Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-02-15
DEC0LLETTE COSTUMES.
sOCIETY,s sHAMELEssNEss DE
NOUNCED BY TAIlMAGE.


Psrlor Racing with the Nudity of
Opera BoufTe-A Lesson from Life in
Five Acts-Death aud Eternal DRmna-
tiOn ia Worldly Vanity.
BROOKLYN, N. Y, Feb. 14.-Rev. T.
Dewitt Talmage. d. D., preached to-day
in the Brooklyn Tabernacle, the sixth of
his series OF sermons on "The Marriage
Ring" the subject being "Costume and
Morals" The opening d0xology was
sung with an effect that cannot be Inn
agined except by those who have heard it
in this church, led on by organ and cornet
precentor. DR.. Talmage eXpounded a
chapter in Isaiah descriptive Of the social
and commercial splendor Of the city OF
Tyre. The hymn sung was:
Before Jehovah's awful throne,
1e nations bow with sacred jOy."
The text was from Isaiah iii, 16, 1928 :
Moreover the Lord said: Because the
daughters of Zion are naughty and walk
with stretched-forth necks and wanton
eyes, walking and mIncing as they go,
and making 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 mufilers, the b0nnets,
and the ornaments OF the legs, and the
headbands, and the tablets, and the ear
rings, the rings, and nOse-iewels, the
ehangeable suits OF apparel. and the man
ties, and the wimples, and the crisping
pins, the glasses, and the fine linen, and
the hoods, and the veils." Following is
the sermon in full:
This is a Tyrian fashion-plate. 1t puts
us 1900 years back and sets us down in
an ancient city. The procession OF men
and women Is moving up and down the
gay streets. 1t is the height of the fash
enable season. The sensible men and
wOmenm with so much mOdesty that
they do not attract our attention. But
here come the naughty daughters'Of Jeru-
saleml They lean forward; they lean very
much forward; so far forward as to be un-
notwithstanding wobbllng, wriggling.
flirting, or. as my text describes IL, they
''walk with stretched-fOrth necks
walking and mincing as they
CO." They have in most as
founding style arranged their bonnets,
and their wells, and their entire apparel,
and now ~ Borough the streets taking
more ofbn8 pavement than they are enti-
tied tGs sweeping along with skirts that
the text describes as ground tires like the
moons See! Thatis prinoessl Look
That is fSamascus- ssWord-makerl
Leeki Ihat isFa Syrian merchant! The
jingliEg Of the chains, and the lasning Of
the headbaiids, 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 a
picture for all the ages. But where is that
scene? Vanished. Where are those gay
streets? Vermin-covered population pass
through them. Where are the hands, and
the necks, aud the foreheacs, and the
shoulders, aud the feet thai spOrted all
that magnidcence? Ashes aches!
That we should all be clad is proved by
the opening of the first wardrObe in Para
disc, with its apparel Of dark green. That
we should all las far asOur means allow us.
be beautifully and gracefully appareled.
is proved by the fact that God never made
a wave, but he gllded it with golden sun
beams, or tree but he garlanded it with
blossoms, or a sky but he studded 1t with
stars, or allowed even the smoke Of a
furnace TO ascend but he coumned and
tuueted and dOled and scrOlled it into
outlines OF indescribabie gracefulness.
When l see the apple orchards of the
spring and the pageantry ofthe autumnal
forests, come to the conclusion that If
nature ever does join the church, while
she may be a Quaker in the silence of her
worship, she never will be Quaker In
the style Of her dress. Why the notches
of fern leaf or the stamen OF
a water lily? Why, when the day de-
parts, does 1t let the folding doors OF
heaven stay open 80 long, when it might
20 in so quickly? One summer morning
l saw an army Of a million spears, eaen
one adOrped with diamond of the first
water--I mean the grass with the dew on
Whnn Ttlpdfnal f1
father not only put coat on his back,
but jewery on his hand. Christ wore a
beard. Paul, the bachelor apostle. not
afflicted With any sentimentality, admired
the arrangement of a wOman's hair, when
he said in his epistle, eff woman have
long hair 1t is a glory unto her." There
will be fashion in heaven as on earth, but
il will be a d tferent kind Of fashion. 1t
Will decide the color OF the dress, and the
population OF that country. by a beautl-
lul law, VIII wear white.
j say these things as a background to
my sermon to show you that / have no
prim, precise, prudish or cast iron the0-
ries ON the subject OF human apparel, but
the goddess OF fashion has set up her
throne in this country, and at the sound
OF the timbrels we are all expected TO fall
down ana worship. Her altars smoke
with the sacrifice OF the bodies and souls
VI Aeu AhVuhhnu NlGlllNbs III UEt Temple
four people stand in the organ loft, and
from them there comes down a cold driz-
zle OF music, freezing on the ears Of her
worshippers. This goddess Of fashion has
become rival Of the Lord Of heaven and
earth, and 1t Is high time we unlimbered
our batteries against this idOlatry. When
/ come TO count the victims OF fashion
find as many masculine as feminine.
Men make an easy TRADE against woman,
as though she were tue the chief Worship
per at tails idOiatrOus shrine, and no doubt
some men IN tue more conspicuous part
OF the pew nave already cast glances at
the more retired part OF the pew, their
look a prophecy Of n generous disfribu-
tiOn. My sermon shall be AZ appropriate
for one end OF the pew as for the other.
Men are ss much the idolators OF fash
ion as women, but they sacrifice on a dit-
ierent part OF the altar. With men the fash
ion goes 10 cigars and club rooms and
yachting parties and wine suppers. In
the United states the men chew up and
smoke 100000, 900 worth OF tobacco every
year. That - their fashion. In London,
not long ago, "a man died who started Ia
life with $3.50, 900. But be ate II all up in
gluttOnies, sending his agents 10 all parts
Of the earth for some rare delicacy for the
palate, sometimes one plate OF food cost
ing him three or four hundred dollars. He
ate up his whole fortune and had only one
guinea left. With that be bought a wood
cock and had 10 dressed Ia tue very best
style, ate II, gave two hours for digestion,
then walked out on Westminster bridge
and threw himself into the Thames and
died doing IN aNarra aoala what Won and