The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1871-10-20
Woman and Her Clothes.

anu hcI O4OtACcs
a great deal has been said and writ
ten of late years about "WOman's Mis-
sion," "Woman's Suffrage" and ''Wom-
ans Rights;n but one of the greatest
needs of this country is a home woman;
one who is able to attend to the man.
agement of her household and who does
not feel herself altogether dependent
upon servants. Said the wife of John
Adams, in letter written to friend in
1909, when she was siXty-five years of
age:
"NO man ever prOspered in the world
without the consent and cooperation of
his wife, and il is an indispensable req
uisite that every American wife should
herself know how to order and regulate
her family, how TO govern her dOmes-
ties and train up her children. For this
purpose the all-wise Creator made wom-
an helpmate for man, and she who
fails in these duties does not answer the
end of her creation"
Halt a century, with all its reforms
and improvements, have passed away
since these words were written, vet
the advice is not inapplicable to the
present time. In the days when Mrs.
Adams tlOurished, a young lady's edu-
cation, no matter what her rank in life
might be, was not considered completed
until, among other useful accomplish
ments, she was able to cut out and make
a shirt and knit pair of stockings. 1t
is true that the sewing machines have
done away with much of the necessity
of sewing by hand, still we are of the
opinion that every young lady should
be able to sew. The girl of the period
has, however, "a soul above buttOns,n
. anH I'M If
them, and expecting his wardrobe will
be kept in better order than when a
bachelor, will be wOefully disappointed.
81 think | see myself sewing on buttons
or mending any mans Clothes" says
emily Jane" conceitedly; "and as for
darning his stockings, it isn't likely I'll
do that, when | never could take the
trouble to darn my own. No, indeed, if
"a man wants that sort of thing, why
don't he marry a servant-maid ?'i In
many instances it would be better for
him If he did, rather than a helpless
young woman who, when she is not go
ing around making calls, and promenad-
ing the streets with acquaintance
equally frivolous, throws herself on a
sofa, tired to death, and interested in
nothing, unless she happens to think
of some new vanity to be gotten up for
exhibition ut the opera or theater in ths
evening. 1t is n thanllless Office Ia
point out faults, and all the more when
+ women are the subjects of our criticisms;
for, however outrageous their proceed
ings, they ought not to be plainly spoken
} to, nor honestly dealt with; and truth
is an ofiense which can never be for.
. given. There is, however, great neces.
, sity for a reform of some kind, or mel
! of moderate means will no longer dare
to marry. Ii is perfectly well known
that dress has become an all-absOrbing
passion with our women. They 90 tC
the opera; not understanding one wOrC
of the performance, and cOnfessing they
don't care pin for the music, simply
: to display "A toilet which has cost them
a week of careful thought and prepara-
tion. They get up different style, but
: equally elaborate, to parade the streets
2 and go to church on the Sabbath, in the
. hope to Outshine some of their neigh
! bOrs who have presented themselves to
pray three times in the same costumei
, in short, dressing themselves takes W
all their time and seems to be the sole
object of their existence. To such an
extent has this absurd insanity on the
subject of dress been carried among
American ladies, that grave moralists
have held some of our beautiful country
MOilltil iGSiAltlll III ItSDOllSlbAt lOl
no small share of the luxury and eX-
I travagance which was the order of the
day during the latter portion of the
second French Empire. 1t is useless to
tell us that men are TO be blamed for all
= this rivalry in dress, which occupies the
minds of ladies to the exclusion of more
profitable things; and which, besides,
! so often involves expenses far beyond
1 the income of the father or husband, who
: is called to foot the bills, thus causing
. them endless annoyance. Women dress
for women, not for men, and are mar
4 tyrs, in many cases, to their clothes. A
e man knows, TO be sure, when woman,
, to his taste looks charming but
whether the lace she wears costs one
dollar a yard or one hundred, he is gen
: orally in total ignorance. Not so with
women, who look with undisguiseC
scorn on dress, no matter how becom
e ing, if it happens to be cheap, and al
t imitation lace, no matter how pretty, il
an abomination in their eyes. WheI
we consider the vast amount Of timl
h utterly wasted in the superfiuous trim
ming of dresses now in fashion, and how
long it takes to put on properly nj
IS the panieTs, frills and furbelows belong
o ing to them, we cannot wonder that tn,
y whole occupation of young lady wh'
!. desires to be considered in the prope
II mode should be how to best arrange he
a finery so as to make the greatest dis
It play. Nor is there likely to be any le
,- form until, as a writer on this subjec
!, says:
IL ''Girls are taught that it is better t
q, possess a pair of healthy lungs than
le taper waist; better to walk erect thai
n to have small feet in pinching, high
heeled boots; better to be free fron
rs headache than to wear a chignOn, am
10 better to have brains inside ones hea
4. than dead mems hair outside of il
:, That il is better to have convex ehes
> of ones own than that obtained at
lie mOdiste's; better to have square, plum
shoulders, made by some food and livel.
exercise, than autOmaton pads fun
y nished by dressmaker; better to hav
of bright lips, ruddy with healthy BLOOD
lr and bright eyes beaming with ntelli
40 gence and health; better that the white
ness of the forehead and the carnatio
D. of the cheeks, the taper of the hngeI
ur and the pink of the rounded nail shoul
ty follow the process of unabused uatur
n than that they should be produced b
degraded art.
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