The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-03-20
Dress Sermons
ny .alfa HANrLroN.

" d
when 8 mar--earnest, able, and sincere
feels impelIed by bis conscience and bis
sense of duty to stand up In the pulpit and
utter with hesitation and apology, as. q
modest man must, his innocent, ignorant
loves him one IS moved to ssy, soothfngiy,
|" Therel. there hush, dear; run right
along - a man Is 30 hopelessly at sea when
he undertakes IN earnest TO talk about cos
tune. Worth may do 1t, for bis faith is
proved by his works and II there is any
iperson in this country who can make gown
ft as that English. Frenchmen does am not
sure that It would not induce mental tran.
quillity enough to warrant the reading Of a
notice to that effect from the pulpit.
But what do the ciergymen Want9 In an
old copy>book of 1909 I find this edifying
little femino-clericai sentiment from very
young lady who was pursuing her education
under the direction Of her own Well.beloyed
pastor: - -
"Receipt for Lady's Dress.-Let your
earrings be attention, encircled by the pearls
of refinement; the diamonds of your neck
lace be truth and the chain of Christianity
your bosom.pin be charity, ornamented with
pearls of gentleness; your fnger.rings be
affection, set around with the diamonds of
industry your girdle be simplicity, with the
tassels of good humor; let your thicker garb
be virtue, and your drapery politeness ; let
your shoes be wisdom, secured by the buckles
of perseverance,"
; All as fine as fiddle; but I happen to
know that two or three years afterward
that curly. haired, bright.eyed little miss
blossomed into merry young ladyhood and
went to distant town to pay visit to her
married sister, and took with her, besides
her girdle of simplicity and her garb of
virtue, twelve solid gowns of ruf1ed CAM
brio, and embroidered cambric, and lilac
Grape, and pearl Grape, and green silk, and
oruamented shoes in colors to match. and
silk stockings with wrought clocks to match,
and embroidered petticoats, and silk Pc.
lisses, and know not what of youthful
fnery. The good minister, loved to his
latest day, no doubt thought he was i'm.
planting high principles In the mind of his
young charge; and so be was, and they
bore fruit through long life on earth, and
are doubtless blossoming this day in the
world beyond the skies but, all the same,
the little lady hurried away from her labo.
rious copying out OF her wise shoes and per.
seyering shoe. buckles to embroider another
star in her cambria skirt and put another
quirk into the silk Grape. Thus 1t always
was, and thus will be evermore, and thus 1t
is right it should be. The love of dress is
innate, immanent, in the female heart, and is
absolutely innocent; Is a charm and not
frailty Is talent and not drawback.
Come up now, clergymen, well-beloved
reyerends of high and low degrees, and let
us fight it out. The woman-world has
borne with you long enough, almost count.
ing your ignorance unto you for righteous
ness, and bearing your pathetic, blundering,
wel.meanipg argumentlings patiently, as
mother bears the tiny passion OF her little
ones. But In the great world of real things
it Is pity you should longer waste time and
strength in combating shadows. So, come
now and let US reason together.
And bring out your first trump.card, II
YOU like. 81 will, therefore," says our be-
loved brother Paul, "that women adorn
themselves in modest apparel, with shame.
facedness and sobriety; not With braided
hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array, but
with good works." And Saint Peter backs
him up handsomely, as beometh saints !:
"Whose adorning let it not be that outward
adorning Of plating the hair, and Of wear
ing of gold, or putting on of apparel; but
let it be-tbe ornament of a meek and quiet
spirit, which is in the sight of God of great
price. For after this manner in the old time
the holy women also, who trusted In God,
adorned themselves"
What do they mean? Does Paul or Peter
take upon himself to say that woman shall
not wear French twist, or gold chain, or
pearl ring. or silk gown? think not. The
holy women to whom Peter refers as an ex.
ample certainly bad no scruples on this sub
ject, but made themselves look as handsome
as possible. When Abraham sent out his
eldest and most trusted servant to select
wife for his son he sent him loaded with such
trinkets as New York girl, to say nothing
of our village maiden, would delight
in. And at the very first sight OF
the young lady, before he knew who
she was, be brought out q golden
earring of half shekel weight, and two
bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight
of gold. And when he found that he was
really to have the girl he fairly dubbed over
With gratitude and finery. he brought forth
Jewels of silver and jewels of gold, and
raiment, and gave them to Rebeksb. He
gave also to her brother and to her mother
precious things. Certainly those holy women
sho owed no backwardness about adorning
themselves in holiday garb.
When the Israeltes took French leave"
of Egypt every woman was directed by the
Lord. saws the narrator of the Pentateuch,
to borrow of her neighbor, and OF her that
sojourned In her house, jewels Of silver and
jewels of gold, and raiment. and to put them
upon their sous and upon their daughters.
Peter and Paul knew this as well as we know
it-probably better than good many OF US
know it.; and itis not at oil likely that they
would set themselves up as censors OF the
Most High, as rebuking style of dress
which was not only approved, but prescribed
by an authority which they, at least, recog-
nized az divine.
David. held in highest honor By Peter and
Paul, In that beautiful love song to the Chief
Musicians upon Shoshannim. glorifes the
beauty of beautiful dresses !: /" Kings daugh.
ters were among thy honorable women {;
upon thy right hand did stand the queen 10
gold of Ophir. The kings daughter is all
glorious within her clothing Is Of wrought
gold. She shall be brought unto the king in
raiment of needle-work." And suppose
that with or without all our sewing. machine
~ and our other devices We never have been
able to produce needle-work to be compared
with the elaborate and lustrous magnifcence
of the aeedle.Work that David was talking
about. Our embroidery and knife.pleating
are but coarse cumbering of the ground
over against the fairy splendor that blooms
under Eastern fingers.
One of the proverbs of Solomon. copied
out by the clerks OF Hezekiab, King Of
Judab,-which Peter and Paul could not
fail to consider good authority GAS
an earring Of gold, and an ornament OF fine
gold, 30 is q wise repraver upon an o1edient
esr.'' Certainly Solomon did not mean to