The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1885-10-30
Fashion and Common Sense.

| FaSnlOn ana Common Sense.
If there is one locality more than an
other where the voice of common sense
is never listened to it is in that very
extensive one where fashion reigns
Who ever thinks of listening to the sug.
gestions of the former, when the de-
cree of the latter potentate has
gone forthp Tight sleeves fol-
the ladies, and tight continue.
tions for the gentlemen is the
fashion, supposing. The advocates OF
common sense protest, saying, it is i'm
possible to move cne's limbs in them
| cannot bend the knee, before the
portrait of my fondest hopes, says one;
1 cannot get my hands to the back of
my head, says another, which is far
more important. And fashion replies,
cannot satisfy all tastes. My laws
are mostly made for the unreflecting !;
if you reflect you will never be satls-
fed. That which you complain of now
is only temporary inconvenience
when can no longer tighten in your
limbs, sleeves and leggings will take
such ample proportions that the real
size of an arm or leg will be a subject
Tor dIvination. Fashion has no re-
spect of person if high heels are in
troduced for the benefit of short peo-
pie, low heels are never introduced at
the same time for people who are al
ready taller than they care to be. The
latter must wait their turn for the op-
posite fashion, and then unusually
short persons must have their boots
made to order if they wish to reach up
to the elbow of their superior in
ho; TO I,o 1ool-oI
dwarfs by tall people, if they prefer to
keep in the fashion.
Fashion pretends to have an eye for
beauty if this be true, she enacts at
least that ali her followers be model
have heads and faces of uniform
size and shape, that the hat or bonnet
of the season may become them all,
and they must have uniform tint of
complexion, that the color Il la mode
may suit it. Those who study fashion
in dress at the expense of their person
al comfort are surely wanting in COM
mon sense, vet we most of us do so,
since the fashionable and uncomforta-
BILE article IS preferred to the unfash-
ionable and comfortable one, though
it may cost more than double the price
of the latter.
Common sense suggests that in hot
weather clothing for both sexes should
be light in texture and color but if
fashion ordains that ladies' dresses be
heavily trimmed, and If she refuses to
give her consent to garments of a sum-
merry nature being introduced for
gentlemen, no one has the courage to
pay attention to personal comfort.
When ladies' skirts are made so mar
row as to be inconvenient for walking,
and liable to assist the wearer to an
awkard fall in descending from car
riage, or when they are widened to
ludicrous width to admit of unmanage-
able crinolines, or burdened with use
less trains, to be draggled in the
streets or trodden on in the ballroom,
who ever thinks of refusing to obey
the nonsensical mandate? Even the
most obdurate end by giving in, be-
lieving that they are more ridiculous
to hold out, than to stand alone with
common sense. Nothing, for instance,
could indicate more plainly the folly
of making long-trained dresses the
fashion, than TO see year or two ago
how the latter was necessarily bunch
ed up in the most ungraceful manner,
or the wearer was compelled to have
one hand always engaged with hold
ing up the superfluous yard or two of
stuff, making her invariably wish that
artificial hands had come into fashion
with the trains, to allow of her using
her natural ones in some more profit
able way.-Londoas Standard.