Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-02-25
COSTUMES and MORALS
DR.. Talmage's Sixth Sermon Of
"The Marriage Ring"
Series.
A Discourse on the Laxlty OF the Times,
Based on the Words Of
Isaiah.

Rev. 7. Do wittTaimage, d. D., preached in
the Brooklyn tabernacle the sixth Of his series
Of sermons on The Marriage Ring the subject
being Costume and Morals" DR.. Tai
mage expounded chapter in Isaiah descriptive
of the social and commercial splendor of tho
city Of Tyre. The text was:
Moreover, the Lord said: Because tho
daughters Of Zion are naughty and walk with
stretched-forth necks and wanton eyes, walking
and mincing as they go, and making q tinkling
with their feet in that day the Lord will take
away the bravery Of their tinkling ornaments
about their feet, and their cauls, and their
round tires like the moon, the chains, and the
bracelets, and the muffiers, the bonnets, and
the ornaments Of the legs, and the head-bands,
and the tablets. and the earrings, the rings and
nose-jewels, the changeable suits Of apparel,
and the mantles, and the wimples, and tho
crisping pins, the glasses, and tho fine linen,
and the hoods, and the veils-Isaiah ILL, 16.
1923
Following is the sermon in full:
This Isl Tyrian fashion-plate. 1t puts us
$500 years back and sets us down in an ancient
city The procession of men and women is
moving up and down the gay streets It is the
height Of the fashionable season. The sensible
men and women move with 80 much modesty
that they do not attract our attention But
here come the naughty daughters Of Jerusalem!
They lean forward; they lean very much for
ward; 80 far forward as to be unnatural-teet-
ering, wobbling, wriggling, flirting; or, as my
kaxt ,daoor;ha, fbay Uuallr with afratrhad.
forth necks, walking and mincing as they CO."
They have in most astounding style arranged
their bonnets and their wells and their entire
apparel, and now go through the streets taking
more of the pavement than they are entitled to,
Sweeping along with skirts that the text de-
Scribes as Sround tires like the moon" See!
THAT is princess! Lookl That is Damas-
Gus sword-maker. Look! That is Syrian
merchant! The jingling of the chains and the
lashing Of the head bands, and the exhibitions
Of universal swagger, attract the attention Of
the prophet Isaiah, and he brings his camera
to bear upon the scene and takes picture for
all the ages. But where is that scene? Van
ished Where are those gay streets9 Vermin-
covered population pass through them Where
are the hands, and the necks, and the foreheads,
and the shoulders, and the feet that sported all
that magnifcence? Ashes! Ashes!
That we should all be clad is proved by the
opening of the first wardrobe in paradise, with
its apparel of dark green. That We should all
as far as our means allow us be beautifully
and gracefully appareled is proved by the fact
that God never made wave but He gilded 1t
with golden sunbcams, or q tree but He gar
landed it with blossoms, or sky but He
studded it with stars, or allowed even the
smoke of furnace to ascend but He columned
and turrete and domed and scrolled it into
outlines Of indescribable gracefulness. When
I see the apple orchards Of the spring and the
pageantry of the autumnsl forests come to
the conclusion that if nature ever does join the
church. while she may be Quaker in the
silence of her worship, she never will be a
Quaker in the style of her dress, Why the
notches of fern-leaf or the stamen of a water
lily? Why, when the day departs, does it lei
the folding doors of heaven stay open go long
when it might go in so quickly9 One summer
morning saw an army of million spears
each one adorned with diamond of the first
water-I mean the grass with tho dew on it
When the prodigal came home his father moi
only put coat on his back, but jewelry on his
hand Christ wore q beard. Paul, the bachelor
apostle, not afflicted with any sentlmentality
admired the arrangement of woman's hail
when, he said in his epistle, @If woman have
long hair tits a glory unto her." There will
be fashion in heaven as on earth, but it will bt
different kind of fashion. It will decide the
color Of the Dress and the population of tina
country, by beautiful law will wear white.
: 1 say these things as o background to my ser
mon to show You that have no prin, precise
prudish, or cast-iron theories on tie subject o.
human apparel; but the goddess of fashion hal
set up her throne in this country, and at thu
sound of the trimbrels we are all expected tt
fall down and worship Her altar smoke will
the sacrifice of the bodies and souls of l0,o0'
victims In her temple four people stand il
the organ loft, and from them there come.
down cold drizzle Of music, freezing on th'
earsof her worshipers. This goddess of fash
ion has become rival of the Lord of heayeI
and earth, and it is high time we unlimberet
our batteries against this idolatry. When
come to count the victims of fashion find aI
many masculine as feminine Men make al
easy TRADE against woman, as though she wer'
the chief worshiper at this idolatrous shrine
and no doubt some men in the more conspicu
ous part of the pew have already cast glance
at the more retired part Of the pew, their lool
= prophecy Of o generous distribution. M.
sermon shall be as appropriate for one end o
. the pew as for the other. H
Men are as much the idolaters Of fashion q,
R6men, but they sacrifice ON different part O.
he altar. With men the fashion goes to cigars
md club-rooms, and yachting parties, and win,
euppers In the United States the men chew
mp and smoke $10o, 600 worth Of tobaco'
every year. That is their fashion. In London
notlong ago, a man died who started in lif,
with $750,0Oo But he ate it all up in glut
tonies, sending his agents to all parts of th'
earth for some rare delicacy for the palate
sometimes one plate Of food costing him $500 O.
$4O0 Heate up his whole fortune, and had onl,
i guinea left With that he bought wood
cock, and had 1t dressed in the very best style
ate it, gave two hours for digestion, thel
walked out on Westminster bridge, and threy
himself into the Thames and died, doing on
large scale what you and I have often seel
done on small scale
But men do not abstain from millinery ant
elaboration of skirt through any superiority o
simplicity. 1t is only because such append
ages would be q blockade to business. Wha
would sashes and trains three and half yard
long do in the stock market? And yet men ar
the disciples of custom just as much as women
Some Of them wear boots 80 tight that the.
can hardly walk in the paths of Righteousness,
and there are men who buy expensive suits Of
clothes and never pay for them, and who g
through the streets in great stripes Of color
Ike animated checkerboards. I say thes,
things because want to show you that an