Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1872-05-02
Fanny Fern on Dress.

WHEN say that the street dress of the
majority of respectable women of New
York to-day is disgusting, l but freely ex-
press my emotions. l say respectable
women, and yet, save to them who know
them to be such, their appearance leaves
large margin for doubt. The clown at
circus wears not a more stunning or parti-
colored costume; in fact he has the ad-
vantage of being sufficiently taut"-to
use nautical phrase-not to interfere
with locomotion while theirs-what
with disgusting humps upon their backs,
and big rosettes upon their sides and
shoulders, and loops, and folds, and but
tons, and clasps, and bows upon their
skirts, and striped satin petticoats, all too
short to hide often clumsy ankles-and
more colors and shades of co1ors heaped
upon one poor little fashion-ridde body
than ever were gathered in one rainbow
and all this worn without regard to tenn
perature, or time, or place. say this
presents a spectacle which is too disheart-
ening even to be comical. One cannot
smile at the young girls who are, one day
Heaven help them-to be wives and
mothers. Wives and mothers ! / say to
myself, as | see the throat and neck with
only the protection of a gold locket between
itself and the cold autumnal winds. Wives
and mothers | say, as | see them running
their feet and throwing their ankles out of
shape in the vain endeavor to walk on
their heels like corks fastened far into the
middle of the sole of their boots; and
those boots so high upon the calf of the
leg, and so tightly buttoned across it that
circulation is stopped, and violent head
aches follow. Wives and mothers! | say,
as | see the heating and burdensome pam
nier tackled on the most delicate portion
OF a woman's frame, to make still surer
confirmed invalidism. What fathers,
husbands, brothers, lovers, can be think
ing about to be willing that the women
they love and respect should appear in
public looking like women whom they
despise, is marvel to me. Why they do
not say this to them, and shame them into
a decent appearance-if their glasses can
not effect it-I do not know. Oh, the re-
lief it is to meet a lady, instead of a bal
let-girl! Oh, the relief it is to see firm
stepping, rosy, road-chested, bright,eyed
woman, clad simply with a dress all of
one color, and free from punches and
tags. turn to look at such one with
true respect that she has the good taste to
appear on the street in dress befitting
the street.
If l seem to speak harshly, it is because
feel earnestly on this subject l had
hoped that the women Of 1872 would
have been worthy of the day in which
they live. l had hoped that ali time would
not have been spent in keeping up with
the chameleon change of fashion, too ugly,
too absurd for toleration 1t is because l
want them to be something, to do some
thing higher and nObler than peacock
might aim at that turn heartsick away
from these infnitesimal fripperies that
narrow the soul and purse, and leave
nothing in their wake but emptiness.
Nor is it necessary, in avoiding all this,
that woman should look 'strong minded"
as the bugbear phrase goes. 1t is not
necessary she should dress like her grand
mother in order to look like decent
woman. 1t is not necessary she should
forswear ornament, because it were better
and more respectable to haveit confined to
festal and home occasions and less to pub
lie promenade. She is not driven to the
alternative of muffiing herself like an onl-
nibus driver in January, or catching the
consumption with her throat protected
only by gold locket. Oh, wish that a
bevy of young and handsome girls, of
good social position, would inaugurate a
plain, ladylike costume for street and
church wear. say young and handsome,
because if an old woman does this, the lit
tie chits toss their heads and say, ''Oh,
she has had her day and doesn't care now
and we want ours" Now that's per-
fectly natural, and right, too, that you
should have your youth; that you should,
as girls say, "make the most of your
selves" but in doing so don't you think it
would be well not to lessen or cheaper
yourselves? and I submit, with all defer
ence to your dressmakers and mammas,
OF Ofr rbN -,