The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1872-1881, 1872-05-31
ITEMS FOR LADIES.


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il is 10 please the other sex. Though we
by no means arrogate TO ourself the title
Of profound thinker, we have the pre-
sumption To believe that we can give a
better reply to this question, and even
more truthful one.
The fact Is that To attract and please
the men is not mainly, or even partially,
the reason why the fair sex study the art
Of dressing well. On the contrary, they
dress ~ they do at the risk Of displeas-
ing men-knowing that their charms
alone can conquer even that displeasure.
The difference Of opinion that exists be
tween men and, as TO what constitutes
merit in the costume Of the latter, Is pro-
found and irrcconcilahle.
The poet would decorate her with shells,
with flowers, with acorns, with hdewdrops,
with rainbows, with nothing. She would
decorate herself, and in spite Of his preju-
dices, does decorate herself, with gold,
with Jewels, with fur, feathers, lace, ev-
erything. Sandals are all he ever dreams
Of putting on her dainty feet she
swathes them in cloth and satin, and
stands upon her towering heels rs ON a
pedestal. He thinks her more beautiful
than all raiment; she would array herself
like Solomon in all his glory. He never
admircs her so much as when her gar
ments chastely drape, but honestly indi-
cate her form; she is never 20 highly
grati6cd with herself as when her figure
Is travcstied and obscurcd, and the COM
bined skill of her milliner and her maid
have rendered her anything but the male
ideal Of beautiful woman.
What, then, IL the true answer to our
queryi Ii is contained in nutshell.
They dress to please themselves, OFF
the cynic prefers ito displease each
other. Tell her she shines me down, I"
cries Guinevere, when she bids Lancelet
give Elaine the diamonds, and then
mark the sequel-flings them into the
river, that Elaine may not have them
because she does "shine her down" 1t is
a womans speech essentially, this Jealous
cry Of Guinevere's. but it contains the
whole scertt we are searching for. wo
men want diamonds in order to shine
each other down, and they dress for pre-
cisely the same purpose. They dress not
TO please the men, but to show each Other
that they haze pleased them, and can af
ford to be hideous because their innate
charm and loveliness is all sufficient to
secure their captives.
Nor must we be misunderstood in this
matter. We believe il to be both laud'
able and necessary task for woman "a
"shine each other down." Ii was moi
necessary in the days before the food,
perhaps, but il is so now, aud for thu
reason that we have what the antedilu
vian had not-Society. The laws Of
the Medes and Persians, (which altereth
not, were not more arbitrary than those
which now compel women TO "shine' OF
10 condemn themselves to nothingness.
Their ambition is as great as that Of man
and in the very nature of things, it would
be too much 10 ask them not 10 use the
means which will enable them to conquer
the admiration Of their own sex. The nd
miration of men, woman has always; hui
in order to secure that Of women sh,
must shine them down. Her husband
or father may grudge the expense, hel
lover may question her taste, and hel
brothers may tell her she has made her
self perfect fright" But, 50 long a
she feels that women do not think she haI
done anything of the kind, she does no
care pin for fraternal criticism; Will
she is quite confident that her father
lover, or husband, as the case may be
will allow her to do precisely the sam
thing again, or to exceed it, if that wer
possible.
The error in determining the true an
/
swer to our question. lies In the fact tina
men do not perceive that the field Of VIC
mans ambition is so widely different iron
their own. In the pursuit of this com
mon passion man contends with man, AM
not with woman; so woman contend
with her own sex, and not with man
The ambitious man considers what othe
men will say Of his business talent, hi
book, or his military capacity. The am
bilious woman, having no field but tina
of society, considers what her fellow
women will think of her jewels, her bon
net, her dress. Long after she cares ;
captiyate the other sex, she is still all 81
licitude about her attire; and this natu
raj iact is another strong proof that, i
her, the desire to be wefldressed Is III
analogue to that ambition in man whic
also grows stronger with added years
She may no longer have youth or beauty
but so long as she can dress as handsomel
as other women, she gives them manifes
proofs that she still retains power owe
men through their affections, for. mn
times Out Of ten, II is a husband or fathe
who gives her the means thus TO shin.
In truth, men eheerfully enable the
wives or daughters to dress splendid,
not that they may please him, but thu
he may please them. No sensible ma
ever regarded chignOns, Paniers, or e'
trayagant hoops as anything but abom
aations; yet sensible men will act qa''
sensibly, now, and hereafter, when the
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