Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-04-07
BONNETS In CHURCH.
WHY MINISTER'S THOUGHTS WANDERED
FROM THB SERMON.
Beauty Out of Place Vision Of Sanctuary Vowed
to Worship Only, Not to the Vanity
Of Dress

of Dress
Il was John the Baptsi's Day in the
city of S.. Lcuis. had been doing several
days work in Kansas and was on my way
back to my New York parish. In eight
wears had had but one Sunday of yaca-
top, in view of which I concluded to make
tits particular Sunday my Sabbath for the
week. So betook me to st. Georges
Church for worship and entered the house
of prayer with most devOut intent
The morning prayer was very helpful snd
got through without any serious difficulty,
p .rhaps because the reading desk was on
my left and my eyes were directed that
way when lifted from my prayer book. 1t
is now recolltcted that there was some
thing pretty, or otherwise pleasant more
nearly in front of me. What it was came
into full play when sdjusted myself IN
the corner of my pew TO listen to the ser
mon about to be delivered by my friend
the rector. Precisely in line between
him and me was bonnet-2erhaps the
ladies' would call it hat am not
learned in this branch of Knowledge, be
ing. in fact, the standing amusement Of
the ladies Of my domestic circle for my
absurd and ridiculous ignorance OF femi-
nine gear.
Hat or bonnet, il was beauty. Would
that had sufficient mastery OF the techni-
que Of millinery TO make my readers take
IN ali the details which were combined III
the creation of this cap. tai piece or orna-
ment. Instead Of such analytic descrip-
lion | must content myself with the uI-
satisfactory synthetic exclamation, "Oh!
but it was beauty" In general | may
venture ID say that the groundwork was
black and sOf. and lacy. o. that reposed,
on that chung, OF from that swung bunch
of leaves and flowers, the differences and
the contrasts aud the hsrmonies of the
colors and forms and combinations of VIII Oh
produced most agreeable impression. My
ewes ran iust over the top of that bonnet
10 reach the preachers face, and If they
inst one degree lower than that intellectual
face it fell on that beautiful bonnet and
whv should not be hOnesl?-g ladly rested
there.
How many traine of thought ran through
nv head began to call up the different
kinds Of bOnnets had seen and the faces
| mad seen below them. While | conld
not recollect single case Of lovely face
below bad bonnet, l recalled some great
dssppoiutments a rotable one in Paris, III
the days Of my younger manhood, IN the
DAYS of the Empress Eugenie's LONELINESS
and bonnets, when l made quite little
run to get in front of a carriage in which |
had seen such a ''love of bonnet" only
to be punished by benolding dark, ugly,
disagreeable, sinister female face. Oh,
much of that uned fying kind of thought
ran Though ny head while wac trying to
hold tight the thread of my friends dis
course on the rough, the lonely, the uE-
comp omisng, the un.Jerusalsm preacher
at the Jordan, while my eyes wOud drop
20 rest on that beautiful bank Of flowers
Then found myself wondering whether
this specially attractive combination OF
BEAUTIES had been made b. the stately
head who @o,s it or whether it was the
result of the lab rious ingenuity of New
York modiste whom | know, or whether
IL had beea imported from Paris or Vienna.
II was in the midst of these conf seizures
that l was recalled to sense of my condi-
ton by the emphatic declaration of the
prescher taat john the Baptist stood III
ne loneliness Of high integrity, unaffected
by Inc opinions of men, or thOle sentiments
OF society which demand that when we are
IA Rome we shall do az the Il mars 10,
and, in the language of the rector, ''if We
should have occasion 10 pass through hell
we should do as the devils do, al least
while making the Transit" This naturally
lifted me from speculations suig ted by
the sight Of the beautiful bonnet.
Upon goirg out Of church l found in
mvs IF neither admiration nor dislike Of
the lsdy who wore the bonnet. Indeed, |
did not see enough Of he- face to form any
/ opinion of her. But here was a set Of stub
/ bern facts. l am not woman, | am only
d man Am not young; indeed, l have no
ctild that IS not probably older than the
lady With the beautiful bonnet. Ny stud
ies have not been largely IN the department
Of &c .,hetics; they have been ID science
I
1 Christian minister, who is suspected of be-
ing on the edge of old age, and ~hor ached
the city very weary from he delivery of a
course of lectures TO a body of clergymen
va THE Mini tsrial Life" who was long
irg for the quiet sanctuary, who had heard
bu. two eermons in twelve months and was
hungry for the Word, and who had come
from HIS hotel to hear this particular cler-
gvman preach, because he had long regard
| for him and interest in him-3uch 9 bearer
hae worship broken by thing not bad, not
ugly, not disagreeAble.
"Shame on TIE old minister He should
Gave behaved betteIw l. that your com
meni? You are right, and what you say
~ true, and he viii try to do better ne1t
time But here is something which aciu-
ally has occurred, and it cannot he recalled.
Shall We not learn lessons from our misfOr-
tunes and pIiyations?
Men do not wear any clothing calculat-
ed TO attract attention, it is the women If
refarm comes it must come from women.
Will il? Where are those Daughters OF
the King" of whom we hear? Can they
| do no hing? Will they not try? | talked
It over with some ladies of the ST. Georges
cong egation. Any sueg sion from man
might probably peril the reform. Cannot
| Christian women seek and obtain from God
such a conservation of their ,thetic talents
and culture as will enable them to devise
some cure of an evil which il so great an
evil as TO retard the preaching of the word
of God? Plainly it must be the adoption
Of such dress as will not call attention TO
the individual wearer, and will not be gro
tesque or offensive 10 tie beholders. All
that is required is that it be tasteful and
uniform. l will not venture a suggestion,
but will describe vision.