Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-06-02


during the past ten years, with the
growth of luxury and increase of wealth
in the city of New York. The reason is
very simple one. The old aristocracy,
comprising persons not engaged in busi-
ness or politics, have many of them
grown poorer instead Of richer; the new
aristocracy are very fond Of display, but
destitute Of culture, and opera is essen-
TALLY the offspring Of high refinement
and civilization. In reality, therefore,
we have had fewer patrons of opera,
although many more great dry goods
houses and restaurants. By and by
European travel, and the habits Of SO
ciety, win begin to tell, and then we may
look for an operate revival on an i'm
mense scale.
DRESSING FOR THE OPERA.
For the benefit of those ladies who
only occasionally visit the opera, it may
be remarked that full dress is by no
means requisite. Toilettes are gradu-
ated and very properly, so far as conye-
nience is concerned, by the part Of the
house in which the seats are located.
i4hthSo VSOupJlhB DOAtb diC CApCCtcu w
to appear in full dress, that is, without
bonnets, but an uncovered neck is rare
ly seen. In the more democratic dress
circle and parquet ladies wear bonnets
and handsome suits, occasionally an
opera clock, or jacket, but rarely
trained dress. Indeed, upon the bare
floor, and in the mixed assemblage which
gathers in the lower part of the house,
elaborately dressed heads and drawing
room toilettes would seem very much
out of place.
With gentlemen it is different. From
them dress-coats, white-edged vests and
light kid gloves, are exacted, in any
part of the house, and latterly they
have taken to wearing button-hole bou-
quets, which imparts very .fete ike
air, to their otherwise uniform and too
b
STYLE OF DREss-soCIETY COATS.
There is strong disposition on the
part of many gentlemen to kick at the
dress-coat business, and insist upon their
right to wear whatever kind of coat hap
pens to be convenient for them TO wear.
They insist, with truth, that the exactions
with respect to dress exclude all the
brains from society, and that society will
never amount to anything so long as all
the energy must be expended Qp neck
tie in order to get there. Atpresent the
brainless people have quite the best Of
it; in fact, they are the only ones who
can properly sustain position in circle
from which ideas are excluded, and
clothes made to take their places.
Stttf SUMNER SILKS. ttt3ED d
Quite new and exceedingly pretty
summer silks have followed the little
hair-stripes which appear early in the
season, and have created an almost
equal furore. They are soft, light yet
durable, and possessed of considerable
body, without weight or stiffness. They
are known as Grmare .foulardS, drmure
de Lyon, and Grmure BeRzeiB, the latter
the name of the maker. They are i'm
ported in all the lovely neutral ec1'u and
tea rose suits, which are so fashionable,
and are almost uniformly employed in
the shades of the same color, or in con-
nection with a solid silk of different
shade of the same color. In addition
to the drmures, which are 81 per yard,
there are new twilled foulards and
undressed silks for costumes at $l.50
per yard, which are very effective and
useful because they do not wash easily,
and, being all silk will clean and after
ward dye for Innings, as the foundation
for costumes of black grenadine. They
also make excellent travelling suits for
ladies' who stop much at hotels, and re-
quire something handsomer thans sinen.
ORNAMENTS
Quite a reaction is te1ing place in re-
gard to ornaments. especially jewelry.
The barbaf;c styles Of the present day,
the great hoops, the dangling balls, the
massive clamped and huge nail studded
bands and bracelets, added to the over
mass of brazen trash which
the dollar stores have poured forth,
have created disgust in the souls Of wo-
men of high refinement and cultivation.
At very brilliant reunion lately, the
subject was discussed, and some of the
most elegant women present declared
their conviction that earrings, rings,
bracelets, and the like, were relics Of
savageism-evidences of past condi-
ton Of bondage; and instead of beauti-
flying, marred the symmetry, grace and
perfection Of the human form. One lady
said burden had really been lifted from
her shoulders since she had made up her
mind to dispense with jeweled orna-
that the changes of fashion and
the necessity of arranging and adapting
them to new styles and different dresses,
took exactly the money she wished to
make use of in other directions, and she
felt herself not only better and more
dressed, but relieved from
positive tax and incumbrance.
Another lady said that she had long
ago disposed of all her gold and mixed
iewelry, and invested the proceeds in a
cross and earrings, which she
wore on full-dress occasions only. Ordi-
narily she wore no jewelry; in fact she
thought the present style of dress hardly
admitted of it, which is true.
A third objected to earrings upon
any occasion, or Of any kind, and
thought rings in the nose were just as
necessary and would look just as well.
High class American women have
never taken kindly to the profusion and
variety Of ornaments which characterize
adies of rank in other countries, France
ior example. They always want dia-
monds, and when they are dressed for
occasion viii wear no
cheaper ornaments. Profusion Of rings,
chains, bracelets, and the like, has long
been considered evidence sufficient of
want of good breeding and thorough
culture.
SUMNER BONNETs
The pretty gipsies Of English and
Italian straw are almost universally
worn, and almost as universally becom-
ng. The only fault is that they are too
mach trimmed. Lace, ribbon, flowers,
are all piled on one small foun-