, 1877-01-13
Modesty orAmeriean Women

M0dSSty of American, W omen
The prudery Of American women
was for many years the standing jest
of European wits. Il was American
society that excluded the - ~ord leg
from polite circIts, and i vas 1an-
kce slinster sho hjd the limbs Of
her piano in yantalels. Bat recently
our offending has gone quite TO the
other extreme. Some English critics,
who visited Us IaSs summer, Were very
much shocked 3, the immOdest pIac-
tees cvnmon at Uur st 4 side waterlpg-
PLACES. 0ue of these sensitive gentle
men attempts to imagine the Scn>a;lon
that would be produced at Brighton
by 4 parry of ladies aud gentlemen
Disappearing for few minutes into
hu;s lining the eSplanade, and then
emerging in bathing suits 10 take all
together dip in the sea- Another
CENSOR. writing Ia an English 3Uurnal,
ASSURES his readers that on these &C.
casiuns the baiIhing costumes Of both
sexes are exceedingly free and priml.
tive The ladies wear what Is called
high petlicoat, ami another gar
mept IS disposed of as 'indescr'bable.'
The si:nphciiy of this costume Is such,
we are assured, that, when a lady
Leaves Ihe water and comes dripping
2cross the promenade, an Englishman
out Of his Country tor the first time
who happened To meet her ON the spot
woald certainly open his eyes very
wide oy shat them very C!Use. Then
The effect We are further told, of
The scanty bathing dress is hightened
hy the eiaburare toilets OF the ladies,
who come to the beach 20 lock On aud
chat with the male bathe!s, whose
costume Is very similar 10 that of the
SisterAood. except that 1t Is rather
shorter at tit eYJremities, and includes
a head Ii, c., something between 4
bonnet and a Jockey cap This alarm
ing, thi> intensely improper, this dis
suIuis picture Was rely hoTTyf1lpg TO
our fas,idous critic, anu indicated 10
his mind Il frrtdo Of manners from
which the worst cunSe qaences ATE 10
be inferred. There IL consolation tor
Us. however, III the fact that cOntlnen-
tai peoples are moi lc>S reserved on the
sea beach han We are. and that a stay
at home English critic is of opiEiOn
that, white Cu the Continent aud IN
America The ladies ale Iess reserved
than III England, The gentlemen arc
more - III their ideas OF proprTe;Y ID
bathing II seems that al English
sea side places The male population
tri,l lately everywhere, aud still in
some less fashionable resOrlsl could
di>uorI themselves III utter nu1lty
am"ng the breakers not hundred
yards from the lhrong OF morning
louuprs uu q beach. and from force of
custom no scandal was supposed TO ex-
I,t al The exhibition
In ruth, ,ur European eensors
should have understood how much
there lies III this same force OF GUS
TOM The WOMAN who violates usage
in these particulars l. immodesI, and
not she who conforms TO established
Gu tom, because d fin ce OF conven-
lion j, an Indication that the miEd has
lrurleuriy ds eli upon the subject,
wl lie alherenceIo sal c,ioned practices
Is the natural and Unre IsJnlng instinct
of the mind. An enlirely modest
woman goes TO an evening ball with
her dress worn dec0Liete, and would
not for the world show her ankles.
OF course, as a strictly logical fact, it
would seem as if the display of Tie
bust were mucil more rpprehensibie
than The revelation of the ankle, but
it Is the cun>ciou>ne>s or the uncOnscl-
business Of tie act that determines It's
,noieslv. The fashion of The early
part Of the century for LADIES was a
short d,eSs and scant III the skirt, so
that the ankles were revealed, aud
the contour Of The form shown ID every
motion That would be a singular I'M
modest woman who should appear TO-
day al an evening party III dress OF
tins character but, if the fashion
we're revived, and in bevy ola dozen
young women there were one who
refused to adopt the style on account
of modes. scruples, would not TINS
fact seem to advertise which OF the
group had thought most tf the SUBJ
Iecl-wh.ch had associated with The
garments questionable ideas? This
principle being true, will not our dear
English friends permit US 20 vary our
sea side customs from theirs without
iuenrrinr their moral !isp!easure;
without uecessitating belief that We
have taken our place among the dis
soIute peoples uf the worId-4PpIe-
tons J0uradL
Q~E ri,,Ii up were sitting nut oil