Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-02-25

tids Of m.sculins proaissey vi never turn
hack until there Is decided reformation in
womAnly costume / am in full sympathy
with the officer Of the law who at alevee In
Philadeiphia last winter went up 10 . so-cailed
lady, and because Of her sparse and incompe-
tent apparel ordered her either TO leave the
house or hAbilitaie herself Immediately. ID 10
high time that our good and sensible women
make vehement protests against fashionable
indecency, and, IL the women Of the household
do not realize 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 terrific
and overshadowing.
suppose that the American stage is resp on
sible for much Of this lido not go TO theaters,
90 must take the evidence Of the actors and
managers Of theaters, snch as Mr. John Gil
bert, Mr. A. NJ Palmer, and Mr.. Daniel E.
Bandmann They have recently told me that
the crime of undress is blasting the theater,
which by many is considered school Of NOR
ais, and, indeed superior to the church and q
forerunner Of the millennium. Mr. Palmer
says: sThe bulk Of the performances on the
stage is degrading and pernicious. The man.
ayers strive to come just as near the line as
possible without fiagrantly breaking the law.
There never have been costumes worn on
stage Of this city, either in theater, hall, or
dive so improper as those that clothe some
of the chorus IN the recent comic opera pro-
ductions." He says in regard to the female
performers: SItis not question whether they
can sing, but Just how little they will consent
to wear Mr.. Bandmann, who has been
twenty nine years on the stage and before al
most all nationalities, says: II unhesitat-
ingly state that the taste of the present theater-
going people of America as q body is Of 0
coarse and vulgar nature The Hindoo would
turn with disgust at such exhibitions, which are
sought after and applauded 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 q cultured
community" Mr.. Gilbert says "Such exhi-
bition is disastrous one to the morals Of the
community. Are these proper pictures to
put out for the public to look at, to say nothing
Of the propriety of females appearing in pub
lie dressed like thaty 1t is shameful"
must take the testimony of the friends Of
the theater and the confirmation which see
on the board fences and in the show windows
containing the pictures of the way actresses
dress suppose that those representations Of
playhouse costumes are true, for if they are
not true then those highly moral and religious
theaters are swindling the public by inducing
tho people to the theater by promises of spec
tacular nudity which they do not fulfill Now
all this familiarizes the public with such i'm
proprieties of costume and depresses the pub.
lie conscience as to what is allowable ard
right
The parlor and drawing-room are now run
ming race with the theater and opera bouffe.
They are now nearly neck and neck in the race,
the latter little ahead, but the parlor and
drawing-room are gaining on the others and
the probability is they will soon be even and
pass the stand 80 nearly at the same time that
one half of pandemonium will clap its hands
because opera bouffe has beaten, and the other
half because the drawing room has beaten.
Let printing press and platform and pulpit
hurl red-hot anathema at the boldness of much
Of womanly attire. charge Christian women
|, neither by style Of dress nor adjustment Of
apparel to become administrative of evil
, Show me the fashion plates of any age between
| tlllb huu tl6 tlilo VI AN1- VI pluhCC, aAA
Henry VIII. of Englan !, and I will tell you
. ! the type of morals or immorals Of that age or
!. that year. No exception to it Modest ap-
parel means righteous people. Immodest
| apparel always means contaminated and de-
PRAYED society.
! It is not only such boldness that is to be
, reprehended, but extravaganza of costume.
: This latter is the cause of fraud unlimitable
and CHASTITY. Do you know that Arnold of the
Revolution proposed to sell his country in orde,
, to get money to support his home wardrobe!
| I declare here before God and this people thai
, the effort to keep up expensive establishments
, in this country is sending more business mer
/ to temporal perdition than all other causes
combined It was this that sent prominent
business men to the watering of stocks, and
life insurance presidents to perjured state
I ments about their assets, and some Of them tt
> the penitentiary, and has completely upset oul
. American finances. But why should 60 tt
, these famous defaultings to show what mer
!, will do in order to keep mp great home STYLE
} and expensive wardrobe, when you and know
4 scores Of men who are put to their wits enc
8 and are lashed from January to December ir
0 the attempt? Our Washington politicians may
= theorize until the expiration of their terms o.
, Office as to the best way of improving oul
I monetary condition in this country. 1t will bt
I Of no use and things will be no better until VI
8 learn to put on our heads and backs and fee
, and hands no more than we con pay for.
8 There are clerks in stores and banks OF
/. limited salaries, who, in the vain attempt t
: keep the wardrobe of their family as snowy al
8 other folks wardrobes, are dying of muffs
< and diamonds, and camel s-hair shawls, ant
: high hats, and they have nothing left excep
Z what they give to cigars and wine suppers
and they die before their time, and they vii
, expect us ministers to preach about them o.
: though they were the victims Of early piety
and after high-class funeral with silve
handles at the side of their coffins, of extraor
, dnary brightness, it will be found out that tn
, undertaken is cheated out Of his legitimate OK
penses. Do not send to me to preach tn
a funeral sermon Of man who dies like that
blurt out the whole truth and tell that he wa
, strangled to death by his wifes ribbons! Tn
country is dressed to death. You are not sur
prised to find that the putting up Of one publ
. building in New York cost millions of dollar
!. more than il ought to have cost when yo1
find that tho man who gave out the contract
\ paid more than $5, 200 for his daughters wed
' ding dress. Cashmeres Of 81, 600 each are nc
A rare on Broadway. II is estimated that ther
n are 5000 women In these two cities who hav
expended on their personal array 81, 600 a year
4 What are the men to do in order to keep u
. such home wardrobes? Steal that is the onl
respectable thing they can do During the Las
4 fifteen years there have been Iinnumerable fin