Weekly Trinity journal., 1870-05-14
NUMBER 10.
Fashions OF the Period.


/ Does modern education lead us to a more cor
rect estimate of the beauties of nature, or con-
vert us from the conventional to the true ideal
of perfection and of beauty2 We fear not. We
pity the poor perverted TASTE exemplifed by the
custom of modelling the form of their crauia into
MS near an approach possible to the cubic, by
inclosng the growing heads of their tender in
fants in strong and unyielding wooden boxes.
We are amused at the gate of the Chinese ladies
as they hobble along on those stunted pedimcnts
which might have been useful feet if their
growth had not been checked by the early and
perseverng application of bandages in conform
ity with their civilized idea of beauty. The tat
tooed features of the South Sea Islanders, and
the beteathereG heads of the Obeibways, excite
our laughter and contempt. Now, in truth We
are, even in the matter of harmless personal
adornment, not whit in advance of our So
called savage brothers and sisters us witness
our men s hats adorned with peacocks feathers,
etc. etc; our womens hats, no longer used
| head covings but rs brow shades, and orna-
mented with flying plumes gathered from the
tails of the dunhill cocks; our black stain for
the eyelids and "6ieH pour les peines'- forms
of tattooing But IN 6dnefal adornmeuts we fall
far behind the savage people, and to this phase
of false tase we wish to draw special attention.
We commenced these remarks with the relation
of n case of ruined constitution, disease, and
death, caused by the systematic use of tight
lacing. This hurtful habit, now greatly on tho
give what they consider u satisfactory reply to
the charge OF tight lacing: " | assure you |
could put my hand between my stays aud
waist" This may be true or not, it matters lit
tie, for the evil consists in the gradual model
ing OF the waist by systematic pressure begun in
| grlhood. The size Of the waist is in this man
ner prevented from further growth, its normal
development being arrested so rs to porpetuate
the slender waist OF the child, while all other
parts are allowed to expand into the natural
bulk OF woman. This, and not the amount of
pressure necessary to maintain the small SIZE Is
the real evil The small waist is made, not so
much by actual squeezing as by the maintenance
of rigorous ceinture that prevents all further
| development. The evils arising from this
stunted and shrunken waist have been so often
described as to require no notice here. Tho
next harmful of the modern female decoration
is, perhaps the chignon. The girl of the period
is not satisfied with only one head, but adds
head to head in Samese-twns fashion. Is it
% that one small head can" not ''carry all " she
knows2 But rs these remarks arc Intended, not
for artistic, but physiological purposes, we must
not discuss the merits of the chignon in its orna-
mental capacity we will merely observe that
since its introduction cases of brain fevers arc
enormously on the increase, being nearly doubled
| in number. Headaches are also much moro
prevalent. These consequences might be antic-
| ipotcd from the use of n machine so powerfully
retcntvo of animal heat. The pancrs being
|
comment, but the htgh-hceled shoes and boots
merit notice. The necessary result of the use of
these instruments of torture Is great increase
| of pressure against the toes giving rise to dis
tortions, corns, cnosites, etc, for the feet are
placed on sloping Instead of fiat surface.
The instop becomes ilnttened, and the much ad-
mrcd arch of the foot falls to n level or more.
The ankle joint loses its proper bearings; all tho
weight of the body being placed on its posterior
surface, it gradually losses form. The muscles
of the cali, by the relaxation of the teHdo achHts
waste in bulk and acquire tendency to spasm.
Ease, elegance and dignity of gait are rapidly
lost, and nervous tottet is rapidly acquired.
But of all the hurtful customs growing out of
pcrVersion of taste, the worst is, We think, tho
alternate wrapping and denuding the chest and
shoulders. The tender and sensitive young lady
who enjoys the warmth Of fur and other wrap
pings during the carriage drive or morning
walk, is in the evening exposed, with denuded
bosom and shoulders, to the drnughty HtmOs-
phere of the opera-hOuse or the ballroom. To
enable our dclicately y-nurtured English matrous
and maidens to resist such extreme changes,
would require amount Of vigor rarely pos
sessed by them, and consumption too often fol-
lows, as natural consequence, the gaieties OF
the London season. We feel that we are touch
ing on delicate ground, but our interest in the
wcll-being Of our fair fellow countrywomen
makes ne reckless Of all censure. We therefore
bodily assert, that however II low dress may suit
gerous to our matrons and maidcns.-EHglish
Paper.
JEnsEY RoMANoE That " love levels all
ranks, )" would seem to be true a. holy writ, at
all events in some instances, aud in none more
so than in case the results of which have con-
sideraby agtatcd for weeks past certain circles
in the pleasant town Of Orange, New Jersey.
About two years ago, in the employ o: Elijah d.
Burnett highly respectable merchant, was II
J Of raII ttla 1aiu "A l.
dress named William Culbert. His occupation
was that Of cOachman. A daughter of his en-
ployer, Miss Annie V. Burnet, then about in her
fourteenth or fifteenth year, but large and wom-
anly for her age, took decided liking for the
good-lookiag coachman, which penchant, after
some time, rpencd into genuine affection. Will
liam was of course delighted with the state of
affairs, though somo considerable time elapsed
before he realized the exact state Of the dlmsel's
feelings towards him. This discovered on tho
principle, doubtless, that love begets love,
full reciprocity of the tender foeling followed.
In the meanwhile The attachment was jcalou5ly
guarded by the lovers so that the parents of the
girl mover dreamed of the matter. Some busl-
ness reverses neccssitated the lertAl breaking
up of Mr.. Burnet's domestic establishment, and
young Cubert left as his employer thought, for
parts unknown. BY means only known to low
, ers under similar circumstances, Miss Buraet
and Cubert managed to keep up their intimacy,
and to meet occasionally. Finally, the young
lady found it difficult to conceal the affair, and
between anxiety the one hand and true love
on the other, she managed to work herself into
u severe illness. After some time she impaired
the secret to her physician, who in turn informed
the parents, who, as might be expected, tried to
disabuse the girl of her notion, but to no pur-
pose. AS to - marriage with Oulbert they would
not listen to such n thing. The upshot was, that
within a few weeks since Miss Annie surrepti-
tiously left home, ana in company with her
off In Nh Wpr
married The sequel to this romance in real life
is the best of all. The indignant parents were at
first disposed to give the young people the cold
shoulder, but finding that William was really