The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-06-27
THE CRUELTY OF FASHION.

hAhG W ELI VT GhDHhhONs
The history Of men famous for their
humanity furnishes many cases Of par.
adoxical cruelty. John Howard, the
philauthropist, who spent his life in
alternating the voc Of humanity, was
SO cruel to his son that he became a
sneak thief, finally O leper and q mad
man. S;erne brokeh bis wiie's heart by
his brutal cruelty, but wept tendeIly
and bitterly over q dead donkey. The
women are still more paradoxical in
their cruelty. Birds ere their darling
pets. They kiss them fiantica!ly,
handle them tsnderly, go into ecstacy
over their beautiful plumage, aud with
shrieke, swoon away at any torture in
Aieted upon their sweet fond ings.
When the pet bird gets sick woman
is a pale watcher, tie traditionary and
poeScal "ministering angel" and II it
dies the tears trickle from the dewy
eyelids down the dAmask cheeks, and
p!ow a deep canal through the
paint aud starch as she buries the
dear thing under the rose bush
in the garden. When on come
sad morning she repairs to the
shrine at which she w~orships, and dis
lovers that the cruel cat has inserted
his remorseless paw through the wires
and left nothing but bloody bones aud
feathers to tell the story of the sad
nights havoc, there Is a loud shrek, a
heavy thud upon the floor, and the
next scsne IN the horrible drama Is a
huge bottle Of haitshorn under a faint
ing woman's nose. But In their devo.
ton 10 fashion women have inaugu-
rated a wicked, wanton and cruel war
fare upon the birds, and millions are
annually killed to crafty the vanity
Of lovers Of birds, who, like the jack.
daw, dress themselves in stolen
plumage. The Tartars were celebrated
for their cruelty. On one occasion the
Khan ordered q troublesome enemy
to be fiSyed alive and his hide
TO be used as a drum head.
This savsgery shocked even the Tar.
tars and tickened the drummer who
was required TO pound human flesh.
But fashion Is still more cruel, for It
forces women, not to make drum
heads Of the hides of the
birds they love, but to kill them
and adorn themselves with their
gay plumsge. But science has
come to the relief Of the poor birds.
II has recently bsen discovered that
birds of rare plumage are covered
with bacteria, among which may be
named the diphtheria bacillus, the
micrOcoccus OF pneumonia, the
sphssro bacteria, the streptococcus
eIyslpelatis and other disease bearing
germs; that in tearing the wings from
the body Of the bird some Of the
serum is very apt to adhere, and
scientists tell us that this same serum
is q very good culture fiaid. There il
thus given 10 the bscteriaa possibility
to multiply indefinitely, and every
young woman who wesrs in her hat q
gay leather a so carries about with her
an in6nity Of disease producing bac.
terra which at every step she takes
may be producing an infnity
OF other diseases, producing bac-
terra. This is a terrible reve
la ion. Men sometimes carry
tr cks in their Il ! and sn ,kes in theii
boots. And now 1t hes come to pass
that iashiona lie ladies' promenade ,he
street with 'ths diphthetia bacillus
the "miciococ us OF pneumonia" the
'sphaero bacteria" AVID the "s'repto,
oocous erysipelstis" co led around their
heads like so many vaRrant germs in a
yellow fever hospi al. Sciencs has
discovered tina. a stuffed bird perched
on a lsdy's head like an eagle on his
eyrie,i Is stuffed with disease and death,