Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-02-15

SNOWY as other folks wardrobes, are dying
OF NUTS and diamonds and camel's hair
shawls and high hats, and they have moth.
| ing left except what they give to cigars
and wine Shippers, and Nv die before
sbelr Hmei anu '.'.sy will expect us minis
ters 10 preach about them as though they
] We're the victims Of early piety; and after
a high-class funeral, with silver handles
at the side Of their coffin OF extraordinary
brightness, 10 will he found out that the
Undertaken Is cheated out Of his legiti-
mate expensesl DO not send to me to
preach the funeral sermon of a man who
dies like that. blurt out the whole
/ truth, and tell that he was strangled to
death by his wife's ribbonsl ThccountrJ
is dressed 10 death. You are not sur
prised ~ tind that the putting up Of one
| public building In New York cost millions
Of dollars more than IL ought TO have
cost, when you ilnd that the man who
gave out the contracts paid more than
five thousand dollars for his daughter Is
wedding Dir IS. Cashmeres of Il thousand
dollars each are not rare on Broadway
| II is estimated that there are 5000
| women In THESE two cities who have eX'
pended on their personal array $1,000 u
year
What are the men TO do 10 keep up
such home wardrObesT Steal that is
| be only resp, able thing they can do!
| During the last fifteen years there have
been innumerable fine business
men shipwrccked on the ward
robe The temptation comes IN
tuis way; A man thinks more OF his fam
lily than all the world outside, aud II they
spend the evening in describing to him
the superior wardrobe of the family
across the street mat they cannot bear
ight OF, the man is thrown on his gal.
lantry aud his pride Of family, and With
nut translating his feelings into plain
language he uoes into extortiDp and issu-
ing pl false stock and skilliul penmanship
IN writing SOMEBODY else's name at tn,
foot Of promissory note; aud they all
20 down together--the husband to the
prison. the wife to the sewing machine,
the children to be taken care of by those
who were called poor relations Oh, for
some new Snake prare to arise and write
the tragedy of human clothes!
Act the first of the tragedy: plain
nut beautiful home. Enter the newly
married pair. Enter simplicity Of man.
uer and behavior. Enter as much happi-
Act the second: Discomfort with the
humble home Enter envy. Enter ieal-
Ousy Enter desire of display.
ct the third: Enhancement OF ex-
pepses. Enter all tine queenly dress
makers. Enter the French miiiners.
Act the fourth: The tip-top Of society.
Euter princes and Processes Of New York
life. Enter magnificent plate and equip
age, Enter every thing splendi I.
Act the fifth and last, winding up the
scene: Euter the assignee Enter the
sheriff Enter the creditors Enter bu.
initiation. Enter the wrath of God. En-
ter the contempt OF society Euter death
Now let the silk curtain drop on the
stage The farce is ended and the lights
are cut
win you forgive me II say, in 'tersest
shape possible, that some of the men IN
this country have to forge and to periure
and to swiudle to pay for their wives
dresses. | viii say it whether you for
give me or not
Again eXtravagant costume is the foe
of all Christian almsgiylng Men ana
women put SO much in personal display
that they often haveLOthing 'or God and
the cause of suffering humanity. A |
Christian man cracking his Paais Royal |
gloves across the back by shutting up his |
hand 10 hide the one cent he puts into
the poor box! Christian woman at the |
story of the Hottentots crying copious |
tears into twenty-five dollar haudker- |
chief and then giving two-cent piece
TO the collection, thrustiDg IL down |
under the bills so people will not know |
bat It was ten-dOllar gold piece. One |
hundred dollars for incense to fa: hlon-
two cents for Godl God gives us ninety
cents out OF every dollar. The other ten |
cents by command of HIS Bible, belong
u Him, Is not God liberal according TO
this tithing system laid down in the Old
Testament--i- not God liberal in giving
Us ninety cents out of dollar when He
takes hut temp We do not like that. We
want to have ninety-nine cents for our
selves aud onr for God.
Now | would great deal rather steal
ten cents from you than God. | think
one reason why great many people do
not get along in worldly accumulation
faster Is because they do not observe
this Divine rule God says: "Well, II
that man is not satisfied with ninety
cents out of dollar, then will take the
whole dollar and | will give 1t to the man
or woman who is honest with me-" The
greatest obstacle TO charity in the
Christian church to-day Is the fact that
men expend SO much on their table and
women so much on their dress they have
aot nothing left for the work of God ana
the worlds betterment.
Again: extra agant costume is dis
traction to public worship. You know
very well there are a coed many people
who 90 to church Just as they
30 to the races, to see
who will come out first. Men
ana women with souls TO be saved pass
ing the hour in wondering wht re that
man got his cravat, or what store that
woman patronizes. In many OF our
churches the preliminary exercises ar,
taken up with the discussion of ward
robes. 1t Is pitiable, Is it not wonder
iul that tue Lord does not strike the
mtetng-houses with lightning? What
distraction OF public worshipl Dying
men aud women, whose bodies are soon
to he turnt d into dust, yet before three
worlds strutting like peacocks, People
sitting down In a pew or taking up
hvmn-book, all absorbed at the same time
in personal array, TO sing