SO many years
were considered essential to respeetabiity?
| At one time gentlemen took to wearing
long pointed shoes, curved like a horn, and
exten ing half a yard from the foot. They
proved so inconvenient, by catching in every
thing, that chain was added to the point to
IdSteu IL W TIC huCcs Dlu lttSul1fidDltl WOUlen
ever do anything more ridiculous? Henry
III of France wore great platform of rich
lace under his chin to conceal scar on his
neck and all the gentlemen in France, and
soon after IN all Europe, did the same To
this were soon added wide ruffies of lace at
the wrist, which were extremely inconyen-
lent while partaking of food. To these were
added ample hangilss of lace from the knee
half way down the leg, and large rosettes OF
lace upon shoes of blue or crimson velvet.
Queen Elizabeth, who had yellow, scraggy
throat, covered it with high ruff of immense
dimensions. 1t was starched as stiff as paper,
and arranged in regular puffs by means of an
instrument called poking stick. Exposure
to dampness made it fall on the shoulders in
a flabby and torlorn condition. Dandies eau
toned people not to approach too near in
speaking to them, lest their ruff should be
disarranged. But all the gentlemen of En-
gland and Of the neighborng nations, sub
mitted to the inconvenience because it was
genteel.
In the time of Lous XIV. it was the fashion
in France to wear small patches of black
court-plaster, cut in the shape of stars, cross
| es, heoIts, etc., on the forehead and cheeks,
| and at the corners Of the eyes and mouth.
| They were called les mOuches, because they
| gave the face the appearance of being covered
| with flies. The Duke Gesvres, Governor of
Paris, and commander-in-chiefo of His Males
ty's arppies. onuarad hio ace with these patch
es, rauged his cheeks, stained his eyebrows.
painted blue veins ON his forehead, and filed
tae AR with perfumes as he walked. When
the daughter OF Hsnry III. of England was
| married a thousand Knights attended. dressed
in richly embroidered sf1y: and the next dav
they appeared in new silk garments equally
| splendid and costly. Sir Jthn Arunde is
| said to have had filty-two complete suits of
| cloth Of OolI Whnn oman
her famous visit to Kenilworth Castle her at
| tendants seemed like a mass of flanntng rib
bons, waving feathers, and gttering jewels.
The Earl of Leicester, who rode at her right
hand, looked like golden statue set with
precious gems After the royal party had en-
tered the castle, the Earl made his appear
ance in white velvet, slashed in various places
to show the lining OF silver cloth. His stock
| ings were of white silk, and his shoes of white
| velvet. His close-fitting jerkin of white vel
| vet was thickly embroidered with silver and
pearls. He wore a variety of jewelled orders,
and over the whole was thrown an ample
cloak of white satin, with a deep border of
| gold embroidered.
| might fill several columns with descrip-
| lions of the splendid, costly costumes wor N
| by men. have not introduced the subject
ior the purpose of retorting upon men the
charge of personal vanity-the few facts L
| nave stated lenu 10 prove tnat tnefe Is aoout
as much human nature in men as in women !;
but l have brought them forward merely to
derive encouragement from the fact that a
striking change has taken place in the cos
tune ot men. There has been an increasing
| tendeIcy to simple colors and convenient
| forms, until at the present time their dress is
universally unostentatious and useful. This
| is doubtless owing to nearer and nearer APP
| proaches to equality among mankind Privi-
| legged classes, who live on the toll of others,
are disappearing. The complicated toggery
worn by the old nobility would be too incop>(
venient for merchants, manufacturers, me-
chanics, and others who have work to do in
the world Men now pride themselves upon
spending heir wealth on colleges, railroads,
steamers aad other public improvements,
rather than 1pon personal decorations. Fin
cry is consideed decidedly unmanly
| And, as women become invested with
lager responsibilities, and become conscious
OF n'ipg for more extensive usefulness, will
ihey not -hake of tie tyranny of fashion, and
learn 10 coiif-ine usefulness with simplicity
and convenience - then costume? | believe
| so; for there Is the sage human nature in
men and women, and sfhilar influences will
produce similar results in both NIaJenen5- A.
| ent.
How People Take t,Id.
Not by tumbling into the river nd drag
ging home wet as a drowned rat; no''y being
pitched into the mud, or spilled OUT the
snow in sleghing time; rot 6y wain,"s hn go for
hours over sboe-top in mud; not Dy SUI
ino in tbe rain. without an umorena, nv nj II