Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-02-15

hardly walk in the paths of righteousness
and there are men who buy expensive
suits Of clothes and never pay for them
and who 90 through the streets in great
stripes of color like animated checker
boards say these things because l wan
to show you that l am impartial in my dis
course, and that both sexes in the language
of the Snrrogste's Office share and share
alike"
AS God may help me am going to SCI
forth the
EVIL EFFECTS OF IMPROPER DRESS,
or an excessive discipleship of costume,
1t is q simple truth that you all know, al,
though the pulpit has not yet uttered it,
that much of the womanly costume Of our
time is the cause of the temporal and
eternal damnstion OF O multitude of men.
There is shamelessness among many in
what ia called high life that calls for yehe-
ment protest. The strife with many seems
to be how near they can come to the verge
of indecency without falling over. The
tide OF mascpline proaigacy will never
turn back until there is q decided retor-
nation in womanly costume. am in full
sympathy with the officer Of the law who,
at levee in Philadelphia last winter, went
up to q so-called lady, and because Of her
sparse and incompetent apparel, ordered
her either to leave the house or hsbilitate
herself Immediately. 1t is high
time that our good and sen.
sible women make vehement pro-
test against fashionable indecency and,
if the women OF the household do not real.
ize the deplorable extremes OF much of the
female costume, that husbands implead
their wives on this subject, and that fathers
prohibit their daughters. The evil is ter
rife and overshadowing
l suppose that
THE AMERICAN STAGE is RESPONSIBLE FOR
MUCH
OF this. / do not 60 to theatres, go | must
take the evidence Of the actors and man
ayers OF theatres, such as Mr.. John Gil,
bert, Mr.. A. NJ. Palmer and Mr.. Daniel
E. Bandmann. They have recently told
us that the crime OF undress is blasting the
theatre. which by many is considered o
school Of morals ard indeed superior to
the church aud foreruuner Of the Millen.
mum. Mr.. Palmer says The bulk Of
the performances on the stage is degrad-
ing and pernicious. The managers
strike to come ust as near the
line as possible without Hagrautly
breaking the law: There never have been
costumes worn on stage OF this city
either in theatre, hall or dive so oimproper
as those that clothe some Of the chorus in
recent comic opera productions. He
SAYS in regard to the female performers
ut is not a question whether they can sing
but Just how little they will consent to
wear" Mr.. Bandmaun, who has been ~
years on the stage ami before almost all
says 81 unhesitstingIy
state that the taste OF the present theatre
going people Of America as body 10 OF o
coarse and vulgar nature, The Hindoo
would turn with disgust at such exhlbl.
tions, which are sought after and appIauded
on the stage Of this country. Our shop
windows are full Of and the walls covered
with show cards and posters which should
be disgrace to an enlightened country
and an insult to the eye OF cultured
Mr.. Gilbert says; Such
exhibition ;s disastrous one to the morale
of the community Are these proper pic
turea to pat out for the public to look at,
to soy nothing Of the propriety Of females
appearing in public dressed like that
1T Is sHAMEFrL"
must take the testimony Of the friends
of the theatre and the confirmation which
see on the board fences and in the show
windows containing tie pictures Ct the
way actges5es dreas suppose that those
representations Of playhouse costume are
true, for if they are not true then those
highly moral and religious theatres are
swipdiing the public BY INDUCING the Hec'
pie tc tie the.tte Uy promises OF spectacu'
lar nudity which they do not fulfill. Nov
all this fsmilisrizes the public with such
improprieties ofcostume and depresses the
public conscience az 20 Whct 10 allowable
and right.
The parlor and drawingroom Hre now
running q race with the theatre and opera
boufe. They are nov nearly neck and
neck in the race, the latter little ahead
but the parlor and drawing.room are
gaming on the others and the
orobabil;ty ia they will soon be
even AID PEGS The stend 60 nearly
Of the same time that one halt Q! Psnde-
monium will clap its hands because opera
boufs has beaten and the other halt be-
cause the drawing room has beaten. LEI
printing press cnd platform and pulpit
burl red hot anathema at the boicness oi
much of vomanly attire. | charge Chris
,ian women neither by styls OF dress nor
adjustment Of apparel to become admins
tra,ive of evil. Show me the fashion
plates of any age between this and the
,;me of Louis XVI, Of France and Henry
VII, OF England, aud / will tell you the
trne Of morals or lmmorals OF that age or
that year. No exception to it. Modest
apparel means q righteous people. I'm
modest apparel always meahs b contsml
mated and depraved society.
1t is not only such boldness that is to b'
reprehended, bat
EyTRAvAGANCE OF COSTUME.
This latter is the cause Of fraud unimlt
able and ghas,ly. Do you know thai
Arnold OF the Revolution proposed to sci
his country in order 10 get money to sup
port his home wardrobe? | declare herr
before God and this people that the eHor
10 keer up expensive establishments II
this country is sending more business mel
TO temporal perdition than all other cause
combined. It was this that sent promin
ent business men to the watering CT stocks
and life insurance presidents to perjure'
statements about their ssEets and some
them TO the penitentisry, and has com
pletely upset our American finances. BG
why should 60 to these famous defeultiug
10 show what men will do in order to kee
up great home style and expensive ward
robe. when you and l know scores of me
who are put 10 their Wits end sui are last
ed from January 10 December in the a
tempt? Our Washington politicians ma
theorize until tie expiration Of the
terms OF office as to the best way OF in
proving our monetary condition in IN
country. 1t will be OF no use and thing
will be better until We learn to pct on OF
heads and backs and feet aud hands q
| r,ora than We can nav for.