, 1886-02-21

80 ~ ~ '1fA 1855
say these things because want to show
you that l sm impartial in the discussion,
nnd that tn, sexes, according to tho lam
suhgs OF the hurrogate's office, shall share
and share alike"
II God win help me, I moan this morning,
to set before you what are the evils OF I'M
proper dress; and also OF the evils OF exces-
sive discipleship OF fashion / state what
most OF You know to DO true when ] declare
that much OF tho womanly attire seen in So
cloty to-day is tho cause OF the temporal and
eternal damnation OF a multitude OF men.
There Is n shamelessness In what Is Gale
high life that requires and demands most
potent protest. In some directions there
seems to be strife TO see how near they can
go 10 the edge OF decency without falling
through. This kind OF masculine dissoluter
ness will never be stopped until the mischief,
the boldness Of womanly attire. ceases Let
there be a complete reformation in that dL
rection- l am in full sympathy with that
officer of the law who, In Philadelphia, last
winter or winter before last, went up to a so
called lady Of sparse aud incompetent attire
andtold her she must either leave the house or
habilitate herself properly. IL Is high time
for the good women, for the sensible women,
TO utter a protest in behalf OF the dignity OF
their sex, and II the women OF the household
do not understand the terrible extreme to
which this evil has gone, thcn let husbands
implead their wives and fathers prohibit
their daughters | tell you the evil is ter
rife and overshadowing. ! charge much of
this evil upon the American stage
As do not go to the theatres, / am Obliged
to take the evidence OF actors and actresses
and managers OF theatres, men everywhere
known for their g~enius-such as Mr.. John
Gilbert. Mr.. A. M. Palmer, Mr.. Daniel E.
R-andemann-who have recently declared,
and within ten days, that the evil OF I'M
dress is blasting the theatre-that Institution
which many consider the school OF morals,
tho superior of the church and the forerun-
ner OF the millennium.
Mr.. Palmer says; 'The bulk OF the per
formnnees on the stage are degrading and
pernicious. The managers strive to come
just as near the line Us possible without
fiagrantly breaking the law. There never-
have been costumes worn on the stage OF
this city, either In the theatre. hall or dive
so improper rs those that clothe some OF the
characters in recent comic opera
And then he goes on and says, In regard
to some performances: at is not a question
whether they can sing. but just how little
they will consent to wear"
Mr.. R~andemann, who has been twenty
nine years on tho stage, and appeared before
almost all nationAlities. says:
81 unhesitatingly say that the taste of the
present theatre-going public of America, as
a body, Is OF a coarse and vulgar nature.
The Hindoo would turn with disgust at such
exhibitions as are sought after on the stage
OF this country. Our shop windows are full
OF, and the walls covered with, show cards
and posters which should DO a disgrace TO
an enlightened country and an insult to the
eve of a cultured community"
Mr.. Gilbert says: 'Such exhibitions have
a disastrous effect on the morals of the com
mtmity. Are these proper pictures to put
out for the public to look at, TO say nothing
OF the propriety of females appearing in
public dressed like that 1t Is damnable."
am obliged to take the testimony Of these
actors and managers and friends OF the the
ntres-testimony confirmed by the board
fences and show windows presenting pictures
showing the way actresses dress suppose
these are accurate pictures II they are not,
they are swindles, getting people into the
aires with a promise OF spectacular nudity
that they do not perform II these pictures
are accurate, they show the damnable COS
tunes OF actresses. II they arc false pict-
ures, then they swindle tho public.
Now, my friends, all this familiari zes the
public mind with improper apparel Your
common sense tells you all that outburst Of
public conscience rs TO what is allowable.
and what is right condemns this Tho par
Tor and the drawing room are to-day run
ming n race with the theatre and opera
bouffe and they are nearly meek and neck
in the race; though the parlor and drawing
room may have boon a little behind. now
they are catching up very fast, and the
PROBABILITY is that by the time they pass
the grand stand they will DO so near-the
opera bouffo and the parlor win be so near
together-that one-half OF pandemonium
rVtI ,lu, fl.N- 1901. -
the drawing room Is ahead, and the other
half Of pandemonium will clap her hands
because the opera bouffe is ahead
l charge you. in the name OF God, o
Christian women, that by the style Of your
dress and apparel you administer a rebuke
to this awful evil Show me the fashion
plates Of any city. from now back to the
time OF Louis XVI OF France, or Henry
VIII Of England, and l will tell you what
were the morals of that age There is no
exception to the rule that modest apparel is
! the sign OF good society, and that immodest
npparel is the sign of a contaminated and
depraved society.
But, my friend, / want to reprehend the
boldness OF fashionable indecency against
which pulpit and platform and printing
press ought to hurl their red-hot anathemas.
And l want also to reprehend costliness of
costume beyond ones means And when l
say that you must not say: "You cannot
dictate to Inc, for ! cannot dictate to you
as ! do not know what your means are .
But this evil OF dressing beyond
ones means is an evil widespread.
Arnold attempted 10 steal this country
In the time OF the revolution, and what fort
Why, to get money for his home wardrobe
An attempt to keep up a snowy wardrobe,
a great establishment, is taking moro bust
ness mon to ruin than all other causes COM
bined Go out into the history OF the last
fifteen years and see how many in this way
have been led 10 the Watering OF stock. o.
rs bank presidents, TO per jure themselves
about the assets, and business men i'm
various departments, conspicuous. all going
down in their attempt to keep up a great
home establishment and a splendid ward
robe But why should we go to those CON
splcuous cases when you and | know scores
and scores Of men who are always at their
wits end, and dashed from Januiry 70 De-
,ember in the attempt 70 keep up as great
an establishments as their ~neighbors aud as
splendid a wardrobe Our politicians ut
Washington may theoriza until tho expira-
lion Of their terms OF Office about the best
way OF hstuering the finances Of this coun-
try, but l tell you plainly that until we, the
people Of America, learn 10 put on our heads
and backs and hands and feet no more than
we can pay for, the evil will go on
There are young men In banks and stores
on limited salaries, and this attempt to keep
up great wardrobes almost kills them in the
effort to provide tho diamonds and the cash
meres and the apparel far beyond their
honest capacity to furnish And these men
will have nothing in life left except that
which they spend for their cigars and their
wins suppers. and they will die before their
time. and they will want US ministers OF the
gospel to come and preach about them as
though they were the victims OF early piety.
High toned funerals. with silver handles no
the side. glass polished, and Afterwards It