The St. Johns herald., 1886-10-07
No--+AN'S DRESS.

and brilliant beauty Of Spring and Sum
 mer bring out the best results Of woman s
 ingenuity il. inc matter Of dress and
 adornment When nature is gayest.
 woman attire at any rate as seen on the
 strcet and in public. places, is also the
 C,ve-t
 ..ot that she is wanting in regard fer
 her personal appearance at any season
 of the year. Nature has given her the
 disposition to wear dress and ornament.
 No wise man quarrels with this arrange
 mont of the universal mother. Though
 abused 1t is a blessing.
 That woman brings with her gracious
 presence the scent of flowers. bright
 colors to please the eye, and the soft rustic of Summer silks to gratify the
 ear of lover, husband father. hrOther and friend. is proper and delightful.
 PRESENT COSTUMES
 As well as probably everything else, the female costume evidences improve ment upon old times. There is no excuse for anybody grumblinC about the degen- generacy of woman's dress, from Q better past.
 A walk in one leading thorouCfare to- day will convince any one but bilious old bachelor that the female costume of the present time is neat, serviceable and attractive. It is happy blending of the classic mode Of arts best and pureSt days, with modern ides as to utility, prOpriety and attractiveness.
 COMPARED WITH THE PAST.
 Let any one who doubts that this is not the age of sensible dressing visit one of our public libraries and glance through hat ch pictures of the costumes of our ancestors, or get at an old volume of some fashion magazine and laugt over the fashion plates of previous decades.
 GRACEFUL ANTIQUE STILES.
 It is not in the chronicles of ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome that the gro- tesque and absurd in fashion car he found.
 Some of the models of Egyptian female figures show costumes that, robbed of the splendor of jewelled adornment, could be worn to-day without comment. If imagination fills up the peculiar out line drawing of the artists of the days of the Pharaohs, indications of changing fashions from a modest crinoline to cling ing skirts can be found
 The costume of an ancient Egyptian queen would hardly answer for a prom enade suit for Fifth Avenue to-day. But take of her bejewelled head dress and the gems around her neck, put a pair of slippers on her feet and broom in her hand instead of sceptre, and she would pass as a good matron of the present time intent on house-cleaning.
 The dress of the ancient Greek lute- player may be a little airy for outdoor use at present, but something near like 1t can be seen at the opera.
 On the conquest of the Roman Empire by the wild and savage Furnish tribes, fashion, art taste, literature and civiliza- ton were swept ruthlessly away and long night of mental darkness may be said to have reigned from the tenth to the fifteenth century.
 When at last an attempt was made to revive fashion some of the efforts were crcde and grotesque. Some of the most 1udicrous styles are found in tho six .eenth century.
 W CHAN JI.E ri.;TRE or AIf,hDoEN5TE,5T.
 W9uan i& the centre of ail aiorumert. lI,.r sex ras c:e;s hoti r than men. TGe : havo greater variety Of styles and co ll, tD riglN on. and fashiC.I niways pe~n, iI-- tl'"'n a vid"r range Tt"re i5 no rrascn w5y mara ei WO;n0a oi even % m moderu. . rcumstances sEoud not l1e wei dressed at home a. well as i.nroaG.
 But now many women arc t7era who si udY Lie art Of dressing well aJ home! They buy slippers and smoking jackets. i,,d stUdvinc-powns for their husbands, 'vnu., taev themselves wander about in unllul, scGrc-croW icgi'gs
 ferhags5 iC ls true .uaJ cr>n '' rags are royal riumcuL when worn fAr yirtIe'S sake, huL they ought to be clean-and sn ought lhe wearer otherwise virtue loses half it's charm.
 Many a wife is painej 70 observe the waning interest in her husband without Su,i cc i.l;s why or TOW, when, ;a truth, Ihc tTu'.bir .s iracea3le Co q Httle negli- -elicn O.. ier part as 70 personal appear lncs.
 Sne assumes that he is 70 lonvor iuI- pr. s,ei or niluenced lv thc a,2Tc ap- ,carance of things She uttices the raildrcu in their test for EiUl 10 sec and .acle ct unloveiy careie~aucSs.
 Belored rnauer, do you lot call uD many picture like thls where the we'll meaning and really deyoied housewife | fore-ors all personal adornmeut in her rlfurls 10 adorn the other members of ! Ier family?
 There is where she makes mistake. ! She ought to adorn herself as we'll as the Jj'erS.
 L vely woman, be advised, AGorE tho house you livein. Build conser rvatOTiea. Have flowers on your table. Besutify Get as far away rom tho ! spiritle reality of things as possible. : J1ive the imagination a chance. Have 1 pictures on vour walls hang your win iows with curtains; tie ribbons on your i chairs. The asceticism of the middle ! ages condemned people to sit on benches and live in cells. That will not do now. The ideality of mankind has biooned into thousands of new and beauttfE! forms of which our forefathers never dreamed. but in which we now take uR- limited delight.
 Woman is the centre of all adornme1t. Her face Is the faireSt thing upon which human eye has ever rested, and in the prevailing fash on. Old-fashioued peo- pIe who read Addison scarcely need to 1 be reminded of this.
 Tn" wearing of extremely low ,lresses, with particularly short skirts. was a fruitful theme for correspondents.
 REVIVAL OF ANTIQUE DRAPERIEs
 The French Revolution brought about sn eatre change of dress. Under the reign of Napoleon the ladies endeavored Q copy the costume ot ancient Greece. LSdies Of England followed the fashion md from l797 to about lSi0 shortwaists,