Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1879-09-18

~
There 10 .oae thing which We have
neveF been able 10 understand, and
which ne believe few can possibly com-
prshend o. expssia. Il is the vagary
offema1e fashion. who is Il thai invenis
IA, and haa the knaek 20 malntain Il as
long - - pleases. and then with equal
andaeiiv and success starss something
freshs : sIl . mysleFys The phenome-
non i - no means aeW. A hundred
and sixaY years ag0 The old essayasts
mere 4 I6ns 10 know bow Aha exiraT-
aeant oddities cf female attire origins
led. and were so cleverly kept 1p IN
spite Of l0rrents Of ridicuIe. Then, -
now q. new fashion bad IFS run of lew
years, and dropping out Of use Is mys-
teFiOusly as il commenced, was follow
ed by something equally PrePOsterons.
Ia these vagaFies Of fashion there
seems Eor the time being to be q kind Of
mental dersngement-peFhaps more
correctly the prostration OF intellect,
through deficiency Of moral courage.
Forty years ago the lady part OF man
kind Gell into mania for wearing gdresses
with huge shoulders blown up Ike bal
looms. II amounted 70 q pnFp0seless
distortion Of the person. So everybody
said il was. But the avowal made no
difference. Sleeves must be made SIX
times larger than they need be. Shoul.
ders must be distorted, rendered posi-
lively ugly. II was the fashion, and
that was enough. In due time, when
the mania had run ats course, TIE bal.
loOning was gwen up. and shoulders
shrnnk 10 lheIr natural figure. when
il was all over, no one veRtured 10 ex.
plain how the frenzy had, originated, or
what was IFS meaning. On The contra
~, as if ashamed Of The weakness, the
subject vas skillfully dropped. Next in
the order Of this species ofIeminine de-
meniia came the crinOline ysgary. A
peiticoat OF horse-hair and Whalebone
was employed to dlstend the outer dress
far. beyond The person. II was re-
sumption Of hoops, with the difference
that while hoops expanded side wise, the
erinoline spread out all around. Every
woman had the shape OF a handbell--
wide al the lower edge and small above.
Graceiulness was out Of the question.
| If the object was topEoduee amonstro-i-
| fy, il was eminrntly successful The.
erinoIine mania had far run OF seve-
raj years, aud given up, there occurred
the fresh surprise how II ever bad re-
ceiyed the slightest encouragement.
CnnoIines or every variety having
been relinquished. feminine society Is
sorely in want Of new eeeentrcity.
II would be against all rule MOTTO appear
ridiculous. So wits are at work in the
grand arcana Of fashion. The world
had not long 10 wait. The 6at goes
forth from some where that, as . super
lative novelty, dresses are TO be worn
tight 10 the person IRON top to toe. In.
stead Of paddIngs and balloonings, there
10 10 be squeezing 50 tightly as 10 be
hardly able 10 breathe. TO impede
walking. and if possible 70 prevent Sit
ting. the, legs are to be held back with
strings. By way. Of compensation for
the tightning up, the dress Is 10 be so
long as to trail three or four feet on the
ground. Such may be called The pres
ent fashionable regime, mainlained, as
usual. with the force OF inexorable Iaw.
Woe be to the fine lady who does not
make herself as Iank as a skinned rab-
BIT, and who, fails in the tuekings and
tyings to restrain locomolion What
her nataral shape may be Is nothing 20
the point. She may not be able 20 60
up or down stairs, except by one foot
at time, IKE a child learning to walk,
but thai - Of no consequence. FASH
ION demands that she shsil appear
msined in the. lover limbs: The Law
y to be .obeyed. end there's On end Of
it.-HaspeSs Weekly. : -s.',.."' 81.