The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-03-03
Duties Of Dress.


lion rendered by the wearing of exquisite
tollettes, not only in the enjoyment of a
thing of beauty itself and the content of
possessing it, but through that acquaint-
ance with human nature which is in
stnctive, and which makes one aware of
the inspection one is undergoing from
the point OF view of all rival toilettes--.
an inspection to meet which the exquisite
tollet1e seems to offer a coat of mail under
whose Shelter one can DEFY the, sharpest,
criticism OF the most ILL natured envy. 81.
MOI That we can think other than
poorly OF the famous young woman who
tet lne comfort given by well fitting
dress TO be superior to that afforded by
the consolation Ofreligion; for of course
that young person standard, of every-
thing but dress was not at all a high one.
anu ner acquaintance with the ,eonsolar,
TONS OF religion must have been much
more imperfect than her acquaintance
with ribbons and 1aces and any out-of-
the-way shade Of color, any singular and
fantastic weaving in silks and velyets
and novel stuffs. She was not far re-
mote from that lady of DIR. Holmes ac-
qualntance who, as she declares, re-
members ''the time when l thought more
about the shade of color in a ribbon,
whether it matched my complexion or
not, than | did about my spiritual inter
est in this world or the next. 'aJ 81.
But becausewe should not be given
up altogether to the delights of dress, it
does not follow that one does not owe
one self and the rest of the world some
orIf -.
duties of which few right-minded women
permit themselves to be unconscious,
the duties OF cleanliness, of Wilderness,
and OF seasonableness, but the other
duty, OF which not so much is thought,
the duty OF becomingness. For every
one is under some obligation of adding
to the beauty of the region round her, if
not in the bloom of ones cheek or the
sparkle of ones eye, then in the pleasing
effect of the garb in which one shrouds
ones deformities and endeavors to
counterpoise ones defects. Because one
is sallow, for example, it is no reason
for wearing sallow tints, and making the
whole world seem bilious; one should
hide the sallowness as much as may be
by balancing it with some tint that puts
it out of sight. And because one, is
plain, that is no reason for going labelled
and ticketed "Ugly," but all the more
reason for inventing, seeking and putting
on toilettes that are themselves so lovely
that one shall forget whether the wearel
is as lovely as they or not, or if COM
PEELED to remember, shall at any rate
gather certain compensation for the
eye and thought in that exhibition Of
gentle taste which the toilette makes.
A great deal of ones character is to be
told from this toilette, be the latter love-
ly or the reverse. For, let us say, if il
be known thatthe condition of the wearel
is but just beyond poverty, or the purse
narrowly limited indeed, or if one is al
that happy stage of life's journey when
youth itself is beauty, and beauty is it;
own best adornment, and yet the dres:
is seen to be exceedingly rich, or elabor
ted in the last fancy of fashion, ther
personal vanity and love of display are
felt to be preponderating traits of char
acter, and something not to be tabulated
but totally destructive of charm, is elm
mated from that costume. Such dress
under such circumstances, speaks of {
taste that is far from choice, and thai
can render no compensation for any
lack of pleasant looks in the wearer
And meanwhile any dress that to the
gaze of the stranger who knows nothing
of the ease and condition of the wearel
is obviously unsuitable, as, for instance
toilette which combines greenish hueE
about sickly face, or frills and tiounce.
abouta dumpy woman who walks i'll and
sets them all bobbing and jerking al
every step, or one of cheap materia
loaded with snowy trimming, or taw-
dry mingling of hues, or gloves anC
boots discordant with the rest of the
apparel, or anything else that proclaims
want of the sense of fitness, is equally
devoid of taste, and in so far as it is
devoid defes the unwritten law that re-
quires each and all to make themselves
agreeable objects to the common eye.
Certainly those who regard dress with
the consideration that is its due, and with
no more, have their reward for the ex-
penditure of money and development OF
taste: for becoming dress carries an i'm
portance of its own in society that is per
fectly appreciable. Any one may observe
this who takes notice of the difference in
treatment received from pretty girl il
cheap or Indifferent dress, and one who
is not pretty, but is in a dress of perfec
fit and design. The usual dancer of at
tendance is apt to think the pretty face s
brief accident, the .igaudy or neglected
dress an indication of permanence, and
on the contrary, the perfect toilette, al
indication of fine feeling and nice breed
ing, and is, quite unawares, led to b.
conscious of the superior power to make
home in her who already. does the bes
she can with the little kingdom that she
has:
"Her purple habit sits with such grace
On her smooth shoulders, and so suits her face.
But forgetting any view of wha
others may think of ones dress, whether
that is narrow or broad view, there il
another side to be looked at, and thai
raises the question as to whether one
would not be really in the wrong to do
otherwise than make the most of one''
opportunities, and insist that ones dress
should draw as nearly as possible to thu
standard of perfection within one!
means. For while in the universe abroad
beauty is so plainly commended to ones
eyes, and is shown to be so omnipresen
that it can only be because it is valued
by the creative hand, it is surely beneath
nobody's dignity to do the utmost pos