Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1878-02-23
The Senslbly-Dressed Tan--The Well
GOt-up" Woman.

The dress of men in all western na.
tions meets fairly all the conditions OF
health and decency, and all only on the
side OF b auty. The dress of the woman
on the contrary, ever variable as it is,
persistently misses the condition of
health; frequently violates the rules Of
decency; and instead Of securing beauty,
at which it aims first instead OF last,
achieves usuaIy-ugliness. II is to be
remembered for our consolation and en-
cOuragement that men have arrived at
their present good sense in dress only
within two or three generations. A hun.
dred years ago the lords OF creation set
beauty above health or convenience,
Just as the ladies do now, ard pea.
cooked about in their peach-blossom
coats and embroidered wascoats, sur
mounted by wigs for whose stupen.
dous discomfort even a seat on the judicial
bench can scarcely recOrcile the
modern EuglisLman. Now, when the
men of every European nation have alb.
jured such fantastic apparel, We naturally
ask, why have not the women followed
their example? Why is the husband,
father and brother habited like being
who has serious interests in life, and
knows that his personal dignity would
be forfeited were he to dress himself in
parti,cololed, he ribbOned garments, and
why is the wife, mother or sister bedjz
erel like a macaw, challenging every
observer 10 note how much of her time,
thoughts and money have been spent on
this futile object2 The answer is one
which is not pleasant to make, discredit.
able as it is to both sexes The women
who set the fashions dress for admiration;
and men like women who dress to be
admired; and the admiration given and
received is very poor and unworthy
adm ration, not much better than sal
mon gives 10 s glittering ARTIFICIAL fly, and
having very little more to do with any real
ethetic gratitication--as as is proved too
clearly by the thoroughly un-beautiiul
devices to which fashion has recourse.
1t is the well-gotup woman Ito borrow
a very expressive phrsse), not the really
well.dressed woman, who receives by far
tho largest homage. And now let us see
how ali this concerns the health of women
how much of their petite sahte is due
to their general neglect to make health
the first object Of dress, or even an object
at all compared to fashion. Tight lscng
among habits resembles envy among the
passions. We take pride in all the rest,
even the idlest and worst, but tight
laciug and an enviOus heart are things
to which no one ever cOntesses. A
small waist | suppose, is understood to
belong to that order Of virtues which
Aristotle declares ought to be natural
and not acquired, and the most miser-
able girl who spends her days in
machine more cruel because more
slowly murderous) than the old Mai
den" of Seville, yet always assures US,
smiling through her martyrdom, that her
clothes are really hanging about her ="
1t would be waste of time to dwell on
this supreme folly. Mrs. Haweis, in her
very noteworthy new book, the Art OF
Beauty, has given sOmo exceedingly use
ful diagrams, showing the effects of the
practice on the internal organs and
skeleten-diagrams which | earnestly re-
commend to the study of ladies who may
tael "call" " to perform this kind oil
English suttee for living husband. MIS-
HaWeis says sensible men do rot love
wasps aud have expressed to ber their
.oyer>sllishness" when they behold
them Considering how effectively they
have managed to express their disap>
proval whenever women have attempted
| to introduce rational attire, it is pity,
think, that they do not pronounce
little more distinctly against this
| literally mortal tOlly,-[CotempOrary
! Review.