The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-12-05
The Writer Stoutly Maintaining that the Sole
and Only Purpose Is the Ambition of One
Woman to Excel All Other Women.
TheNew York Society Woman Avery Ex-
pensiyeand Very Charming Person.
Luxury of the Sleeping Car and It's Effect as q
Destroyer of Wemanly Modesty-AY Young
Girl Who Will Soon Own o Railroad.
spee,al to ,hs rndIanapo,l. journal.


New YORK, Dec My male cousin came
running into my presence the other day with
the exclamation, Look at mel What do you
think of these togsl I've made up my mind to
knock out the dudes from this time on" Now,
there was nothing remarkable in that speech,
for man, but I never yet saw the woman who
would have expressed such q sentiment. am
allup in arms now, and 1 am going to prove by
this text that men are several shades vainer
than women. And they are vainer about their
clothes than women are know the world
thinks differently. Men have done all the
speech making, and most of the writing, for GEN.
turtles. and they have all helped on the vanity
of women, and the Importance women ascribe to
dress Now, I've got the floor, and am going to
knock out that notion to smithereens. At least,
am going to knock it wee, tiny little bit
In society am continually hearing men say,
1--WE got dress suit that will make the girls
all sweet on me-" or ''Tve ordered riding
coat that will make the nobs green with envy"
or "Wait till get my satin-lined overcoat, and
I'll be irresistible" All chat, you say. Yet no
one fails to reco gnize the truthfulness of the
silly and egotistical expressions, and no one
in fun or In earnest. Women are vain about
dress Oh, yes; they are human. But women,
that is good and respectable women, don't dress
for mems eyes. They don't think of the effect
of their gowns on the other sex. Now, if you
didn't know that, or If you think / am stretch
ing little for argument, let me assure you
that it is true. The ardor of woman in dress
is due to rivalry with her own sex. Each
woman wants to look better than, or, at
least as well as each other woman. Let
me put it this way, please: On next
Easter, when we all come out with our new
things, and enter the church doors, 1--WE look
around at all the congregation with nervous in
terest. What forl To see if the men are daz-
zled by the beauty of our costumes3 Not for
single blessed instant. When we've finished
looking we could not tell you whether there was
q man in the church. We haven't seen or looked
al or thought of single male. Nor did we look
to note the effect of our new gown and bonnet
on the envious eyes of other women. No, no,
no; we are above that, also Oh, how we are
misunderstood! We look simply and solely to
see whether any other woman is better dressed
than we are, and what every other woman has
Of anything else. We do all the thinking of
ourselves before we get there-at home, in the
maids hands, before the glass, and for week
or month before even that, when we are plan
ming not to be beaten by other women.
On this worlds stage women play to women
in the matter of dress. They play to win ap-
plause in complexion, teeth, eyes, manners,
speech, coquetry, cheerfulness and general love-
ableness That's our game before we are mar
ried and If it isn't kept up toward husbands
after marriage it is because wives don't know
enough l am told that certain fiashy garments
that are never seen in good society, except in
store windows. are worn by some women for the
benefit of the other sex-wrappers, sacques and
hosiery, and all that But when l write about
ladies, whether they are poor or rich, say,
once for all. we do not dress for men, we do not
care what men think Of our clothes we know
that men know no more about women's gowns
than pigs know of Munkacsy's painting. There,
now, is that fat and plain enoughl Let me give
you some more wisdom in nutshell conciseness.
Among the men the dandies dress to attract
female attention-to knock out the women" as
my cousin says-but the dudes dress to eclipse
each other Now, that latter way, the dudes
way. is the way women dress-to eclipse one
another.
was saying all this to gentleman who
thought he had the better of me by asserting
that women are forever looking in mirrors, and
primpng and shaking out this part, and smooth.
ing down the other, and tittivating their hair,
and all the rest That is solemn truth. The
women do no end of that sort of thing. But it
is not from vanity. Did you ever see lady
whose hair has come down walking along the
street with tail of it down the backl Did you
ever see q lady with her skirt or hustle showing
behind through dissrrangement of her over
skirt Did you ever see lady with her hat
tipped over almost on one earl Well, it is to
prevent such humiliating things as that that
women always glance at glass, and
give shake here, and touch there and a
smoothing somewhere else. A woman dressed
is mass of devices that are liable to get out of
place, and are only held in place by pins and
clasps, harpins, straps and laces. Her hair may
come down, her hat get out of place, her stock
ings may climb down on her shoes, her overskirt
may perch on her hip or hustle, her skirts may
loosen and drop beneath her dress Is it any
wonder she looks at her reflection whenever she
cana And yet, kind gentlemen" as the old
players used to say, it is none the less fact that
when Broadway looking-elass dealer set boy
to count the number OF persons who looked at
themselves in the glass he kept out on the side
walk it was found that of given number of
women and men twice as many men as women
stopped to look at themselves in the mirror
curinnc romol;ea+;1,r vpas ,anx - oro ue 49,.
most fashionable theaters last evening. On the
stage was Charles Sugden. the actor with whom
Lady Desart eioped. few years ago; and the
singular thing about him was that any woman.
in or ont of aristocratic society, should fall in
love with such personality. He was forty-A
TO fifty. and utterly dSvoid of roman:'~ sueges.
tion--so much so that he failed ludcrously in
enactipg the role of fervid stage lover. More