The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-05-29

grand court ii esses. at the reception Of
ROYALTY, and those occasions, III Europe
For such occasions. undoubtedly, they
are appropriate and have very grand,
/ graceful look but the original idea OF
4 them has been so drowned IN fashlonable
folly, that in America every kitchen
/ sculliOm drags dirty calico tan after her
. ID the streets.
/ Il cannot but put a reasonable human
/ being desperately out Of patience TO see
clerks ana other working women drag
/ ring a weeks living around at their heels,
/ through all the nameleSs dirt Of city
street. | have a theory OF my own about
dress which | have yet TO see successfully
controversial My theory Is, that wo-
man always looks prettiest in dress suit
ed to the occasion on which II Is to be
worn At least that is part Of my theo-
nv. The rest of it Is, that woman looks
just as pretty in a neatly-fitting calico
dress as she does in a silk one, and the
most incomprehensible thing on earth
to me il, that a woman should be ashamed
TO wear calico dress on Fourth street.
The beauty Of dress consists IN It's be
coming color, neat fit and pretty way in
which it is made, and not IN the richness
of the material which it is cut out of.
Goodness, no! Considerable depends, it
must be confessed, on the grace and grace
fulness of the wearer.
have yet to see the first friend gained
by extravaganza in dress. 4 woman
who dresses neatly and prettily, if ever
so cheaply, will have just as many friends,
live Just as long, have just rs jolly a time
in the WORLD, and be just as handsome, as
the silly creature who spends every cent
81 her earnings upon her back. L re-
member going to a concert this summer
| with quite large party Some young
ladies were with Us, looking as sweet and
pretty as young ladies ought to look. Two
were working girls. You could hardly
! tell the difference in their dress, both
looked so nice. Both had shapely white
gloves on their pretty hands, but one
| gloves cost 81, while the others cost %
cents And the one who was Independent
enough to wear the cotton gloves, was 50
! bright, Jolly and good -natured that eve
| rybody liked her Tor the best. Our dress
doesn't distress other people halfa much
as it does ourselves 1t Is like a big foot
in that respect. If woman looks neal, no
matter how cheap her dress Is, and if she
makes the best of her own self that is in
her power, people will forget all about hel
dress in the bright, merry, gentle soul of
the woman herself Haven't / watched
girls and women all my life, and don't
know?
SO l say it is the first duty of every
workingwoman to lay up part of her lit
tie earnings. The girl who earns SO a
week can save two of 1t and never miss it.
and women with less wages can save III
proportion. The teacher with 500 a
year can save 5000, and never miss that
either. A little less extravaganza in
every day dress, little saving of pom
derous and puckered petticoats long tails
aud patent bustles to working dresses, a
little less of cream chocolate, and that
trash, will manage the business. Girls
and women who were good friends, in
stead Of paying 50 or S6 a week for board,
might club together and have little co
operative home of their own, and live
comfortably on So week. l say all
this can be done, because / have seen il
| done, and the women who did it had
quite as many friends and went in quite
as Enlightened" society as those who
spent all their earnings in dress.
So, ii at length, as the years roll on,
and gray hairs begin to sneak in among
your French twists, as they will, you
mind, if then the irrepressible statistician
taps at your door aud tells you, you are
to be one Of the doomed surplus women,
/ you will not then be caught by him a
sour, sallow, shallow, penniless, surplus
woman, but can snap your fingers in his
face and show him your handbook. If
we must be an old maid, let Us be COM
Portable, jolly old maid, with bank ac-
count.