The native Virginian. [volume] (Orange Court House, Va.) 1867-187?, 1869-08-27
THE GIRL OF THE PERIOD.
LOW NECKED AND SHORT SLEEVED
DRESSES.
SOMETHING READABLE ABOUT THEM.

SOMETHING READABLE ABOUT THEM.
Packard's Monthly for September
contains an article from clever writer
on the freaks and follies of the "Girl of
the PERIOD" from which we extract the
| following:
Now, / want to remind Miss Sera-
| phina AZure-ey es-who, because she
has round and graceful white arms and
seductive shoulders, wants to let every
body else into the secret, and, there
fore goes about in dresses as low necked
and short sleeved as an indulgent fash
ion will allow, arguing that it cannot
be wrong because women have been do
ing it so long. and because women, who
are known to be good and pure women,
still do it, OF patent fact-and want
her to map out her own inferences from
it. 1t is that men always oppose such
exposure IN their own wives, sisters and
daughters, whenever they express an
honest opinion on the subject. If you
talk of this matter to youn Foozlefuss,
of Fifth avenue-idle-d -dom-who, in spite
of his procliyities for fussy neckties and
fast trotters, isn't such bad fellow af-
ter all-he will put on the air OF one of
the knowing ones about town, and say,
IL
to do it, we fellows have no objection.
The more OF it the better for us-it's
jolly for the men,"
And then he goes home and finds his
sister dressed for hop, and you ought
to hear him scold at her
sDo pull your dress up on your
shoulders; you shan't go out looking
like that Put something over your
neck?" Or:
81 wish you would 90 and take that
thing off and put on something decent.
I'm not going to have my sister going
out dressed like woman of no repute,
for every brute to leer at !"
Severe tact-not very elegantly ex-
pressed-my dear Miss Seraphina, but
most men arc not remarkable for choos-
ing their words when they have sOme-
thing unpleasant to say.
The same FoOzlefuss, later in the
evening, lounges into crowded ball
room flied with the full dressed women
of fashionable society, and his attention
is attracted by lonely young womal,
whom, perhaps, he would not have no.
tibed if her dress were not so cohsp,cu-
Gus for the shortness of its sleeves and
the lowness of its corsage though, it
may be, tae blush upon her face is a
mute protest against her garb. Per-
haps it is your own dear self, Miss Sc
raphina, who knows? But at any rate,
the sight of the fair, soft and dimpled
shoulders of this young woman pleases
him. He can't help that-he would not
be man fhe could help being pleased.
Besides, she does not belong to him,
and ne is not responsible for her, and
he is free to gaze and admire, untram-
melled by any of a husbands or BROTH
er's regrets. He seeks her side, not
with that sentiment of half-respectlul
awe which we involuntarily feel for true
womanhood in its first virginia. bloom,
andapproached as becomes such shrink
ing virginity, but simply drawn to-
wards her by admiration of ber physi-
cal attributes.
He IS naturally inclined to underval-
lie even where he admires, and his man
ner at first verges on familiarity and
fiippantness. When he knows her bet
ter he sees that her girl-of-the-period
costume has been the cause of his mis-
;"hoing her, for she is a modest woman
although q modest woman masque-
rading in dress whi III ca, pe cail-
ed so. Let those who will recoiiclle the
discrepancy. | leave it to them.
He Lecomes her lover in the course
of time and, some day when they are
talking over some coming festivity, and
she, woman-like, is telling him what
she is going to wear, he finds courage
to Whisper:
"Oh, don't let any one see your shoul-
ders tonight !"
That is the mans verdict And 1t is
so because he loves her-and, if he did
not love and respect her, never would
he give her such counsel. 1t is a true
and safe test Ifhe did not love her
he might possibly say, if consulted i'll
the natter
"Certainly, wear low-necked dress
to-night-yOu have beautiful arms and
shoulders, and we gentlemen like to see
womanly beauty exposed to the best
advantage !"
don't say that he would certainly
make such an answer; Tut, in accord
ance with his first expressed opinion on
the subject, 1T would be the only honest
one that he could make.
How would any good young woman
reconcile such an answer as that from
a man whose good opinion she valued ?
| don't helieve 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 per-
verted, would SO counsel his prospec-
! tive wife. Because he loves her he nat