National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1872-11-22
VOLUME VII,

Clara ana Nellie go ny To kcnool every MORN
ing, each with another sot Of iurbeloyed
upper skirts and under skirts, basquos and
sacks, wlilo baby Bollo--bess her dear little
heart !.-is NIL ahoat, too, with tiny ruiilcs ON
her tiny skirt" ru |
Isn't she u darling2' cried. |
Yes, lovely, with her blue eyes and ap- |
ploblossoIs checks but wouldn't she be
lust as pretty in a plain white dress with
bit Of cdgng round the neck and sleeves, II
II were the fnsjon' And tue pretty Oracle
is the charm ia her, her lovely complexion
and fine expression, or in her iurbelows ana
lringts?"
In her. of course" said. "Childrcn
and young girls are never so pleasingas~lfch
simply ,ircssc1' - "'''
Certainly and our taste Is. corrupted
when We do not see this. But there's poor
Mrs. r. thinks II absolutely necessary to fol-
low the lnst fnshion-platc (; 90 she works like
slave from morning till night and her
sewing machine is often going TIL after mid
night. No wonder she looks broken down,
and has neuralgia and "A diseased spine Shs
has done the work Of two women, and it is
the hardest kind Of work, too. Every inch OF
those interminablc yards Of hemming and
| binding. gathering and fastening, passes
| through her fingers, to say nothing vi the
contriving and fitting, and basting and rip
ping. wonder the woman isaliye. don't
believe there is a woman in the city harder
| worked"
Z" But why don't the daughters help her -
Those in school haven any tiIno. Oracle
| locs all She can but with her calls and callers
practising and pic-nicing, croquetting and CO.
auctting. it would be cruel to expect her to
do more than make the plainest portion OF
her underciothes. -
But it. S absurd, said, for mechanics
wife 10 90 into such extravaganza.
don't know as . MECHANICS wife can
be expected to 'bs iirofe sensible than any
| other womans" said Hester dryly; "A re-
~ suppose 50, | said, with q sigh but
the yhole subject is iuli OF dllhouities
had a spark OF lndepepdeuce, Here isa"an-
vi.le evil for thsin tn grap Ile with. now that
they lav, walked lpto .enseof their strength
and capabilities, -.
Yes they may as well begin reform
here as Of the nation at the ballot-box, ]
said, laughing. "But how to do it is the
question. Is there any standard by which
dress can be iudged and regulated
eNot now" said Hester " but ! believe
the principles uf art. tue art might he ap-
! piled to dress as to other things that there
! Is an essential, intrinsic beauty or ugliness in
our garments, entirely irrespective OF fashion;
| in otncr words, that it is one thing 10 be well
dressed and another to be flshionably
dressed
{" Yes. said "a" but what is it to be well
dressed I
can tell YOU what it isn't, said Hester.
1 " 1t isn't to wear huge protuberance on
your head or your back, which, 1t you had
! been born with it, would have been consid-
cred shocking deiornity. II isn't to con-
ceaI all the lines OF the human figure, or to
make 1t one mountain of trimming, when
trimming should always be subservient, add-
ing grace, and defining outlines. And then,
too, it must ~ something permanent IT
can't be the changing thing fashionable
dressing Is. AIT wouldn't make balloon cf
ms this month, and n scantily-draped statue
the next She wouIdn't tilt us up on heels
thet agonize our toes, and pitch us down stairs
to-day, and tomorrow sec us on the ground
like SO many bare-footed Indians.
THAT would he comfort, ! said " IT,
4 when a dress was made, ii would stay made,
4 and look well till it was worn out, u would
lessen half our labors." -
nWell, Hcpsy, believe the good time is,
cornine-the time whom we shall have a
higher civilization, and break the chains
fashion fetters us with now. Then we shall
distinguish between true beauty and deformi
tv and our milliners and dressmakers will
be arttsfes, and not modiaes and, instead OF
looping and stretching US all on one iron bed,
they will study adaptation to age, complex
ion. and character, till we come out of their
hands individual as well as comfortable and
attractive When we think OF it, lsn 1t
strange how it ever sme about that w2 let
ourselyes all be worried into exactly the
same shaped garments, no matter now dii-
rerent we are in size and figure p
: every strange and absurd, l said and
Hester went away.
Exactly at one o'clock on Thursday the
Great Expanded arrived. She was good
deal puifed out truly. and made all manner
of fun Of herself When Hester Graywood
came in, wearing her untimmed gray silk,
: she made "A low obeisance.
- do thee homage, thou most heroic OF
womaullind !" she cried. d" cast myself IN
the dust at thy feet, envy, adore thee,
thou woman who darest ~
; Finauv we got little quoted though
naturally enough, our thoughts still ran on
dress.
; 81 am disguised with myself said Lou
al really am. | don't want to be fashion
able couldn't afford it if did but my
tastes are all plain and simple. consider
! such an overloaded, putfed-out concern az
this not only ridiculous, but vulgar yet here
| am wearing it /; and ! lose my self-respec'
in consequence But how could help my
, self, How hi thS world did you manage
Hester, to get sensible dress made 2 -,
.tJust by my horribly obstinate temper,
said Hester, laughing. " First had pitched
, battle with Mrs. Cuttit, and came of vctorl'
: ous then ] ran the gantlet of her twenty
oil hair q
in holy terror at the trying on
, Il should as soon think of fighting Her
4 cules." said Lou. There's no place where
I am so thoroughly cowcd as in dressmakers
> rooms, don't dare to peep or mutter'
!, :" Yes :-alniable people like you rather
submit than make fuss.
aBut they ought to make fuss, said
Lou: at S sheer cowardice in my case, not
= hmiabiltv. Every. hdy's dress should be an
! expression of her. own individual taste and
cbaracter-b look at us we are all turned
out lust alike, like so many ninepins.
"Wcll. what is to be done. about it!'
asked.
"Whv not form an anti-fashon society,
! : said Hester. land get all sensible women to
pledgc themselves TO dress according to then
, own ideas of propriety, without, regard &c
fashion? Union is strength, ana organized
1 effort the order of the day
= Capital! !" cried Lou we'll draft and
/, siecn n declaration of independence and you,
Hester. shall put down your name with
a great dash, John Hanccck-like :.
. "TTl mai, out the list of grievances,
v said l. a., -,
( uornout mothers, bankrupted fathers, neg
:, lected babies. disguised husbands
:, =" Hold there T. cried. 90 Husbands are
q t. ne ,rives so FAR as nv expert