Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-08-06
TIE RAGE FOB FISERY.
A NationeI PassiOn-Its Origin and Its
Miserable Fruies.

ANationeI PassiOn-Its Origin and Its
Miserable Fruits
From the New York World.
Two books have lately been issued, one from
the American The other from the English
press, which deserve the careful attention
of the tender sex. We mean Miss Phelps
"What to Wear" and "How to dress as a
Lady on f15 year.
Miss Phelps addresses herselfto the SUBJ
ject from bygienic point Of view especially,
but the economic Is scarcely less important
to the ma ajorty. T
For some time past it has been generally
conceded in Europs that "American ladies
dress magnifcently," and this is perfectly
true.
1t is, Of course, pleasant for an American
abroad TO hear the tributes given to the
exquisteneSs of his lsdy friends taste, more
especially if be has noS the privilege Of pay
ing the bills Of those who exemplify it, but
nevertheless q considerable portion of the
male creation here is beginning to ask
whether they do not ray somewhat too dear
for sustaining the national credit in point of
feminine attire.
The difficulty about this and so many
other matters in this free country is that we
all want to be equal nowadays, although we
are dreadfully unequal 10 purse. "When
dine with man with Sc, 600 year." said a
mill onsire, she gives me just the same
dinner as when / dine with one who has
100000 year, though how the devil he
manages it l don't know"
Some one well remarked, too, as another
indication of would-be equality, that the
poorer classes nowadays have in most
countries quite ceased to have a cheap and
picturesque attire, ard look merely as
though they were wearing the shabby old
clothes of the rich. If this be one of those
proofs of what stump and platform orators
call progress, We cfn only say that it is q
progress very little to be desired.
The love of dress in this country has,
since the war especially, assumed most
alarming proportions, more especially In all
our large towns. Those who look at the
matter specifically may think, "Oh, it is
very harmless and doesn't much matter"
and if immortality doesn't much matter, per-
hsps this finery fever is of compar atiVely
little consequence, bat if it dOes-and there
are yet many people who think it does, and
whose opinion is entitled to some respect
it matters very much indeed, inssmuch as
it is tending to beget immortality in the
women OF this untry.
During the war class Of very unculti-
vated men notoriously accumulated RAPID
fortunes. Their wives were as common as
themselves. Such persons had but one way
of asserting their 0Dsequence-display. Ii
might have been expected that in such 8
city as New Y ork, where there was large
number of persons Of education and retioe-
ment, the splendors of these nOuUeqWc
riches would NJ more have affected the old
families, than did the gorgeous coach and
caparisoned steeds of the city knights of the
old county family described in Bracebridge
Hall.
Unfortunately, however, as lady Of an
Gent Knickerbooker stock put it, "We
were such fools that we allowed ourselves
to be influenced by these upstart ''vulgari
iahs." And there arose sort Of race IN
dress between the mushroom snd the oak
New York influences the country so
much that this rage for finery becomes a:
common as houses sire after Hotts dis
covery of roast pig in Charles Lambs
story. Rem puOclnQlie mOd0 rem became
and continues, the cry, "Rean" meaning il
this instance finery, and quOcunque nlodo a
surrender of all that imam ought not to
surrender.
Do not let our sdy readers imsgine tha
we are here making idle statements-w'
have ample grounds for such assertions
Nor is il only the Massachusetts factory
irland such as she who is thus led astray,
hundreds of married woman in mud
higher class, who would but for this &C
cursed thirst for fuery have been true 8
steel to their husbands, finding the Hselve
involved in emulation with women hvt
times as rich, get into debt, fear to tel
their husbands, and borrowing money from
men who are waiting to s'e them fall int
the trap, End themselves sinking into in
fanny which when they married they coult
scarcely believe possible. Love of finer.
is in fact toe parent oil miserable mstri
mony and divorce.
And there is another and not unimpor
tant side 10 the question, On all hands il
the higher classes comes the complslnt tina
the Young men won't marry. And it mus
be admitted that when the young men So
they can't afford it there is much groun
for the excuse.
And il is to be borne in mind that th
experience many OF these same young mel
gain ofother mems wives is very often by n
means of a nature TO encourage an ardo
for matrimony.
How many homes, too, are rendered ma
terislly dreary by this passion fcl dress
Good food, nice furniture, prints, books an
various triies which go to make up the sur
of a comfortable home cannot be afforde
because Mrs. Robinson would die rathe
than that Mrs. Jones should see her agai
at church or at the Browns party in tbs
uauve silk. Men cannot be too resolut
ia the steps they take to diminish this grea
evil, Most women are amenable to reason
able arguments persisteutly urged by thos
they regard with affection, and the remoI
strances and representa- ions of father e.
pecially are likely to carry weight with b
Children, whose errors uften arise from th
aabse nee OF such sensible counsel precise
at that period of life when it ismost neede'