Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-10-04
Foolish Customs.

FOOLISH OuSLOIlS,
| read one day about the Druse
horn, nay, | saw one once-a tall,
hollow affair of silver, not unlike an
old-fashioned stage-horn, nay, a fish
horn.
This must, among the Druses, be
worn by every married woman all
her life. II is set upon her forehead,
upon the larger end on cushion,
kept in its position by cords or bands,
and if a veil be worn it must fall
over the top OF the horn, adding no
little to the weight and pressure Of
this six-inch ornament and burden.
And this horn, they told me. a wo-
man must wear, night and day, for
life. And it is said that at first and
for long period they suffer very
much, aud have terrific headaches, SO
that they are at times almost distract
ed, till in time they become accustom-
ed to it, and either learn to endure
or cease to feel.
OF course it is barbarous and IN
reasonable; so is our system of stays
or corsets, which Lady Mary Wortley
Montague describes in her letters as
such a source of wonder to Turkish
women, while the men supposed they
must be sort Of cage or restraint
imposed by men upon their wives.
Nobody knows quite why it is done,
but it is true that half our women al
most squeeze the breath out of their
bodies, and are only free when they
are undresSed.
Ask any woman whether she is
not more at ease when she lays of
this restraint and is free, and then
ask her why she lives in such bond
age.
The Eastern woman is as much
astonished at the hour-glass or wasp
figure as is one of ours at the Druse
horn.
But this is only by-the-by. | had
other customs in mind.
When or whence did it arise that
when one dies and goes to heaven all
the family shall shroud themselves
in deepest black ? and the women be
the especial victims 2?
Somewhere the custom must have
arisen, since the days Of our ancestors
the Saxons or the Picts and Scots
whose only clothing was painted on
Is it going further, or will there be
some resistance and a return to the
right way?
Some women spend half their live;
under Grape, a sort of self-imposeC
penance, hot, heavy, unwholesome
There is poison in Grape; it some
times produces eruptionS and in the
diagonal lines of the dark and heavy
veil.
Men may wear a badge Of mourn
ing for a time and then resume ligh
clothes and yellow gloves if they will
A man may do this while his wifi
continues to mourn for his friend anC
decorously swelters under her Grape
And very few dare to brave Mrs
! Grundv and follow out their convic
tions by refusing to yield to this ab
surd demand Of custom.
We think it is growing worse an(
worse. A family will wear Grape
three years, and black dresses thre'
years more, for a mother who wen
straight to heaven, and who woulC
say to them, "Mourn not for me.
And so strong is the force of exam
pie that some one else must do tn
same, or it shows "want of feeling.
Now is not this a sort of Drus
horn? For it is no small thing T.
take away so much that is bright ant
cheerful in ones surroundings for s.
many years of life, and submit to
dress, hot, heavy, and inconvenient
And some sumptuary laws woul
not be amiss on other points. A fey
years ago few simple white flower
would be laid upon the coffin of
child or young person as an embler
Of purity and innocence.
Now the flowers are ordered, i
many cases, with the shroud and CO
fin!
And the man of gray hairs, be b
bad or good, gentle or simple, is COY
cred with crosses and crowns, harp
anchors, and wreaths of white, ii
the air is heavy and sickening wit
the perfume, and the sight is bul
lesque upon sentiment.
The whole is foolish, wastefu
and wicked expense, and, like heav
mourning, is often burden that ca
i'll be borne by those who can by n
means afford it, and yet dare not is
more a custom.
1t is for those who have money an
common-sense to set the example an
oppose so senseless fashion.