Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1869-05-21
The Two French Queens Of Fash ION
By JAMES PARTON.

Eighteen years ago the President of th'
Republic Of France betrayed the country
which had trusted bin, stole its liberties il
the night, laid robber hands upon the treas
ury, dishonorad its nobiest citizens by cart
ing them to jail in prison vans, murdered il
cold blood several hundreds ofirroccnt mer
and wo;aen n the stree. Of Paris, .nd trans
ported hundreds more 70 q hot, unhealthy re-
gian Of the tropics. This was the Anderson
| vie OF usurpationJ; transcended all that had
eTer been done in t.at kind, joining TO ths
| extreme Of dastardly mcanness the extreme
OF audaeiors cruelty, and being totally de-
void OF pailiation or excuse, except that in
vented by The head liar Of tie gang who per
pe,rated il. The man in whose name the
deed was done appears 10 have furnished
nothing bnt the lies the autiacity, and what
little courage was shown, being supplied By
others. Mr.. Kinglake's chapter upon this
usurra,ion Invasion Of the Crimea, Vol. J.,
chap. XIV strikingly confirmed BY some
| American narratives TO which the anthor had
not access, exhausts the subject and ayen-
, ges The human race, which is deeply Injured
whenever mans faith in man is lessened By
| the deliberate betrayal Of o solemnly accepts
| ed trust. Mr.. Kinglake, saw has avenged
our outraged race, for which, trust, we ere
all truly grateful to him. Nothing remains
but for France to bring the perGdious wretch
TO trial for the special wrong done to her,
| and execute upon him the penalty 10 which
he may be condemned.
AS usual in such cases, a woman n was found
willing 10 share the bed and booty of the
successful robber. She was younr, beauti-
iul, well formed. ard Of Just such a mind as
to submit joyfully to spend hall the dav in
trying on articles Of wearing apparel, and
the other ha t in displaying them 10 q con-
course Of people. 1t became, ;co, and re-
mains an important part Of her duty TO
amuse, dazzle aud debase the women of
France, by wearing rapid succession of
the most gorgeous, novel, bewildering cos>
tunes, the mere description of which has dc.
veloped a branch Of literature, EMPLOYS ma,
ny able writers, and mainly supports fity Pc
riodicals. Here is vain, beautiful woman.
living in the gaze of nations, who has the
plunder Of o rich kingdom with which to buy
her clothes, and the taste Of continent to
devise them for her; for 10 Paris the elite Of
all tailors, dressmakers, millineFs and hairs
dressers go from every capital in Euronc.
Whatever there is in France Of truly noble
and patriotic-and there are as many noble
and patriotic persons in France as in any
other country-avoids the vicinity of this wo-
man while around her naturally gather the
tLough,lcss and the interested Ike women
in this circle Initiate her as closely ss women
can, whose husbands have no. stolen the
treasures Of nation all except one. il Is
said, and she is the real queen Of fashion.
Both these leading women have certain
physical defects which they wish to conceal.
as well as certain unusual charms, Of which
they intend the most shall be made. One Is
beautiful and tall The other is ugly and
shoit, bat graceful, vivacious aud interest.
ing. The hair of one of them growing scan.
ty behind, all women felt the necessity Of
carrying pound OF horsehair under their
own, aud swelled out in the region of the
back hair to an extent that now seems in,
credible. i the parting of the hair widens.
aud begins to resemble badness, then friz,
| zing comes in, which covers up the defcien.
| cy. few gray hairs bring powder into
fashion. Other issusliciencies send painters
on their way round the world. For these
women, and especially TIE one who figures
IN the centre OF the group, occupy the con-
| spicuous place to which for two centuries
| past more female eyes have been admirinrl
directed than to any ether; and there reside
near them q band Of writers who live by
chronieling every new device Of decoration
that appears upon their persons. So able.
| liberal and sensible Journal as tie Pal
MAJ Gazette finds it necessary to station an
industrious member Of TIE staff within sieL,
Of these people, for tie sole purpose Of te!l>
ing the bes: women in England what clothes
the wors, women in France wear. l should
suppose, from looking over the periodicals
which publish fashion news, that there mus.
be in Paris as many AS hundred writers
who derive Ike whole or part of their income
| from describing the dresses worn in the an>
| cient palaces temporarily occupied by the
usurper and his dependents; and MANY Of
these writer's do their work SO well, that their
letters are most potent stimulator of the
passion for dress which is so easily kindled
in the minds Of the ignorant and imna.
| ture.
This poor woman, who is the immediate
| cause Of the mischief; Is, we are told, an
anxious and unhappy being, as wen she may
be. She struggles TO coneiliate. 4 forced.
fixed smile is ever upon her face, when that
face is seen by others. In her growing anx.
ie,y she naturally redoubles her efforts TO
dazzle aad beguile the people in whose sight
she dwells, and on whose money she dresses.
When the hour comes / hope she viii lie
uercifally judged, for she has already expi.
ated the yenal sin of yielding 10 a tempta,
tion which only very superior woman-one
really honest and thorough. bred have
resisted. It is probable that she how re,
CARDS the wearing Of these tremendous cos,
tunes merely as her contribution toward
housekeeping as though she said to her
husband: IS You keep down the men by
muzzling the press and fatrering the army,
and Ill fool the women by wearing the mos,
| stunning costumes that eyer struck envy TO
the female heart. a-Aiianiic Hoaiily, jor
Nay.