The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1888-10-27
SOUTHERN BEAUTIES.

The n. Y. Herald of Oct. IA published
the following spicy and gallant defense of
Southern women from the pen of Col. Pat
Donan, well known in newspaper circles all
over the country. Col. Donan's remarks
we're called forth by an attack in the Phil
adelphia Times on the taste of Southern
women in matters of dress. Col. Donan
writes as follows:
II am surprised to find in recent let
ter of the New York correspondent of the
Philadelphia Times savage and uncalled
for attack on the taste or want of taste in
dress of our Southern girls and women.
Speaking of the Virginia prose-poet of pas
sion and osculatory gymnastics, Amelie
Rives- Chanler, as she appeared at John
McCaulrs yellow-fever fund matinee at
Wallack's Theatre, this gifted but | fear
somewhat strabismic Gotham gossiper says
'EBut what was the matter with Amelie?
Well, I'll try to tell you, but of course it will
have to be in man fashion. l never saw a
Southern woman well dressed. As the dia-
lect of the negro fingers upon the lips of
the men of the South, so does the tawdry,
glaring dress of the negress betray itself in
unexpected places in the attire of the
princesses of the land of cotton. They al
ways have about them an Undesirable air
of having jumped into their gowns. They
are blind to the complimentary relations of
colors. No matter how richly dressed, they
are never well dressed. Theyoung authoress
betrayed these faults most distressingly."
"He then proceeds to excoriate the
youthful cyclone of romance and author of
1.-THE Quick or the Dead p for having a
peaked nose, dyeing her hair and topping it
off with monstrous lilac hat and plumes,
wearing an ill-ftting dress, mincing along
on Grecian bend heels of half a generation
ago, and divers and sundry other grievous
crimes and transgressions against his es-
thetic creed and code of toggery, physiog-
nomy and department for famous females
LOOK OUT, YOUNG MAN!
"For his onslaught upon Amelie of AL
bemarle leave him to settle with her OF
her with him. She is amply able to WELD
her own lurid hattle-axe. If she should
conclude to wreak barbaric vengeance on
his needless anatomy the barbecue will be
worth attending. The very heavens, ar
rayed in ghastly green and yellow furbelov
of cloud and holy terror, will rain fiery
sizzling pitchforks and scalping knives
with the scalps attached; huge chunks of
zizzag lightning; paroxysmal cast iron kisses
big as horse collars and seething with molten
lava, blazing bass drums and phosphores-
cent, kissing, bowling toads and scorpions
all forked-tongued and forked-tailed Anne
lie can look out for herself and her owr
wardrobe. l couch no lance in her de
fense.
''But in behalf of other Southern girl
and women who cannot sling red-het thun
der bolts thick and fast as peas from {
attling gun, desire to enter my emphatic
, otest against this correspondents unwar
rantable raid upon their unprotected clohes
lines. In such case one may well risk ,
Clover Club broadside of chestnuts to den,
the allegations and defy the alligator
Who made this correspondent judge o
women's attire ? Whose royal wind thump
ed him into such knighthood Of the CARTE
and other articles of feminine apparellins
too numerous to mention? He is bach
elor, like myself. How does he know tha
jumping into gowns is not the proper mod