Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1869-09-10
lCoMMUNICATED.

The Girl. OF THE PERIOD. Packard $
monthly for September contains on article from
clever writer on the freaks and tollics OF the
Girl of the Period, from which We extract
the following:
"Now, | want to remind Miss Seraphina
Azure eycS-who, because she has round and
graceful white arms and seductive shoulders,
wants to let everybody else into the secret,
anil. therefore goes about in dresses as low
necked and short sleoved as an indulgcnt fash
ion will ALLOW arguing that it cannot be wrong
because women have been doing it so long, and
because women who are known to be good and
pure women, still do it-ot patent fact-and
want her to map out her own interences from
it. Ii is that men always oppose such expo
sure in their own wives, sisters and daughters,
whenever they express an honest opinion on
the subject. Ii you talk of this matter to
young Foozleiuss, of Fifth avenue idle dom
who, in spite OF his proclivities for fussy neck
ties ana fast trotters, isn't such bad elbow
after all-he will put on the air Of one Of the
knowing ones about town, and say, with
laugh, well, if the women like to do it, we
fellows have no objection. The more OF it the
better for Us it 5 jolly for the men.
And then he goes home and finds his sister
dres 'ed for hop and you ought to hear him
scold at her.
''Do pull your dress up on your shoulders,
YOU shant go on looking like that Put some
thing over your neck y Or:
Il wish you would 90 and take that thing
off and put on something decent. I'm not GO
ing to have my sister going out C.Ased like
woman OF no repute, for every Gf0te to leer
att
Severe fact-not very elegantly expressed
nv dear Miss Seraphiua, but most men are not
remarkable for choosing their words when they
have something unpleasant to say.
The same Foozlefuss, later iu the evening,
lounges into a crowded ballroom filled with
full dressed women of fashionable society, and
his attention is attracted by lovely young wo-
man, whom, perhaps he would not have no.
ticed If her dress were not 50 conspicuous for
the shortness Of its sleeves and the lowuess Of
its corsage-though, it may be, the blush upon
her face is a mute protest against her garb,-
Perhaps it is your own dear self, Miss Seraph
ina. who knows? But at any rate, the sight oil
the fair, soft and dimpled shoulders OF this
Young woman pleascs hun. lie can help that
he would not be man il he could help being
pleased. Besides, she does not belong to him,
and he is not responsible for her, and he is free
to gaze and admire, untrammelled by any OF a
husbands or brothers regrets. lie seeks her
side, not with that sentiment OF halt respectful
awe which we invOluntariy feel Tor true wo-
manhood in its first vigiual bloom, and approach
ed as becomes such shrinking virginity, but
simply drawn towards her by admiration Of her
physical attributes.
lie is naturally inclined to undcrvalue even
where he admires, and his manner at first verges
on familiarity and hippantness. When he
knows her better he sees the girlot-the- period
costume has been the cause Of his misjudgiug
her, for she is modest woman although o
modest woman masquerading in dress which
cannot be called So Let those who will recon
ciIe the discrepancy. leave it to them.
lie becomes her lover iu the course of time
and, some day when they are talking over some
coming festivity, and she, woman like, is tell
ing him what she is going to wear, he finds
courage to whisper
"0h, don't let any one see your shoulders
to night -
That is the mans verdict And it is so be
cause he loves her-aud, ii he did not love and
rcsnect her, never would he give her such
connsei Ii is a true and safe test 1t he
did not love her he might possibly say, IT con-
suited 10 the matter -
Certainly, wear low necSed dress to night
YOU have beautiful arms and shoulders, and
we gentlemen like to see womany beauty ex-
posed to the best advantage
don't say that he would certainly make
such an answer; but, in accordance with his
UIst eApICSSeu OplnlOu Ou tDo euNJIO', " "O"'-
he the only honest one that he could make.
How would any good young woman reconcile
such an answer as that from man whose good
opinion she valued Idont believe she would
be pleased | think in her inmoSt heart she
would be panied. But don't think any man,
whose tastes and feelings are not perverted,
would so counsel his prospective wife. Because
he loves her, be naturally wants those lovely
shoulders to be yelled from all but himself,
and if she loves him she will be jealous of all
such unnecessary displays in future. She will BE-
careful not to outrage alike the uuerring instinct
Ola mans honorable affections and her own wo
nonIv conscience" A VIRGINIA LADY.
There il an Iowa Ida Lewis who rescuc'
people from drowning. and who, the Other
day' saved two Davenport boys. She is very
good.lookins. and all the young men arc falling
in 10 be saved in her lovely arms
A private letter from Adena PATTI to a.
old friend, saws: Il EXPECT to visit Americ
a,o;o h,t nor to sing I will never sing agar