The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1869-09-02
THE TRIBUNE.
THE FOLLlES OF FASHION.
Severe Structures On High-heeIed
Boots, Hair Dyes, Naked Necks.
From the Broadway Magazine.

From the Broadway Magazine.
Another hurtful and ridiculous fash
ion is in the HIGH heeled boots, which
have again worked around from our
great-gra nlmothers. A slight heel is
an advantage in walking, but these high
heels. With the excessively small surface
and the sharply beveled sides, made
walking a service of pain and difficulty.
Besides, they destroy the shapes of the
leg. which is something to be consider
ed. They throw the weight forward and
and they strain on the shin, and conse-
quently they deminish the. back muscle,
the calf. and convert the fore part into
an ugly bow. The shape of our shoes
and boots is in itself an outrage against
common sense, but we women are not
alone in this absurdity, nor are we to
blame, SO that as the papers deal with
our own folies specially, we may be let
of without any personal and peculiar
reproof thereof.
But what can we say of the fashion
which DIVES the hair, paints the cheek,
blackens the eyelids with antlmony to
make the orbit look larger and the lash
es longer or that expands the pupils
with belladonna, no matter at what cost
of complexion or future eyeslght? hat,
too, can we say of the fashion which UNI
covers the arms and neck IN the even
ing, after having clothed them through
the day in flannel or velvet, or in warm
vadded stuffs? Women, threatened
with bronchitis or rheumatism sit all
day in warm room muf1ed UP to the
throat In thick material at night they
uncover below their shoulders, and go
out in the cold winter air with just an
opera cloak thrown over their shlvering
skin But this Is fashion and none OF
rs dare diSobey it; none OF Us dare 60
ont in the evening with dresses made
after the pattern of our morning ones,
or wear in the morning low bodices and
short sleeves, to at least equalze the
risk and inure us to the evening attire
without damage.
There is no intrinsic reason why we
should not be sitting IN low bodIces and
hort sleeves at this very moment,
hough we will make it 10 0 clock ii We
we're, we 81 ould be thought mad or
ad, or both, and not even our staunch
st friends would stand by US. But
holy one thing or the other would be
iser system than the present, and
ould be productive of fewer catarrhs,
ronchial affections and consumptions.
III it is sad thought which springs
o from that last word ! 1t we could
My see, as those removed from our own
nhere would see. the criminal folly OF
lcri6cing beautiful and valuable lives
the fashion which imposes naked
ccks as a rule for evening costume
lany sweet young creature, who would
ave lived into happy old age as a below
wife and happy mother, has gone to
IT hpf hall nv
hat party at which she caught cold from
xposurc. But fashion so willed it and
,clther mother nor daughter had strength
0 resist her impalpoble but absolute de-
rces.
We all obey her, young and old alike,
hose who should keep their beauties
sacred. and those who have none to show
the delicate who have TO be kept alive
X art AMI care the lean who are too
lgly for any one to fnd pleasure in the
contemplation Of their anklet-the wrlnk-
Ell and the gross VIC all parade oursclv-
) in evening society without more dis
ruise than i bit of cau2e or lace can
1--WE and only very few OF US at that,
Which, even when we'll on into hftes,
We consider it quite superauous for any
hing to be gained by conceament. As
o the extent to which we cut down Our
yolices, that IS j matter too patent and
90 painful to be discussed. Ii is a race
among us who shall wear the dress low
st AMI show the largest expanSe of
shoulder And yet we mean no harm;
We mean only to be fashionable. That Is
the worst of 1t.
The incest woman among uS-pure,
high minded woman, who would die
rather than be guilty of improperly,
if it appeared like an improperly to
til I'm, and whose very innocence makes
that unsuspicious Of evil, yet become &C
customed, as every one must, more or less,
to an Objectionable fashion, aud follow 1t
in pure simplicity of nature, as a thing
without meaning or effect. Also, the
incest women are just those who always
iolow-who have not sufficient boldness
of mind or manner to make public pro-
test against anything indorsed by the
majority-women who are not touched
by the evil of baleful custom, and by
own purity is eliminated the poison of
mischievous fashion. They follow. and
their moral support holsters up the bad
habit aud gives countenance to the bad
followers thereof. But what can we say
when originality is still censured as I'M
womanly, and public protest, be it
even against evil, is set down as strong
minded and unfeminine ?''