The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-01-31
"a
DOMINION OF FASHION.
Or. Talmage to the Women of
/. America.
gHE FOURTH SERMON OF THE SERIES.

ktfy III tne DrOohlyH IuOeTllaCle the 1OQrtn OF
the series of Sermons to the Women of
America, with Important Hints to Men"
The subject of the sermon was and the text
was from Deuteronomy xxi 3: "The woman
shall not wear that which pertaineth unto q
man, neither shall q NAN put on a wolnans
garment; for all that do SO are abomination
unto the Lord thy God DIR. Talmage said.
! III TINS, the fourth sermon of the series of
sermons, wish those who hear to bear in
mind that L take into consideration not only
those whom have before me on Sabbath DAYS
but the wider audience opened through the
printing press, and while some things may not
pc particularly appropriate for one locality,
they are appropriate for many other
localities. And here l will tell a
secret that | have never before told in public
About twenty years ago began to pray that
Nod would open to me the opportunity of
preaching through the secularnewspaper press.
Ihe rehgiouS papers i'll which my sermons had
been published chiefly went TO positively re-
ligious families So L asked God for the wider
Held i'll which to proclaim the great truths of
Feii9ion and good morals. In q strange Way
the answer came. And the syndicates having
charge oil these matters inform me that every
week there are now thirteen million six hun
dred thousand copies Of my discourses pub
liShed in this country and about four million
IN other lands, whether English-spealling coun-
tries or by translation in many foreign tongues.
L want people to understand 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
L 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 i'm
portance to have 1t discussed in the Bible.
Paul, the apostle, by no means sentimental
1st, ard accustomed to dwell OH the great
themes OF God and the resurrection writes
about the arrangement of woman's hair and
the style of her iewelry, and in my text Moses,
his ear yet filed with the thunder of Mount
Sinai, declares that womanly attire must be in
marked contrast with masculine attire, and in
fraction of that law eXcites the indignation of
high heaven. just i'll proportion as
the morals OF country or an
age are depressed is that law
detied. Show me the fashion plates of any
century from 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 divine
Law, but there was enough Of good in Ameri-
lean society to beat back the indecency. Yet
ever and anon we have imported from France,
or perhaps invented OH this side of the sea,
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
little too far in imitation of masculinity,
and the whole custom, by the good sense of
American Womanhood is obliterated.
Tbe costumes of the countries are different,
ana IN the same country may change, but there
rs ulNlnSlS ordered QISSllnlarltY WHICH must
be forever observed. Any divergence from
this is administrative of vice and runs against
the keen thrust of the text, which says: ''1he
women shall not wear that which pertaineth
unto man. neither shall a man put on wo-
man S garment; for all that do so are abonina-
ton unto the Lord thy God"
Many years ago a French authoreSs, signing
herself George Sand, by her corrupt but brill
liant writings, depraved homes and libraries
innumerable, and was n literary grandmother
n n oh nd Aroa
who have written things so much worse that
they have made her putrefacton quite pre-
Bentable. That French authoress put on mas
outline attire. She was consistent. Her writ
angs and her behavior were perfectly accordant.
My text by implication abhors masculine
women and womanly men. What sicken-
Ing thing il is to seea man copying the speech,
the walk, the manner of woman The trou-
BILE Is that they do not initiate a sensible
woman, but some female imhecile. And they
flmper, and they go with mincing step, and
lisp, and scream at nothing, and take on
}angushing look, and bang their hair and are
the nauseation of honest folks of both sexes.
y, man, be Il man! You belong to quite o re-
Specialize sex The starting figure OF the
human race was a man. Do not try to cross
over, and so become hybrid. neither one nor
the other, hut failure, half way between.
Alike repugnant are masculine women.
They copy a mans stalking gait and go down
the street with the stride of a walkinig-beam.
They wish they could smoke cigarettes and
some of them do. They talk bosterously and
try to sing bass. They do not laugh, they
roar. They cannot quite manage the broad
profanity OF the sex they rival, but their con
versation is often a half-sWear and if they
said 80 Lord i'll earnest prayer as often as
they say it in ligitncss, they would be high up
In SanthoOd. Withal there is an assumed
rugosity of apparel. and they wear a mans
hat only changed by being in two or
three places smashed in and a dead
canary clingng to the general wreck, and a
mans coat tucked in here and there accord
fng to an nnaccountabte csthctics. 0 woman,
stay womani You also belong to very res
pe2table sex. The second figure of the human
race was woman and so sometimes Il second
edition of a volume is the first edition i'm
proved and corrected. Do not try to cross
over. III YOU do you will be failure as a wo-
man and only o nondescript of man. We
already have enough intellectual and moral
bankrUptS i'll our sex without your coming
over to make worse the dificit
In my text, as by parable or figure of
Speech, it was made evident that Moses, the
inspired writer, as vehemcntly as ourselves
reprehended the effeminate man and the mas
Guline woman; "The woman shall not wear
that which pertaineth unto a man, neither
shall man put on womans garment, for all
that do 50 are abomination unto the Lord thy
God
My text also sanctions fashion. Indeed, il
sets fashion, There is great deal of sense
less cant on the subject Of fashion. A woman
Or q man WHO does notregard it is unfit for q
good neghborhood. The only question is what
is right fashion and what i, wrong fashion
Before | stop, want to show you that fashion
has been one OF the most potent Of rcformcrs
and one of the vilest of usTperS. Sometimes
it has heen an angel from Heaven, and at
Others i las been the mother Of Nominations
AS the world grows better there will he as
much fashion as now but it will be right
cons fashion In the future life white robes
Away, lave been and always Will be in the
fashion.
There is a great cutlery against this subnlis-
sionto social custom, as though any consuita-
ton Of the tastes and feelings OF others were
dep!ofahe; but without il the world would
have neither law, order, civilization nor COM
mon Geccucy. There has been a canonization
of blunucss. There are mon and women who
boast that they can tell you all they know and
hear about you, especially il it be unpleasant
Some 1ve mistaken rough behavior tor frank
ness, when the two qualities do not belong to
the same family. You have no right with
your ec0eutricties to crash in upon the scnsi-
tivencss Of others. There is no virtue nwalk-
ing with hoofs over fine carpets. The most
Jagged rock is covered with blossOming moss.
Tie storm that comes jarring down in thunder
strews rainbow colors upon the ky and silyery
drops Ga orchard and meadow.
81 There are men who pride themselves on