Smyrna times., 1873-08-27
The Morality Of Dress.

Why should woman be careless of costume
and think it beneath the attention of the wise
and we-cutivatcd2 Why should it be i'm
possible for our gossipy comment to hit the
happy medium, as it there were nothing De-
tween pOverty.stricken plainness and a
flaming, Haunting, ill-bred superfuity? At
this season, especially, side by side with gor-
geouS descriptions of watering place glories
and of the commencement elegance of the
young wOmen's colleges, we encounter many
dry little paragraphs like this written itself
by a woman: These radical progressive,
learned, courageous, nay, defiant glrl-gradu-
ates stood before the public as-Dressmakers
Monuments. The dressInaker is the natural
foe of progressive womanhO0d. 1t is not
prophecy to say that while the dressmaker
endures, women will not vote" The fallacy
of the last assertion will be evident if we CON
slider that in this world there are taiIors as
we'll as dressmakers 1t may seem paradox
cal to say that men are as fond of and as
anxious about dress as women, but the differ
ence is not so great as we may imagine. We
make the mistlke because a finely dressed
woman is really more respondent and beau
titul object than carefully. dressed man.
Feminine beauty takes kindly to color, and a
certain style of it will bear any amount
of gorgeous and bejeweled magnifceDce.
Rich raiment seldom becomes a mans figure
and port, because male beauty is the beauty
of strength and not of softly rounded lines,
delicate complexion, mingled color, and an
undulating carriage Neither is that large
liberty allowed to man Of dressing to conceal
deficiencies; nor is there with him that large
vanity of appearance which calls for variety
of styles. In his relation to woman he is not
supposed to win so much by display of ele.
gance as by his wit or his wisdom, or by the
kindly and protective tenderness which was a
feature of the old chivalry, which may be
rldiculed upon platforms and in resolutions,
which may be sneered at or laughed at by
unsexed women, but which the world will
never OutgrOw.
In considering this topic it may be set down
as a fact that the woman who begins by as
suming that her dress is of little consequence.
will be very likely to end soven or scare,
crow. Art is art and will retain it's power
over well-arrangGd characters to the end. II
a beautiful picture, in which color answers to
color, in which all is blended in an exquisite
harmony OF hue, be worthy of our study and
admiration, a woman artisticay clothed, the
fashion of her garments adapted to her figure.
the tint OF them to her complexion and the
amplitude of them to her carriage, is certainly
neither despicable nor a ridiculous spectacle.
A great deal has been absurdly said of the
superiority OF neatness over display; but we
take ncatness in the best sense of the word
for granted, and must decline to discuss
that point at ALL There is no rea-
son why modesty of apparel should de
generate into a pinched and poverty
stricken "pokishness." There are women
to whom an elaborate and carefully studied
simplicity is necessary, but this is lust as much
the work of art as the gayest and most pro.
fuse toilet. Brilliancy demands brilliancy
and there is no reason, why a strong, minded
woman should dress like Mrs. Sarah Gamp.
with death head of a bonnet, with scrimped
skirts, with clumsy shoes, with ill fitting gloves,
and with an accidental corsage. She might as
we'll neglect to clean her teeth, or to comb her
hair, as some women of superior abilities. we
are sorry to say, have been known to do. She
might as we'll take snuff and wear goggles.
If she be careless and dOwdy and frowsy. she
may have new gospel to utter, but she will
get few men whose attention would be of any
value to listen 10 her. The fact NAV not be
creditable to the stronger sex-an un6enabe
fact 1t will remain TO the end of the chapter.
| But II the average woman cannot afford to
neglec her dress, still less should the excep-
tionally beautiful woman try the experiment.
1t must be remembered that we are not dis
cussing the aesthetics of form. Dressing being
the rule and Greek Slaves being prohibited
by our statutes from going about the streets,
we have the opportunity of cultivating a new
and distinct beauty, and that is the beauty
of costume-the costly charm of color, OF
brilliancy, of sweeping and graceful lines,
Of agreeable texture, and even of jeweed
magnihcence. We laugh at the continual
change of fashion, yet the infinite variety
pleases us, and it is curious that almost
every eccentricity of the mode has
a redeeming attraction. An opuent SEN
suousness Of dress alone BELTS certain
style of loveliness. 1t was of the dark Oriental
beauty of Solomon's Song that the enamored
poet sang: "Thy cheeks are comely with rows
Of jewels, thy neck with chains OF gold" Has
the reader ever noticed with what a careful
hand the Puritan Milton paints the woman
who betrayed Samson, approaching like O
stately ship of Tarsus-an amber scent of odor
GUS perfume her harbinger er2"--she whose
words addressed seem in to tears dissolved,
wetting the border of her silken vailP' AL
was not sensualty in this fine creation-sht
"who, to save her country from a fierce
destroyer, chose above the faith of wedlocG
bands