Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1885-12-04

mond Tyre with fine. twisted gold strfnFS
The cap ia commonly called the mortar
board ard has been the subject of cam
poons innumerable, but is suddenly discov-
ered 20 DO very striking and picturesque, and
English milliners are employing il or a mod
ilcauon OF II extensively for misses and lit
Gle girls The gown is in effect the ''sur-
plicen Of the Church Of England. Its fea.
ture is the highest, rather full flowing
sleeve 1.-The top Of which almost joins the col
lar and the seam Of which is ON the outside,
where il is made slightly full as well as wide
and flowing instead of under the arms The
rest of it is simply a long, straight saeque
shaped under the arms on the shoulders,
and with gathering or Vatican pleat in
the back which flows out from tine figure.
and il is not fastened down A word here
may not he out of place in regard to the
gown instead of "dress,6 as com
monty used in this country.
Like much other adopted phraseology, il is
both well-used and mis-used. 1t is a great
mistake to suppose that it Is used by all of
those who do use it ''simply because it is
English don't you knowln 1t has the positive
merit ofcorrsctness and good usage to justify
it, When dress is made all in one piece
from neck TO feet it is "gown:n formerly,
when cut at the waist, it was a "frock." 1t
is wrestling dress from its original meaning,
NLlSh was BtlltllC anu Inclusive, W llllllI IL
to the upper garment which completes a
woman's dress The modern dress vocabulary
contains French words which have become
naturalized Why not English which is
our mother tonguei We use costume and
toilet without sneer and without referring
to where they came from. Why not gown,
which is needed to designate the long gar
ment for which we have no name except the
incorrect and inexpensive one OF dressl
1t would be a real advantage TO the public
and savemuch confusion as well as eternal
iteration and explanations, if the proper
word could be applied to the thing-in
woman's dress-as in garments worn by men
for example. We took the word toilette
twl-le1 from the French, and now we call it
Unfortunately, toilette or toilet. This last
/ word is not properly employed, it is forced
! frem its correct usage when it is made to
mean only q part OF ITSELF A French
woman will speak of making her toilet for
the evening, but she uses the word in
its generic sense, her toilette, forming part of
her toilet and so well is this understood out
side of fashions and fashion writing that the
article of furniture in ladys dressing room
which contains the toilet accessories and APP
purtenances is known as the "toilet table
or " toilet bureau. 1t is getting to be pref
ty well understood now that "costume q
means al! the outside parts of a walking out
fit composed of a combination of materials
While suit means the same composed oil
one material. Suit and costume are more Oh
less complete as they are made to include
! jacket, bonnet, muf or their equivalents.
Children are much more naturally, as wei
as more beautifully, dressed now than of late
years, or any time since they were smade the
copies in miniature of the follies of their ell
ders This change we owe partly to the
wider distribution of knowledge of physio
| logical law, partly to the advance ali along
tie line of practical ethics, and partly to the
modern art and aesthetic element as applied
to the dress of children as we'll as women. A
costume in two shades, or two colors, Of