The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1888-02-10
,TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Fourth Sermon of the Series to the
Women of America.
Ehe "DomfnIon of Fashion, and It's Sway
Over Its VOtaries-Dress the Index
QfNatiOna1 and Individual Morale
Some Sharp Hints.


Rev. T. Dewitt TaImage in the four tn
of America, with Important Hints to
Men, Took for his subject the "Domini-
on of Fashion" His text was from
Deuteronomy xii, 5:
The woman shall not wear that which per-
taineth unto man, neither shall man put
IN woman's garments; for al that do so are
1bomjnation unto the Lord thy God.
DIR. Talmage said: In this the fourth
sermon of the series of sermons, l wish
those who hear to bear in mind that take
into consideration not only those whom I
have before me on Sabbath days, but the
wider audienc opened through thelprinting
press; and while some things may not be
particul arly appropriate for one locality,
they are appropriate for many other
localities. And here I will tell a secret
that 1 have never before told in 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 ished
chiefly went to positively religious fami-
lies. So I 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
13 800, 900 copies of my discourses pub
lished in this country, and about 4, O0Q 900
in other lands, whether English speaking
countries or by translation in many for
eign tongues. 1 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 1 give
wide scope to these discourses and ad-
dress them ''bo 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
sentimentalist, and 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
filed with the thunder of Mount Sinai,
declares that womanly attire must be
in marked contrast with mas culine
attire and infraction of that law
excites the Indignation of high
Heaven. just in proportion as
the morals of a country or any age are
depressed is that law defied. Show me
the fashion plates of any century from
the time of the dsluge to this and l 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
little too far in imita tion of masculinity,
and the whole custom, by the good sense
| of American womanhood, is obliterated.
m ~ -. IL
ferent and in the same country may
change, but there is "a divinely ordered
dissimilarity which must be forever OBJ
served. Any divergence from this is 9d-
ministrative of vice, and runs against the
keen thrust of the text, which says:
The woman shall not wear that which per-
eaineth unto man, neither shall man put on a
woman's garments, for all that do so are abom-
nation unto the Lord, thy God.
Many years ago a French authoress,
signing herself George Sand, by her COR
rupt but brilliant writings depraved homes
and libraries innumerable, and wasa liter
ary grandmother of all the present French
and American authors who have written
| things so much worse that they have
made her putrefaction quite presentabie.
| 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 and womenly men. What a
sickening thing it is to see a man copying
{ the speech, the walk, the manner of a
woman. The trouble is that they do not
initiate a sensible woman, but some
female imbecile. And they simper, and
they go with mincing step, and lisp,
| and scream at nothing, and take a
| languishing look, and bang their hair, and
| are the nauseation of honest folks of both
sexes. o, man, be a mani You belong
| to quite respectable sex. The starting
| figure of the human race was man. Do
not try to cross over, and so become a
! hybrid, neither one nor the other, but a
! failure, halfway between.
| Alike repugnant are masculine women.
| They copy mans stalking gait and go
| down the street with the stride of a
/ waking beam. They wish they could
| smoke cigarettes, and some of them do.
| They talk boisterously and try to sing
! bass. They do not laugh, they roar.
! They can not quite manage the broad
| profanity of the sex they rival, but their
! conversation is Often a half-swear, and
| if they said go Lord" in earnest pra yer
as often as they said it in lfghtness, they
would be high up in sainthood.
In my text, as by parable or figure of
! speech, it is made evident that Moses, the
/ inspired writer, as vehemently as our
/
/ and the masculine woman:
The woman shall not wear that which per
/ taineth unto man, neither shall a man put on
/ womau's garments; for all that do so are
| RbominatiOn unto the Lord thy God.
NY text also sanctions fashions. In
deed, it sets a fashion. There is a great
/ deal of senseless cant on the subject of
fashion. woman or man who does not
regard it is unfit for good neighborhood.
! The only question is, what is right fashion
| and what is wrong fashion. Before / stop
/ / want to show you that fashion has been
one of the most potent of reformers and one
| of the vilest of usurpers. Sometimes it has
been an angel from Heaven, and at others
| IL has been the mother Of denominations.
As the world grows better there will be an
/ much fashion as now, but it will be a
| righteous fashion. In the future life white
robes always have been and always viii
! be in the fashion.
There are men who pride tn emselves on
! their capacity to stick" others. They
say; Il have brought him down; didn't
! make him squirm - Others pride them
selves on their outIandish apparel They
boast on being out of the FASH
ion. Z@v wear a queer hat. They
/ ri6c in an odd carriage. By dint
of perpetual application they wonld per-
suade the world that they are perfectly
Indifferent to public opinion. They are
more proud OF being t'out OF Tas mon" IN an
others are of being in. They are utterly
and universally disagreeable. Their
rough corners have never been worn of.
They prefer hedgehog to a lamb
The accomplishments Of life are IA no
| wise productive Of efeminacy or enerva
tion. Good manners and respect for the
tastes of others are Indispensable. The
good book speaks favorably Of those who
/ are a ''peculiar'' people; but that does
/ not sanction the be bavior Of queer people.
There is no excuse, under any circumstan-
ces, for not being and acting the lady or
J gentleman. Rudeuess Is sin. We have