St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-02-15

ception to It. Modest apparel means a
righteous people. 1mmodest apparel al
ways means a contaminated and deprayed
ociety. What are men to do in order to
keep up excessive home wardrobes? Steal
that is the only respectable thing thew
can dol During the last fifteen years there
have been innumerable fine business men
shipwrecked on the wardrobe. The temp
tation comes in this way: man thinks
more of his family than all the world out
side, and if they spend the evening in de-
scribing TO him the superior wardrobe of
the family across the street that they can
not bear the sight of. the man is thrown Oh
his gallantry and pride of family, and with
out translating his feelings into plain lam
guage he goes into extortion and issuing of
false stock and skillful penmanship in writ
ing somebody else's name at the foot of a
prOmissory note; and they all go down to-
gether-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 Shakespeare
to arise and write the
TRAGEDY OF HUMAN CI.orHEsI
Act the First of the Tragedy-A plain. but
beautiful home. Enter the newly married
pair. Enter simplicity of manner and be-
havior. Enter as much happines as is ever
found in one home.
Act the acknowledgements with the hum
BILE home. Enter envy. Enter jealousy.
Enter desire of display.
Act the Third-Enlargemen of expenses.
Enter all the queenly dresSmakers. Enter
the French milliners.
Act the Fourth-The tip-top Of society.
Enter princes and prineesses OF New York
life. Enter magnificent plate ana eQuipage.
Enter everything splendid.
Act the Fifth and Last, Winding I'D the
Scene-Enter the assignee. Enter the sheriff.
Enter the creditors. Enter humiliation. En-
ter the wrath of God. Enter the contempt of
society. Enter death. Now let the silk cur
and the lights are out.
VIII you forgive me If l say in tersest
shape possible that some of the men in this
country have to forge aud to perjure and to
swindle to pay for their wives dresses?
will say it whether you forgive me or not
Extrayagant costume belittleS the intellect.
Our minds are enlarged or they dwindle
Just IN proportion to the Importance of the
subject on which we constantly dwell. Can
you imagine anything more dwarfing to the
human intellect than the study of dress?
L see men OH the street who, judging from
their elaboration, think must have taken
two hours to arrange their apparel. After
few years of that kind Of absorption which
one Of McAlliSter's
MAGNIFYING GLASSES
will be powerful enough to make the mans
character visible? What will be left of a
wOman's intellect after giving years and
years to the discussion of such questions?
They all land in idiocy. l have seen men
at the summer watering places through
fashion the mere wreck of what they once
were. Sallow of cheek. Meager of limb.
Hollow at the chest. Showing no anima-
ton save in rushing across room to pick
up lady's fan. Simpering along the cor
ridors the same compliments they simpered
twenty years ago. Yet my friends, 1 have
given you only the milder phase of this
evil. 1t shuts great multitude out of
heaven. The first peal of thunder that
shook Sinai declared: Thou shalt have
no other gods before me-" and
you will have to choose between
the goddess Of fashion and the Christian
God. There are great many seats in
heaven aud they are ali easy seats. but not
one seat for the devOtee of costume
Heaven is for meek and quiet spirits. Give
up this idOlatry of fashion or give up
heaven. What would you do standing be-
side the Countess of Huntington, whose Joy
it was to build chapels for the poor or with
that Christian woman of Boston, who fed
1880 children of the street at Fanueil hall
one New Years day, giving out as sort of
doxolOgy at the end of the meeting, a pair
of shoes to each one of them; or those dor
cases of modern society who have conse-
Grated their needles to the Lord, and who
will get