The Cairo daily bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1870-1872, 1872-04-12

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SOME TIME AGO, number Of women
in London organized woman's dress
association, the object OF which is to put a
stop to all extravagances in dress, to the
frequent changes in fashion which neces.
state the spending Of much m"ney and
wasting Of much time-in short, to effect, |
if possible, a thorough reform in this all
important matter. The move made by
the London ladies, has been published far
and wide. To the announcement Of the
fact is generally added homily, long or
short US the case may be, on the extrava-
gance and folly Of the women Of the day,
a fervently expressed desire that woman
everywhere may enroll themselves in favor
OF the womens dress reform movement,
and an apt quotation from St. Paul about
the ornament of II "meek and quiet spirit"
or his exhortation to the sex not to adorn
: themselves with broidered lair, or gold OF
costly array, but in 'modest apparel" The
press is one of the great educators Of the
S age, ard 1t Is right that the folly of woman
I Us the faults of men, should be reproved
h and reformed BY it when possible. There
is no doubt but that an ihord mate love Of
dress among women is one Of the mos
u fruitful sources Of the sins and miseriei
: which aiilict society; but if we go below
Y the surface and search for the reason
i which inspires this general prevalence OF
4 u fondness for dress, we find it, not SO
: much an innate sentiment of female char.
acter, as u response to the well-known
admiration Of men for well dressed
woman. In the Atlantic Monthly for
April, in the "Poel Of the Beakfast Table"
VIC fnd the following:
Take real woman Mt her best moments
-welldresscd enough to be pleased with
with herself a" 9 and what has social
Info to compare with one Of those vital in
terchanges of thought and feeling with
her that make an hour memorabilia
Now, when DR.. Holmes makes
use OF the expression, does he
/ me an "well-dressed," sttired in 9
e plain gown, hair combed back plainly ant
S the back of tho head innocent Of chignon
10 braid or curl-in other words does h
at mean the, "modest apparel enjoined b.
lie St. Paul? The reader does no, suppose S
I'd for an instant. He means rather, a cos
10 tune gotten up according to the require
ne ments of modern fashion, toned by tast
10 and worn with grace and which the weare,
d with a delicate intuition, feels makes he
d an object of pleasure to the man will
# whom she is convcrsing, and hence make
J. her "pleased With herself" Holmes her
d only hints at sentiment which all wo
d men know men generally entertain. AnC
d what woman of the nineteenth century
o will hesitate an instant between this opin
Il ion and that Of ST. Pauls? We have read
c some juggling lines on my girl with tn,
t calico dress but they were g, 'oetry'
men wish to see permanent reform in tn,
matter Of extravaganza and folly in female
Is dress, they must reduce their poetr,
T. to practice. They must turn from the wo
AZ man who is lovely in the sheen of silk an,
the glimmer of pearls, and pay court to he
-, who, in her cotton gown, is without orn.
,er ment, unless it is tina, of u meek and Quiz
he spirit. When they do this, they will SO
az the seeds of II real "dress reform"--see
on which will fall on good ground and vie
49, an hundred fold.