, 1890-10-03

dress, their trlning aids TO
the toilet. and the thousand and one
bagatelles that go TO make a feminine
personality chic and attractive. Let any
decisive and widely copied fashion make
its appearance, and ten to one, lift hasn't
been invented by royalty. it has origi-
mated on the stage.
In Europe it invariably happens that
the great dressmakers who cater to the
world Of fashion exercise their genius
first upon creations" destined for ac-
t~resses, and a~ristocratic danes do not
hesitate to trail over the parquet of their
exclusive salons the identical styles Of
costume that grace the beauty of Nine.
This or Mile. That. of the Coincide Fran
caise. II a really novel and beautiful
gown is seen behind the foOtlights it Is
sure to appear later in the drawing room
This is not at all astonishing when
one considers the prominence enjoyed
everywhere by the theatre n its repre-
sentatives. Look in u daily papers,
and where you win find a column Of
meager details concerning the affairs of
the nation you will discover two columns
devoted to the stage, with additional
personal notes Of actors int actresses.
Nobody objects to this. At least | do
not For my own part / would sooner
read about some leading lady's Paris
wardrobe thar about the presidents cab
met or the gambols OF Baby Mckee.
The stage represents the amusement Of
the people as we'll as the legitimate eN-
ercise Of a fine art, and it is certainly
entitled to as much space" as the other
fine arts of baseball. horse racing and
~slugging matches.
Have you ever observed how little
attention women in society really pay TO
zach others dress, although oynics will
have il that they think Of nothing else,
and are in consequence given over TO
envy hatred. malice and all unchari-
tableness2 The fact is, where crowds
and conversation, or what passes for
conversation, are in evidence nobody
has either the time or the inclination to
notice whether Mrs. Asterisk wears silk
or satin. or whether her gown is draped
or plain. or what sort of shoes she affects.
You are too much occupied in puzzling
your weary brain as to what reply you
can possibly make to Mr.. Jones when
he stops talking, and therefore the mi
mute details of your neighbors' fashion
able filings escape you. But let n cele-
brated actress step from behind the
wings and pose for your benefit in a
blaze Of gaslight, with an accompani-
ment Of pizzicato music, and arrayed in
the sublime glory of a costly PaIisian
toilet imported for the occasion, and !
defy ever you, madame, to go home and
sleep the sleep of the just, ~untroubled
by fascinating visions Of furbelows and
chiffons-you cannot help it. 1t is of
the weaknesses that belong to feminine
human nature.
Without n doubt the most artistic
dressing to be found anywhere is seen
on the stage. An actress, if she have
not genius or even the mildest sort of
talent, can nevertheless charm the eye,
and thus indirectly the senses, by the
mere possession of good clothes and jew
els. When Mrs. Langtry first came to
America it is possible that the profess
sonal critics thought only of her acting,
but It would he safe to assert that every
woman, old or young, ugly or pretty,
who attended her performances thought
only of her-her gowns, the curves of
her figure, the exquisite tints of her
complexion, the precise manner in which
the jeweled pins were thrust into her
hair, and so forth. Milliners and dress
makers focked to the theatre, and in an
inconceivably short space Of time we
had Langtry hats and Jangtry cloaks
and Langtry perfumesan and heaven knows
what else besides.
When Mrs. Potter played Cleopatra
all New York went mad-over what?
Her i-mpersonation of the i'll fated queen?
Not at all You, my dear girl, know as
well as ! do what was the cause Of the
Egyptomania that spread like wildfire
through the feminine part of the metro
politan community. Were ever such
robes seen before? Were they not enough
to make the soul of woman sigh itself
out with envious ~yearning? That ele-
giant reptile the asp came into fashion
at once. Gold and jeweled girdles and
scarabei were to be seen everywhere.
The rich auburn tints of Mrs. Potter's
hair straightway created n perfect furore
for rudy locks, and the market was
flooded with all sorts of dyes and washes
warranted to do the business after n few
applications IL you hadn't auburn hair
you were nobody.
Then came Jeanne Hading, whose
tresses were also of this color, and the
red dyes and washes were in greater de-
mand than ever. Dear mel When i
think of the Hading bonnets, and above
all the Hading wells, which made our
women resemble an arrnv of Men with
Inst in the Nick of TIME.