The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-03-01
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Fourth Sermon of the Series to the
Women of America.
The "DominiOn of Fashion" and It's Sway
Over It's Votaries-Dress the Index
ofNational and Individual Morale
Some Sharp Hints.

Rev. L. De lit Talmage In the -FOUR III
of the series of ''Sermons to the Women
of America, with Important Hints to
Men," Took for his subject the "Domini-
on of Fashion" His text was from
Deuteronomy xii, B:
The woman shall not wear that which per-
taineth unto a man, neither shall a man put
on a woman's garments for all that do so are
abomination unto the Lord thy God.
Dr. TaImage said: In this, the fourth
sermon OF the series of sermons, I wish
those who hear to bear in mind that take
into cons deration not only those whom /
have before me on Sabbath days, but the
wider audienc opened through the printing
press; and while some things may not be
particularly appropriate for one locality,
they are appropriate for many other
localities. And here I will tell secret
that have never before told III public.
About twenty years ago began to pray
that God would open to me the oppor-
tunity of preaching through the secular
newspaper press. The religious papers in
which my sermons had been publ lshed
chiefly went to positively religious fami.
lies. So asked God for the wider field in
which to proclaim the great truths of re-
ligion and good morals. In a strange
way the answer came. And the syndic.
ates having charge of these matters In
form me that every week there are now
1000 copies of my discourses pub
lished in this country, and about A, 900, 900
in other lands, whether English speaking
countries or by translation in many for
eign tongues. / want people to UNDER
stand that it is all in answer to prayer to
God that this opportunity has come, and
pray for grace to occupy the field. 1t is
not, therefore presumptuous when give
wide scope to these discourses and adj
dress them ito the women of America,
with important hints to men,"
God thought womanly attire of enough
Importance to have it discussed in the
Bible. Paul the apostle, by no means a
sentimentalist, aud accustomed to dwell
on the great themes Of God and the resur.
rection, writes about the arrangement Of
woman's hair and the style of her jew
elry, and in my text Moses, his ear yet
filled with the thunder of Mount Sinai,
declares that womanly attire must be
in marked contrast with masculine
attire, and infraction of that law
excites the Indignation of high
Heaven. just in proportion as
the morals of country or any age are
depressed is that law defied. Show me
the time of the deluge to this and / will
tell you the exact state of public morals
Bloomerism in this country years
ago seemed about to break down this di-
vine law, but there was enough of good
in American society to beat back the in
decency. Yet ever and anon we have inn
ported from France, or perhaps invented
on this side the sea, a style that proposes
as far as possible to make women dress
like men, and thousands of young women
catch the mode, until some one goes a
little too far in imitation of masculnity,
and the whole custom, by the good sense
of American womanhood, is obliterated.
The costumes of the coun tries are diff
ferent, and in the same country may
change, but there is dviney ordered
diss imilarity which must be forever OBJ
served. Any divergence from this is ad.
illustrative of vice, and runs against the
keen thrust of the text, which says:
The woman shall not wear that which per
taineth unto man, neither shall man put on
woman's garments, for all thnt do so are abom
nation unto the Lord, thy God.
Many years ago q French authoress
signing herself George Sand, by her cor
rupt but brilliant writings depraved homes
and libraries innumerable, and wasa liter
airy grandmother of all the present French
and American authors who have writer
things so much worse that they have
made her putrefaction quite presentabe.
That French authoress put on masculine
attire. She was consistent. Her writings
and her behavior were perfectly accord
ant.
Ny text. by implication, abhors mascu.
line women aud womenly men. What g
OBJ a. T.,
the speech, the walk, the manner of 6
woman. The trouble is that they do mo-
initiate sensible woman, but some
female imbscile. And they shipper, and
w they go with mincing step, and lisp
Rnd scream at nothing, and take on {
anguishing look, and bang their hair, and
are the nauseation of honest folks of both
sexes. o, man, be mani You belong
TO quite respectable sex. The starting
figure of the human race was a man. Dc
not try to cross over, and so become g
hybrid, neither one nor the other, but
failure, halfway between.
Alike repugnant are masculine women
They copy mans stalking gait and &c
down the street with the stride of {
walking beam. They wish they coulG
smoke cigarettes, and some of them do
They talk boisterously and try to SIM
bass. They do not laugh, they roar
They can not quite manage the broac
profanity Of the sex they rival, but theil
conversation is often half-swear, anG
If they said so Lord" in earnest pra We,
as often as they said it in lightness, they
would be high up in sainthood
In my text, as by parable or figure o.
speech, it is made evident that Moses, tn,
inspired writer, as vehemently as our.
selves, reprehended the effeminate maj
and the masculine woman:
The woman shall not wear that which per
taineth unto n man, neither shall man put OF
womau's garments; for all that do SO ar,
ebomination unto the Lord thy God.
My text also sanctions fashions. In.
deed, it sets fashion. There is a grea,
deal of useless cant on the subject OF
fashion. A woman or man who does no,
regard it is unfit for good neighborhood
The only question is, what is right fashion
and what is wrong fashion. Before stor
want to show you that fashion has beer
one of the most potent of reformers and one
of the vilest of usurpers. Sometimes it has
beenan angel from Heaven, aud at Others
1t has been the mother of denominations
As the world grows better there will be as
much fashion as now, but it will be a
righteous fashion. In the future life white