Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1882-03-30
Pride in Clothing.

Somebody says that nothing, not
even the consolation of religion, can af-
ford woman that supreme comfort and
satisfaction which she feels in being
well-dressed"
Well, let her feel comfortable and
satisfied. Who cares if she does? If
there be anything which will give sat
isfaction in this world, let us have it by
all means. 1t is little of that comnaod-
ity which we receive any way.
If ten ruff1es on the skirt of her dress
will make any sister-woman happy, we
want her to have them. If feather
little longer and little more fluffy than
her most intimate friend wears on her
bonnet will give her peace, let her have
it.
And there is comfort in feeling that
you look we'll. 1t is what we all want,
but many of us, alas fall short.
We must all follow the fashion, just
as the flock of sheep follows the bell
weather, even if it be to our own de-
struction. If fashion says hoops, then
every woman rushes into hoops-no
matter if they make her look like
molasses hogshead with petticoats on.
Our friend who is five feet tall, and
weighs two hundred, must wear them
as we'll as her lean sister, who is as tall
as q hay-pole, and so thin you can see
the stars through her.
And if some foreign singer, who has
burned all the hair off her forehead
frizzing it, wears "bangs" to conceal
the misfortune, every woman pro-
nounces it "lovely,' and crops her hair,
and combs it down over her forehead,
and drives all expression out of her
face, and makes herself look like a
Shetland pony, which has had its fore
top braided.
To be in the fashion is not always to
be well dressed. One needs to consult
her own style and what is suitable for
it. We cannot look well by copying
fashion plates. Not all the knife pleat-
ing and plush bands. and shirrirg in
the world can transform a dowdy wo-
man into an elegant lady; but every
body can manage to dress in taste if
they study out what best BELTS them.
This pride of clothing seems to be
born in every human being-yes, in
the members of the masculine persuas-
ion, as we'll as in those of the sex whom
cynics like to denominate as the per-
sonnifcation of vanity.
We have seen men stand before the
glass and bother quite as long over the
tie of their cravats, and the particular
twirl Of their moustaches as ever we
have known the weaker sex to agonize
over the fit of glove, or the way the
back hair was got together.
Eve sewed the fig-leaves, but Adam
wore them as well as she, and we have
no doubt but he took just as much
pride in them as she did, and was
quite as much concerned to know if
they were becoming"
Every mother likes to have her chill
dren as well-dressed as the children of
other people; every young girl wants
as many FUCKERS in her overskirt as
there are in any other overskirt in
town; and the woman vino knows she
has got the best silk dress and the only
seal-skin sacque in her native village
is on the supreme pinnacle of bliss,
from whence nothing short Of an earth
quake could r0ut her All the SER
mons on vanity which ever were writ
ten would not disturb her particle.
They would roll off that four-hundred-
dollar fur like water off from an india
rubber oYercoat.
We, for our part, like to see every
body well-dressed. It looks as if they
enjoyed life, and liked to see tailoring
and dressmaking flourish. 1t looks as
if the world was still wagging on, in
spite of Mother Shipton A person not
only feels better for having good clothes,
but he will behave better, live longer,
enjoy bettar appetite, and be much |
more ornamental on the street and in
the social gathering; and there will be
more clothes left behind, when he dies. |
for his relatives to quarrel overland
quarreling over dead friends "things"
always tends to assuage the grief of the
living and make it easier to bear
PhiIa. Sat. Night.