The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1871-09-01

Tbo ny &c; 20 overlook, an immOdest style.
Ine mischief and misery will never be
Ienleuled till they do. Rad women
.iiiih, meanwhile, and society resDonds
quality. Vi hior'i
These are sharp, plain words i, ,..,,ia,,
to put very sad, subtle truth. INT tho,.
are the sad and subtle truths which ~,
quire sharp plain words. This wonId
be no place to say them if they We're
said IN their place.
/ III every woman who has the training
of young girls in her hands would teach
them, as fast and as far, as SLOWLY and
as finely, as carefully and as terseIv as
she can, that the entire past and present
theory of feminine dress is a degradation
to good woman and an opportunity to
IA bad one, she would do more toward
saving the world than any pulpit but the
New Testament, and than any preacher
but st. John.
When the world learns that there is
worse than no reason why women should
sacrifice any more time, money,
strength, intellect or modesty to their
dress than men, we shall have ten wOm-
ell citizens, scholars, inventors, sculp-
tors, artists, poets, scientists, and rulers,
where it would be impossible, in the ma
ture of things, to find more than one
now.
al think you hardly allow margin
enough" interrupted a thoughtful wOm-
an, looking up from her sewing at me
here, ''fOr the inside JCOHleIi."
"What do you call the inside women?u
'Those who cannot be artists and poets
and"
''They can be citizens, at least. I
said scholars and citizens"
AtkNall -r,apbnrNA md h-fernff fharo N
gOOdIieSs in the influence of women's
dress upon the world? 1t is very bad, 1
know; but it isn't all bad"
"GOOd women will make goodness out
ofanything. If women ever ennOble So
ciety ON a wrong principle, the credit
belongs not to the principle, but to
them. ANY principle which demands
that One-half of the world shall in
tiuence the other half, primarily, by
physical beauty and its adOrnment is
degrading both to its subjects and its
objects, and therefore wrOng.r
My friend took up her sewing silently,
and while she was musing the fire
burned; then spake | with my tongue:
81 more than suspect that some plain,
neat, sensible and graceful costume
differing in the two sexes only so much
as the necessities of society and the finer
instincts of women shall require-will
be at some time devised for general
street, house and business wear; that
women will, in due time, be no longer
in peril of life every time they step from
a hOrse-car, or of dropping the baby
every time they go up stairs, or of a
rheumatic fever every time they walk
out in the rain, from their long, entang-
ling skirts; or of social Ostracism if they
wear no streamers upon their heads, or
of that most dire calamity, not being
popular in society if they cannot COM
mand good dressmakers."
OF course, being in Rome, mean
while, we do, more or less-Heaven
send it may be less and lessl-as the Ro-
mans do.
These "bloOdless revelations, in So
ciety come on tiptoe, and some COM
formity to established standards of pro-
priety or elegance is as necessary as
tiannels in an east wind. As long as
we cannot change the temperature, we
must, in measure, adapt ourselves to
it, Nevertheless every woman who has
so far pulled her sex back into the Dark
Ages as to put on one of the dragging
uncleanly, SenseleSs street-dresses which
disfigure this springs fashion-bOoks has
done deed of which she ought to feel
ashamed. And, Notwithstanding. the
day may come when no refined and
respected maid or wife would be seen in
what will be called a fashionable outfit
in any country town in the land this
very summer.