The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1869-09-17
Female Dress-Its Decencfes and Intfe-
L: canClea. n .L.'l


Young girls and ripper matrons need
not go about robed like religious fana-
tics; bat let those to whom high.necked
and long -sleeved party dress would be a
grlevous affiictionj content themselves
with showing O modest rim of shoulder
above their Eodies. And let them not
forget that wSn4turnedi white arms can
be seen and appreciated without OF me-
cessity being exposed clear up to the arm
pits. No fair young girl ever lost any
thing in the estimation of men whose
opinion is worth having, by appearing
with neck, shoulders and arms chastely
yelled IN delicate lace cr muslin, instead
OF exposing them to the promiscuous
gaze of public assembly.
We hoard away the jewel that we prize
the most; we draw curtain before the
picture that we dote upon; we hide our
most sacred feelings in our hearts: we
veil the shrine of the temple; we hedge
the lily about, lest its whiteness should
oe solied; we want to cover up from other
eyes the things that are the fairest, the
dearest and the most sacred to us.
Oh, woman! the most sacred thing,
the fnirest and dearest that man has in
this world, is yourself. And hold that
mans instructive protest is the best
Bulde IN this matter.
And the feeling of the father, the bro
ther, the lover and the husband, when
the nature is unperverted, is that the
arms that caress and enfold him, the
bosom which is the dearest home his
head can have on earth, should be as
sacred as was the holy of holies in the
days of the Jewish rites.
"A woman's body is the temple of her
hnr o,,Dc
What we want to keep pure, holy and un-
mon bait for all the eyes Of the world,
pure and impure, to gloat upon.
The way in which men, as O body, act
and express themselves, when brought
face to face with this dress reform uues
tion, is inconsistent, unjust and unge-
nerous toward women, and unworthy of
themselves, as gentlemen; they think
because woman is not their sister, or
wife, or sweetheart, that it is no concern
or theirs how she demeans herself in this
matter of dress. On the contrary, they
seem eager to help push her into O false
position by. hypocritical compliments.
and phrases of hollow admiration, which
are as false and bitter as Dead Sea fruit,
II she will but stop to analyze the feel
lngs from which they sprang, the motives
which prompt them. Too much familiar
ity breeds contempt. No one knows this
better than the man who watches over
the dress and department. of his wife or
sister with the stern jealousy of an ORR
entail, while at the same time he blandIy
encourages the wives and daughters and
sisters Of other men in every species of
license.
Women do not always know-the very
young ones especially-that certain
dash and freedom in the style of dress
encourages familiarity in the manners of
men toward them. They too often fol-
low blindly after the reigning mode,
without questioning its meaning, or the
effect it will have upon mems opinion of
them. They feel strong, because they
go in droves, and in droves they dare to
indulge in style of dress for which any
one woman would be ignominiously hoot-
ed odt of society. if she dared to appear
In 1t alone, and upon any occasion for
which 1t is not sanctioned by fashion.
Ii men would but give up their abomi-
nable o-sided policy on this question,
and act toward every reputable woman,
whom they find masquerading in dis
reputable attire, just as they would, un-
der like circumstances, toward their own
sistent with surroundings aud circum-
stances, this mode of dress would soon
be driven to its rightful home-the
haunts of the profigate and the lost
women.
For my own dear countrywomen, I
have one wish, which has moved me to
speak as have spoken. Plain words
are hard words to say, but words which
must be spoken neyertheleaa and which
are better spoken sooner or later. It is
that they should be known oil over the
world as the most modest of women in
dress and department., even as they are
now distinguished for wit, elegance, pa
triotism and innate purity of character.
Let the women of other countries belle
themselves if they will, by mode of at
tire which is in direct opposition to the
dictates OF their natural modesty, but let
ours reserve their own chastity.
Pdckdrd's MonL1lu.
When Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe
wrote q hoolx Ia noopsnry m nh o1o