The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1885-09-02

chairs ranged aIonS inc walls, ltS long
table, it's huge fireplace, with the bench
IS on either side, where the dogs slept
at night and where the guests sat when
the dipped candles were lighted, to
drink mull,and flip, possessed some at
traction for every one. The place was
ut once town-hall and the assembly
room, the courthouse and tho show
tent, the tavern and the exchange.
Shere the selection met. There the
judges sometimes held court. On Its
door were fastened the list Of names
drawn for the jury, notices Of Venues,
offers Of. reward for stray cattle, tho
names Of tavern-haunters, and adver-
tisements Of the farmers who had the
best s~ced-potatoes and the best seed
corn for sale. 1t was at the General
Green" or the "United States Army"
or the "Bulls Head" that wandering
show-men exhibited their automalons
and musical clocks, that dancing-masters
gave their lessons, that singing-school
was held, that til caucus met, hat the
colonel stopped during general training.
Thithcr came the farmers from the back
country, bringing their food in boxes
and their horses feed in bags, to save
paying the landlord more thar lodging
rates. Thither, many a clear night in win.
ter, came slcigh-roads Of young men and
women to dance and romp, and, when
nine o'clock struck, go home by the
light Of the moon. ~~hithcr, too, on
Saturdays came half the male popula-
ton Of the village. They yrangled ov.
er politics, made bets, played tricks, and
fell into disputes which were sure to
lead to jumping-matchcs, or wrestling
matches, or trials Of staength on tina vii
lage green. AS the shadows heightened,
the loungers dispersed, the trvern was
closed, and settled upon the town.
Concerning the French fashions that
many Americans affected in 1900 we
nave this:
The folly of the French dress was u
source of never-ending amusement.
Satire, raillery, invcctive, the lamenta-
tons of the weeping philosopher, md
the celebrations Of the preacher, were
exhausted in vain. Dress became ev-
cry season more and more hidcous, more
and more uncomfortable, more and more
devoid of good sense and good taste
Use and beauty ceased to DO combined.
The pantaloons of n beaux went up te
his nrm-pits to get into them was n
mornings work, and, when in, to sit
down was impossible. His hat was too
small to contain his handkerchief, and
was not expected to stay on his head.
HIS hair was brushed from the crown Of
his head towards his forehead. and
looked, as a ~satirist Of that day truly
said, Us if he had been fighting an old
fashioned hurricane backward. About
his neck was q spotted linen neckcr-
chief; the skirts Of his green coat were
cut away to a mathematical point be-
hind his ~favoritc drink was brandy.
and his ~favorite talk of the last French
play. Then there was the 'dapper
beau" who carried q stick much too
short to reach the ground, twisted his
Brutus-cropped hair into curls, and, up
on the very crown his head, wore a hat
OF a sRuff-box size. But the p~olitest
man on earth was the shopkeeping
beau. He would jump over n counter
four feet high to pick up q lady's han
kerchief, made the handsomcst bows,
said the best things, and could talk on
any subject from the oder Of a roll OF
pomatum to the va!garity Of not wear
ing wigs.
Even these absurdities were not
enough. and when 1900 began, fashion
was more extravagant still. Then a
beau was defined as anything put into n
pair Of pantaloons with a binding sewed
round the top md called a vest. The
skirts Of the Coat should be pared away
to the width Of hat-band. and if he
was doomed to pass his time in the
house. he would require a heavy pair OF
round-toed jack boots with a tassel be-
fore and behind. These provided, lift
him, said the s%atircst, lift him by the
cape Of the coat, pull his hair over his
face, lay n hat on his forehead, put spec.
tacles on his nose. and on no account let
his hands escape from the pockets Of
his pantalooHs. Women were thought
worse than the men. To determine the
style of their dress, Fashion, Dccency
and Health was bribed by a Quack-doc-
tor, so Fashion won.
The point is taken out Of the oft-re-
peated story Of "Jeffersonian simplici-
ty" as follows.
1t has been long yopularly believed
that at noon Jefferson, unattended bya
living soul, rode up the capitol hill. tied