Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-06-20
Defacing Nature.

On any week day, says the New York
Times, hundred of ladies may be met on
the pavement or in public conveyances
displaying bundles labeled "Smith's I'M
equaled underclothing," 'sBrown's du-
piex elliptic corsets'' Robinson's super
fine switches" or the "Great Greenland
Grocery Company's oat meal. The rev.
Citations thus openly made of the contents
of feminine bundles cannot fail to fill
the thoughtful patriot with alarm, and
to shock his sensitive nerves. He cannot
help rejecting that the sanctity of the
sex is violated by this bold proclamation
that women are made up out of the raw
materials concealed under the thin veil
of brown wrapping paper. Moreover,
he is terrified lest the frail encircling
string should suddenly give way, and
the unequaled and superfine articles sold
by Smith and Brown be exposed to the
rude gaze of scOffing men. 1t he has a
wife, or set Of sisters, or full assort-
ment Of daughters, he writhes, III shame
and anger as be reflects that they, like
the rest of womanhood, may be at any
moment defaced by bold, bad tradesmen.
It is impossible that our women should
thus willingly submit to serve the sordid
interests Of shop-keepers, and even the
most unsuspicious man finds himself
tempted to believe that either force or
fraud is Systematically employed to in
duce them to act as peripatetic advertls-
ing agents. This is q matter into which
a rigid investigation should be made by
every man who has the honor of the
weaker sex at heart.
There is no reasonable doubt that the
law forbiding defacing Of natural scenery
might be invoked to crush this new
method of advertising. Women are,
beyond question, the most charming of
all objects Of natural scenery, and to
deface them with advertisements ought
to be regarded as a far graver offense
than the defacing of mere stocks and
stones. If the existing law should be
found inapplicable, upon the pettifogging
plea that it prohibits only the placing OF
advertisements on "the surface" OF
objects of natural scenery, and that an
advertisement printed on a bundle Is
not, technically, printed on the sur.
face" of the lady who carries the bun
die, new law should be passed, and
should be made SO comprehensive in its
range DIS 10 prevent dIl luGufe ut11IAdI1oA
of ladies by shop-keepers.
There is not a moment to lose il we
would protect women from further out
RACES. Already an neutrality-suspicious.
is threatening to cover the stool upon
which the ladies sit while making pur
chases with automatic stencil plates, SC
that every lady who visits his shop shall
carry away with her clear impression
of his name and business. Already {
noted dress-maker, determined not to bt
outdone by male tradesmen, is perfectine
plan for trimming her customers gar
ments with buttons bearing her address
and calling attention to her skill in i'm
proving the female form divine. 1t ma,
not be true that a leading importer o
hosiery and other still more esoteri
articles intends to compel his customer
TO trim their hats with diminutiy
specimens of his stock in trade, bat w
can hardly place speculative bounds t
the audacity of the enterprising shop
keeper if he is permitted, withou
remonstrance, to utilize ladies for th
benefit of his business. The tradesman'
ambition cannot long be limited to bun
dies, and unless we are ready to see tn
entire surface OF our wives, sisters, an
daughters covered with miscellaneou