Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-08-25
WILDWOOD ELFS.

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t1As IS 81 ga - ASeJ 81
The Mountain Girls of Tennessee
PEN Picture for City Readers.
Elizabeth Dudlys contributes this fame
sketch to contemporary:
: Since It is common complaint that th
railroad and sewing machine are fast re
ducing us to one level of dull uniformit
| in dress and manners, 1t is relief to know
while surveying the fashionable ladies il
their wonderfui costumes as they promen
ade Fifth Avenue or ride in Central Park
that four or five days journey to the noun
tains Of Tennessee would bring me anon!
race of charIningly simple, unworldll
maidens, who at this day wear the sqinsey
gown" which Shakespeare alludes to as tht
dress of rustic women in bis time, anC
which Scott describes as the attire of "Jeanie
Deans" ASK fEEFsu Es9stsszvga -
A city belle would open her eyes in
wonder and disnay at the sight OF sone OF
these mountain girls in her peculiar array,
which, indeed, / must try to describe To
our ladies, who. however, will hardly ven
ture to initiate style so unadorned.
Imagine girl Of sixteen, well grown and
developed (they mature early Jherel lust
the height Of the Venus di Medici, and lust
as plump and graceful. Cold water and
soap are her only cosmetics; she has always
made plentiful use of them, and I wish any
words in our language could properly de-
scribe her brilliant, healthy skinner fore
head so softly white, her cheek so transpa-
rently rosy, her smiling lips so crimson and
inviting. ssf-sF -Fsssss
Her head is finely shaped and well
poised, q most womanly head, and round
at the back Of it coiled her wavy, brown
hair (undone it would fall nearly to her an
hes), after the fashion of three thousand
years ago. Her eyes are downcast when
strangers are near, for she is very shy; but
sometimes they are suddenly raised, large
and dark, and full of wondering pleasure at
what you are saying; they are innocent
eyes, with look of pure womanly sweet
ness that we rarely meet in the eyes of our
city ladies.
But this beautiful girl covers her head
snd face and shoulders with a large sun
bonnet Of colored or white calico that COM
pletely obscures and hides her. When men
are present she wears it even In the house
and when sitting at the table. She Is taught
that modesty demands this; her father and
grown brothers are not excepted-no man
must see her head uncovered, her face u !.
obscured. For the same reason (modesty)
she does not sit down TO eat with any men
but those of her own family; she waits on
them and takes her own meal when they
are gone. Her mother does the same, and
covers her head in The same manner Gin
her case you do not regret it,
Our mountain girl wears, as / said, a
gown of 'linsey-woolsey;" this is home
made material; she has carded and spun
and dyed and woven, the cotton and the
wool, helped by her mothers and sisters,
and among them they make 1t up. In the
skirt of her dress, or, to use her own Ian
guage, "the tail of her gown" (Shakes-
pearean), there are three straight breadths
Of the material hemmed round the bottom,
and sewed to belt at the waist which Is
made as simple as possible, with an effort
TO somewhat hide the form, which is, how
ever revealed in Its youthful symmetry by
every movement she makes. This gown
falls about three inches above the ankle
disclosing the proportions of Venus, with
foot clean, pink, and most perfectly shaped,
entirely undeformed by tight shoes or walk
ing on stone pavements.
| have fully described the dress of noun
tain maid-what say our city ladies?
think they will not dare to copy it unless
they first cultivate that high health which
so developes and enhances her physical
beauty that no accessories are needed, and
even the hideous sun-bonnet cannot quite
hide 1t.
/ am sure if the most 6IGse of city gen.
tlemen had come upon our neighbours
daughter Fanny, as / came upon her one
day, bis heart would have felt warm for a
moment, just as have described her above,
but with the sun-bonnet thrown ON the
ground, she stood in the luxuriant far
spreading forest, in listening attitude with
head appraised. Being woman, L was al
lowed to come quite near, but then lifting
her hand she motioned me to be quiet.
We were so still that / heard little
brook near By as it rippled on; q wild
thrush in the distance began again his in
terrupted music; squirrels lesped and
looked from the overarching trees, and q
little golden lizard flashed out again upon
a rock where he was used to sun himself.
These were fitting surroundings for
Fanny, as she stood there in her radiant
beauty like wood nymph of old legends,
face and physique which seems peculiar to
American girls.
l knew this was in appearance only, and
half felt inclined to wish that she was
mute as well as charming, but Fanny OPP
ened her lips;
"Howdy, neighbor, howdy! Reckon you
was gwine to our house, wa'ant YEP"
eyes, Fanny: have brought a CROCHET
needle and some thread, as you wished me
to teach you to knit collars"
"Lawsy sakei Hev YET Reckon thatll be
mizzible nice! Pears like it'll be powerful
heap o. work. Reckon I'd mighty sight
ruther ye wouldn't take sech a pawerful
heap O. trouble jest for me, nohowh Gin a
very drawing tonel.
''Oh, you can soon learn. But, Fanny,
what were you listening to just now"
"Reekon was trying to hear the tink of
old Brindle's bell. Don't you tell marin
I'd strayed so fur from home-reckon 1
flowed to run back mighty quick efI'd sssn
any men coming"
We Val&ed on, Fanny ahead of me, STEP
ping with the free, hrn gait of a woman
never trammeled by tight clothing, and /
was again silently admirirg, when she sud-
denly turned with: -,
'Reckoz you'd best hold up the tail of
your gown; there's powerful lot O. ticks
In the woods p
VR rofnancel If only Fanny wopl15,
never speak! At table she ate with her
knife-but so did all the others. Her
younger sisters were growing up as beauti-
ful, as simple, as unlearned as herself. They
all could read, and had an Eve-like craving
for knowledge; they frequently Piled me
with questions concerning New 7 ork, sthe
great city," but could not answer trsly-
my reputation for truth would have been
sacrificed; 30 tried to adapt my informa-
s.on to their understandings, and was often
much mortified st my III success. am
glad row that never gave them any &C.
count of the life that fashionable lady lives
in New York. thought it uuEind to un-
settle their ideas concerning the whole duty
OF woman-to marry, rear large family of
children, cook, bake, spin, knit, weave and
sew, and "'tend preachin'" when the cir
cult rider came to their neighborhood-
bring up their daughters to DO the same.
This was my beautiful Faunys destiny,
and she is low fulfilling it.
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