Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1873-11-21
SOMETHING ABOUT Dress.

M
GA man that can marry and DON'T" re-
marked the Rev. Mr.. Bullock, Of Wiscon-
sin, last week, fought to be damned. p
And doubtless theylare. 1t is comfort
ing reflection to believe that large num-
Der of men who, since the world was made,
could have married and didn't, are now
meeting thereward Of their sinful omission.
And married men tool If our scriptural
memory serves us, the late Mr.. Dives, a
gentleman Of large means, was not exempt
ed by his matrimonial connections from
that, common calamity which falls upon
married and unmarried alike, for it is
written of him that he was willing to give
up all his possessions, including his wife,
for a drop of cold water. There have been
men under less trying circumstances who
would have parted with their wives-but
that is not to the point of our argument.
When the Rev. Mr.. Bullock made his prop
osition, which we respectfully submit is
somewhat violent in it's character he should
have given us some information about the
causes which impel that wretched brigade
to march on to their destruction. Not
that we object to their being damned if
they deserve it, indeed we would most
heartily rejoice at it, but it would be more
becoming, perhaps, if we were to hear both
sides of the question. 1t is a hard matter
to decide when man cam marry. There
can be nothing more delightful than even
ings with women of refinement and intelli-
gence-nothing more likely to upset the
cool common sense of a man and cut him
loose from his anchorage of caution. With
that flavor Of love, with which those even
ings soon become seasoned, they intoxicate
him with visions of the happiness of pos
sessing this luxury as tenant in fee
for the term of his natural life. They give
him a, brighter view of everything, and OF
himself andhis circumstances, and he is in
a victorious glow about what he can do,
and how soon he will be able. to do it.
But these things fade away when he comes
down to business calculation of how he
can afford to do it. When he looks at her
furbelows, which he tacitly understands
are things woman must have in her posi-
tion in society, and sees the wives OF his
fellow delivers on earth, in about the same
rank as himself, parading them, he is ap-
palled. Doubts pale the native hue of his
resolutions and he finally regretfully aban-
dons the enterprise and sadly sits himself
down to await the consu1nmation of the
Rev. Mr.. .Bullock's prophecy. The truth
of the matter is that nine out of ten wo-
men in America dress above their position,
their means, and above what is expected
of them. They are as mad followers OF
fashion as the fascinated gamester isof faro;
and while the poor devil bets on the ace for
no other reason than that his neighbor Sc
lects the same card, she puts on ruff for
the overwhelming reason that some other
woman is doing the same thing. Rufus,
which were invented by an English Queen
to hide her scraggy neck, are put on by
plump looking girls with necks worth show
ing long dresses, inaugurated to hide No.
SIS, are worn by girls who wear No. Us;
banged hair inaugurated to relieve low
foreheads is worn by girls who have no such
reason, and bustles that-but it's no use
gong through the llSI. Olle inlSHI HAVE
more patience with these follies if they
.didn7ttay SO directly in the face of common
sense. But whether he has more patience
or less patience one does not forget that
ssSociety,'' that rather indefinite, but ar
bitrary institution, founded and maintain
ed by women, demands that his wife shall
have "what everybody else has, and that
the dry goods and other fraternities are
inexorable in their demand that, ifshe does
have them he shall pay for them. Ifaman
is unfortunate enough to occupy a respec-
table position among his fellow creatures,
his wife must dress respectfully" and I'M
der this fatal term all the follies of fashion
find refuge until Solomon IA man of am
pie fortune) in all his glory was not arrayed
like one Of these" They say that in Eu-
rope they manage things differently, and
that women whose husbands have an in
come Of $1,000, do not dress as if it was
$4,000, but this is a new country, and as
we grow older we will learn more, perhaps,
and then the number of Dr.. Bullock S vic
Tins will be lessened-a consummation de-
.voutly to be wished, u~ -