Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-12-08

N-'-'''' NV
nv sswu;f,Iv round We wheels of time,
.nJ .;n,,tL Jay when society shall
Isvo sattied unon some general street
dress s;mnle graceful. convenient and
nnchsna;ng and sball leave individual
Taste -anly choice of material. color and
subord ;nate details Then you shall not
have to alter except to freshen. Then
you shall be pointed, or rounded, or
sonared according TO your liking, and
sball stay so Then YOU shall not spend
vour time in pulling OF last year satin,
or vour money In puttinq on this year
velvet lint satin-to borrow Pupch's wit
shall he sat in till Il il frayed out of
existence
Rnt even as things are we are very
comfortable. have Thought. indeed, that
we were yerging towards the millennium
of dress Barrinp the excess of trim
ming. II seems TO me there could have
been time when dress was more favor
eble IN women than il is now. With
rnbber boots and waterproof for storms.
with light, picturesque hats, with small,
short skirts and sleeved oyer-garments,
and breast permitting bodices, and STYLES
so various that scarcely anything is
strikinpinrly unfashionable. what doth
hinder that n woman should eat and
drink and walk and be merry? News.
naner neople. indeed. talk of a dress re-
form; but there shall no reform be given
tbem save the gradual reform have sug-
oested and that will come imperceptibly.
and only as we slowly gain more cultiva-
tion and a higher and finer life. Our
dress now is fully up to our social life.
And here comes the costumers, and
faunt long skirts in our faces once more.
Do blame the costumers? Not /. They
have their living to get, and must invent
or select continually. But if the women
of this country, having once tasted the
freedom of short dresses, Shall be mean
snirited enouph to 90 into long ones
again at the dictate OF any costumer un-
der the sun. they have themselves and
nobody else to blame. A pretty thing ii
will be for them to talk about making
laws. if they have not sense enough and
spirit TO keep out of the mudl A fine
thing To he n Republican sovereign when
vou have not independence enough to
resist the fat of a foreign tyrant as 70 the
nIt of vOur own GOWN tOr mere is no
ouestion of thinking or not thinking
about YOUR dress. You can walk Just as
we'll with three flounces as with none;
bnt n long dress interferes with the ener-
g;es tbe activities the safety and health
Of every day. A long dress in the street
means Inconvenience. untidiness, dis.
comfort waste. Incidence. repression,
cramned muscles. subordination and
slavery,
Jf women re;nvest Themselves in trail
inc skirts thew deserve all the evils which
nav befall them. If women relinouish
their short suits NAV their husbands
tyrann;1e over them and abuse them for
cyorI Nav the women's rights women
bo forever forced IN SOC men ieoislate and
woman s;t st;ll Nav the anfi-women,s
r;0h,s women ha forced IN vote at the
noIIs and 70 serve in tbo ;urv hoy Nav
bushands avor ocntroI ali the inoomes Of
,bo;r wives and NAV wives be forever
TsahlaJ Cron, d;snos;ng of their own
Sar nrnnrrtv Nav tIe courts always bavn
iho nnwor of d;snossess;ng n mother of
hor | I pb;IJ and ;mnos;nc mon Il n quar-
d;ansb;n fore;gn 10 her viii Nav Brid-
aot in Ike k;tcben forever nrick The MES
with her hair min. and John Chipanan
mo;ston Tho n;e ernst from his month