The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-10-28


essential His attitude in this crisis Of the
church will have great influence not only in
the Ecumenica Council, but everywhere in
| Christendom. Strange as it may sound there
are liberal Catholics in every country. France
had her Able Chatel, and has Pere Hyatlntbe
and score of brave reformers to-day. Italy
has her Passaglia, who suffered the penalty OF
his boldness. The Spanish liberals will soon
speak In America they are speaking every
day, and when the hour for action arrives
will not fail to denounce with earnestness and
power the extravagances and the gross errors
which disgrace the Romsh Church in this age
OF enlightenment and progress.
NEW YORK POLITICS.
In politics our fellow citizens are just now
so busy that many of them who have no 9th
er business spend all their time in making
states and breaking them; and in holding
meetings and drafting resolutions, and doing
other things equally essential to the success
| of self and friends. Their meetings are held
| at noon and at night, and so great is the in
| terest in the business that many good people
neglected divine worship last night and made
speeches and voted on resolutions, and nomi-
| mated candidates at three separate and dis
tlnct meetings. Both parties are making bids
Tor the German vote. The Republicans have
placed on their State ticket the name of
Franz Sigel; the Democrats promise a repeal
OF the Excise Law. These are excellent bats
but you know that if you add the same
quantity to both members of an equation the
relation between them is not cl.anged-and
1t strikes me that, after all, the German
vote Will be divided just about as it was last
year. The workingmen will be great power
during The campaign, and although they ave
not organized as political party, it is thought
that they will do so, and this will have pow
erf1l influence in deciding the nature of the
legislation at Albany when the new members
go in. BY the way, by the dea.h of the old
Earl of Derby Lord Stanley succeeds to the
Eardom. Lord S. is one of the stauncbest
friends OF the wOrkingmen in England, and
has always been an able advocate for COOP
Grafton.
FASHIONS.
In fashion it is limited that during the WIN
ter we shall wear peg top pants. and stub
toed shoes. With the former in vogue, ga
salutation 10 your French slops" will once
more be en- regle: the latter will serve to re-
mind us of better days when the beauty of
the American foot was not hidden between
the ribs of shapeless leathern scow; and
when the new hat-still secret-shal have
appeared, and the long promised collar of COM
Tort, and necktie OF neatness, and the coat of
comely cut, shall have been fairly introduced
what joyous tribute to sirtorial ingenuity
will be paid by the men of America! And
how they will bless the halter! And how
overwhelm the sensible cordwainer with
worthy praise! .s -oar
On the other hand, the garb of our 81 tiers
| promises to be as complex this winter as the
| French modiste can make it. The mysteries
OF the coming costume have not all been ex-
planned. Only enough has been suggested
to stimulate the curiosity of the fair ones who
seem never to tire Of novelty in earniture,
and who, alas, seem pleased with any fashion
however ridiculous. Let us bless what is left
OF the spirit OF modesty, in that she has foil-
ed the attempt of milliners to introduce the
Black Crook costume, and to make familiar
and dear to us the scanty entoldings of the
actors in that noted spectacle. We have yet
the high and pointed heel on which our loved
ones toddle and waddle-it would be folly to
call 1t walking-such heels as ATLANTA never,
never could have run upon. We have also a
few lingering locks of yellow hair-"blonde'
Is the modern name for it--leit on the heads
OF charming creatures to whom Nature gave
tresses of black or brown or red, with eve
lashes to match. We have patches, too, in
spots. And we shall have many more queer
whims exhibited before women pass away
Tor there is danger that ere many days
sour poets ,-
Shall with attire stepped in gall and vinegar,
hithme 'em to death, as they do rats in Ireland"
Why, in all seriousness, is it necessary for
all the women in the land to dress alike? To
say nothing of the heels they wear, of the
hats they wear, of the panniers, the points,
the puffs to their dresses, all cut after the
same pattern of the chignon on the back OF
each head-even the woody heads bear them,
why should those supplementary snaky locks,
and all the rest of the capillary covering be of
the same shade throughout the community !!
Why, even in Queen Bess's time women, al
though given then as much as now to the
marring of the fair form and face of natures
mold, had some independence She who
dyed her hair, dyed it to suit her Individual
taste. In those days, as in these, the
man who loved true woman, cared
little for the shade of her wig; and
Benedick, one of the types of manly wis
dom, says of his future wife: 'Her hair
shall be of what color it pleases God'-not
Miss McFlimsy. Far be it from your cores
pendent to ridicule harmless device. intend
ed to cover natural deformity. Physical
peculiarties should never be the subject of
jest. Let mans ears be like those men
toned by Purchas in his "Pig.im," or like
ears Of corn, or like asses ears let his nose be
Sawkenbei gian in its size, or so turned I'D
that he must throw omersault or stand ON
his head to blow it; let his eyes be fishy, or
like eyes of potatoes, or like unto saucers, or
the espIals of owls; let his legs bow like the
arcs OF a great circle, or come together at the
knees like capital X; these are not faults of
his making. But he is lar target, If, like
Mephibosheth, he let his beard grow till Da-
vie come again; or if he walk like goose or
any other plessiroster remiped because it's the
fashion; or if he part his hair in
the middle and carry switch cane like
country pedagogue, who hath use for it; or
plaster his locks with unguents, and dye his
red beard black; or initiate the ia dpole in
growing more and more bob tailed as his yea rs
increase, instead of hiding his shrunken
shanks with an ample flow of skirting; AMI
no man should pity his sorrows. Why, it
was but y, sterday saw what thought must
be the original of Shakspeare's Shallow As
Falstaff says: you might have trussed him
and all his apparel into an eel skin; the case
OF treble haut boy was mansion for him
a court'-and how was he garnished? In
the integuments of an alderman of two hun
bred pounds of obesity, and he strutted like
bantam. CUMBERLAND.