The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1870-05-25
Decency in Female Dress.
By HOWARD GLYNDoN.

Z
Young girls and ripper matrons need
not go about robed like religious ia
natics; but let those to whom high
necked and long sleeved party dress
would be grieviohs affection content
themselves with showing modest rim
of shoulder above their bodices. And
let them not forget that well turned
white arms can be seen and apprecia-
ted without of necessity being exposed
clear up to the arm-pits. No fair young
girl ever lost anything in the estima
ton of men, whose opinion is worth
having, by appearing with neck shoul-
ders and arms chastely yelled in deli
cate lace or muslin, instead of exposing
them to the promiscuous gaze of pub
lie assembly.
We hoard away the jewel that we
prize the most; we draw a curtain be-
fore the picture that we dote upon we
hide our most sacred feelings in our
hearts we veil the shrine OF the tenn
pie; we hedge the lily about lest it's
whiteness should be soiled; we want
to cover up from other eyes the things
that are the fairest, the dearest, and
the most sacred to us.
Oh, woman! the most sacred thing,
the fairest and dearest that man has in
this world, is yourself. And I hold
that mans instructive protest is tile
best guide in this matter.
And the feeling of the father, the
brother, the lover and the husband,
when his nature is unperverted, is that
the arms that caress and enfold him,
the bosom, that is the dearest home his
head can fllve on earth, should be as
sac. ed as was the holy of hOlies in the
days of old Jewish rites.
A woman's body is the temple of her
soul, and her souls outward symbol
What we want to keep pure, holy and
indebted, we do not expose to be
common bait for all the eyes of all the
world, pure and impure, to gloat upon.
The way in which men, as body
act and express themselves, when
brought face to face with this dress
reform question, is inconsistent, un-
just and ungenerOus to woman, and
unworthy of themselves as gentlemen;
they think because a woman is not
their sister, or wife, or sweetheart,
that it is no concern of theirs how she
lemeans herself in this matter of dress.
On the contrary, they seem eager to
help push her into a false position by
Iype critical compliments, and phrases
of hollow admiration, which are rs
false aud bitter as Dead Sea fruit, if
she will but stop to analyze the feelings
from which they spring, the motives
which prompt them. Too much fla
miliarity breeds contempt. No one
knows this better than the man who
watches over the dress and department
of his wife or sister with the stern
jealousy of an Oriental, while at the
same time he blandly encourages the
wives, and daughters, and sisters of
other men in every species of license.
Women do not always know--the
very yOnpg especially--that u certain
dash and freedom in the style OF dress
encourages familiarity in the manners
of men toward them. They too often
follow blindly after the reigning mode,
without questioning its meaning, or
the effect it will have upon mems opin
ion of them. They feel strong because
they go iii droves, and in drOves they
dare to indulge in style of dress for
which any one woman would be iguo-
miniously hooted out of society, if she
dared to appear in it alone, and upon
toned by fashion.
If men would but give up their abom-
Unable two-sided policy on this ques-
ton, and act toward every reputable
woman, whom they find masquerading
in disreputable attire, just as they
would under like circumstances, to-
ward their own wives, daughters or
sisters, as far as is consistent with sur
ponndingsan circumstances, this mode
of dress would soon be driven to its
rightful home-th haunts of the pro-
f1igate and the lost woman.
For my own dear countrywomen
have one wish, which has moved me to
speak as l have spoken. Plain words
and hard words to say, but words that
must be spoken, nevertheless, and
which are better spoken sooner or la
ter. It is that they should be known
all over the world as the most modest
of women in dress and department, ev-
en- as they are now distinguished for
wit, elegance, patriotism and innate
purity Of character. Let the women of
other nations belle themselves if they
will, by mod. of attire which is III
direct opposition to the dictates OF
their natural modesty, but let ours set
a bright example in this respect to the
world, and then, indeed, the nations
shall rise up and proclaim the Ameri-
can women blessed!-[ Packard
Monthly.
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