The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-04-16

How strange it VIII be
ANCIENT HEBREW LADY'S TOILET.
The first thing that would have struck
MS in examining the garb-robe of He
brew lady, would have been the guam
tity of dresses. In this great age of
simplicity such a thing would natur-
ally astonish us. Hebrew women were,
indeed, fond of dress, and the luxury
among them manifested in the richness
and variety of dresses and the guam
tity of ornaments and jewelry was soon
carried to such an extent that it became
necessary to protest against it. There
is no doubt that, as the intercourse be-
tween the Jewish and other nations in
creased, the ladies felt no longer salts
fed with primitive simplicity. The
fashions of the clever Egyptians, the
elegant Phenicians, and the luxurious
Persians, were soon eagerly sought af-
ter and produced. Even patient Job
got impatient at the dresses, and all of
us have read that magnificent, bold de-
nunciation of Isaiah, as with whitening
sarcasm he denounces the women of
the period" living for nothing else but
dress and filtration, and having but
one desire, " to see and to be sCen."
ANOM8 4OOA AAo1 ub bA4C AAlAAGA- =
ketonet tunica. 1t was worn by men
and women, but of course women had
things made of the very best material.
It was made of wool or linen, white or
blue, now and then striped, and after
ward-thaDks to the Persians-of a
silky material. It was worn on the
naked body, and q person wearing it is
often described as naked, which in the
language of the nineteenth century,
means that she was en- 7legLige. The
eastern dresses are all very far from be-
ing close fits, and the ketonet was at
first n loose garment, without sleeves,
reaching down to the knees. It is sup
posed that the poor wore no other dress
except the ketonet.
The second article to be found in the
garb-robe of wealthy people was the
Sddijn, translated fine linen in our YER
sion of the third chapter of Isaiah. I
suppose that was worn over the ket.
onet.
Thirdly, some ladies wore a second
under-garment, a long wide tunica,
with or without arms, known among the
Greeks and Romans, and worn also by
the Phoenicians. 1t was made of costly
material, and richly inwOven with flow
ers and figures. The part around the
neck was covered with ornaments, the
flowers were generally of the darkest
purple, and the borders were trimmed
with gold and brilliant colors. Next
came the girdle to keep up the dress,
so much thought of among the nations
of antiquity, as I need hardly remind
the readers of Homer. 1t was made of
different materials, according TO the
taste, or rather the purse of the owner.
The common girdles were of leather,
and very narrow. Some were of silk
or gold, and ornamented with silver
buckles; they were worn round the
loins women wore them lower and
more loosely than men.
The last piece of clothing I shall
mention is the upper garment, a long,
wide mantle, with O train thet would
delight our western ladies. It seems to
have been originally a square piece of
cloth, somewhat like big shawl. At
first it was made of camePs hair, after
wards it was made of cotton. Those
worn in the summer were of light ma
terial, like our muslin, while for those
in use during the winter thicker mate
rial was generally chosen. The siD1LGh
was useful and ornamental. 1t was Of
ten used as n carpet or as a covering
during the night. Hence the law of
Moses, which regulated several things
for instance, that no mixture of cot
ton and wool should be used in the max
ing of materials s-commanded that if a
man through poverty pledged his man.
tie it should be restored to him after
sunset. The simlah was fastened with
golden pins to the shoulders, whence it
fell in graceful folds over the other gar
ments. Some of the mantles must have
been splendid. In the Book of Judges
the then living girls are thus described
by Deborah !" A prey of divers col
Ors, a prey of divers colors and needle
work :" al Her clothing is silk and pur-
pie, =" says Lemuel.
Long hair was, of course, considered
q great ornament it is said. of ShulG-
mite, ''Thy hair is as a flock of goats. %
Once upon a time it was the fashion to
let it hang down and just put ribbon
through il, which is certainly the sim
plest and by far the prettiest way. Af-
ward, whom people began to make them
selves " beautiful forever" they plated
their hair, curled and twisted it in all
possible shapes and directions, and
poured pots of oil on it or powdered it
with gold-dust. Sometimes hair was
curled and made up into a gigantic
wreath at the back of the head at
other times the hair was rolled in
SGNGEdA A1ABG NAAAA1s hAANAA hNAS ANAN
hanging on the back. Coquettish girls,
or fascinating young widows, let little
ringlet glide down gracefully across
the forehead, so as to shade the eye
brows. But who can enumerate ali the
ways in which women try to do their
hairY The Hebrew ladies copied other
nations Jezebel was an adept in dres-
ing her hair; she dyed daily, and it
was impossible to say in the morning
what the color of her hair or of her
face would be in the evening. The
fashionable Hebrew ladies did not dye
their hair; they did it up neatly, but
hew is more than can tell, for it is
known that they had no combs. They
painted their faces, as is the fashion of
the nineteenth century; their eyebrows
and their nails we're most ornamental.
Wells we're considered of great impOr-
tance no respectable woman was with
out them. But women were not then
rs closely veiied as they are at present
in the east There were several kinds
of wells. There was one like a light
mantle, which was worn in the way our
ladies wear a fichu, and, TO mention only
one other kind, there was a veil fixed to
the covering of the head, which fell on
TO the brow and then was turned back
ward ; while another veil fixed under
the eyes was let down to cover the
breast.
M. - - - 4. \ = HI