The sun., 1890-07-31


ELIZABETH STUART PHELPS or Mrs. HER
BERT D. WARD as she is now, looks out from
her quiet Massachusetts homo and utterf
through the Forum a cry Of horror at what
seems to her the passing away Of feminine
modesty under the corroson OF the prevail
ing fashions OF dress, latitude Of speech
and familiarity with sights and scenes which
once would have been deemed unfit for the
eyes Of pure women.
To her thinking. the theatre, the ballroom
the art gallery, and the dinner table are
uniting to blunt feminine delicacy, and the
| time has come for q concerted effort on the
part OF all good people to oounteract their
corrupting influence. Already she is dis,
trossed because too often she misses In the
eyes OF the girls Of to-day the indescriba-
BILE expression OF the eye which distinguishes
modest girl from a matron." She Is
confused at 1.-The ease, nay. the
eagerness, with which our young girls
where the ballet is enough to make any
gentleman uncomfortable" seeing with
composuro "sights and suggestions from
which any pure girl ought TO revolt"
The promiscuous dances OF society seem
to her OF still coarser influence. The lib
critics OF the ballroom" startle her sense Of
propriety; the clasping OF a pure woman In
thcarms Of depraved mon, where she is held
"for tho length OF an intoxicating piece Of
music" !" 1.-THE styles OF undress which now
disgrace our sex." and the general tone and
manners. The prevalence OF drinking hab-
Its" among ladies terrifies this good New
England woman, who tells US that the first
young man she questioned on the subject
answered at once that he had "often danced
with young ladies who were intoxicated"
and that 1t Is mot an uncommon thing to
meet them too far gone to converse"
The freedom OF speech prevalent In
society sends the blush to her face. "In the
old tines" she says, "a modest wife hardly
conversed with her own husband as young
women may be known to do to-day with
young mon OF their acquaintance" She tells
OF q distinguished foreigner who thought
his hostess had insuted him by having him
take "a disreputable woman down to din
ner," though OF course his companion was
Of an exalted social position. Her pen can
not even describe the indecency OF the dress
Of lady Of high character and society
whom she mentions. How" she asks,
"shall We characterize the too-low corsage
with some nothing for sleeve; the lower
bodice with no sleeve at all; nudity covered
by transparency, and what is known as tho
V-back 2" Are our ladies'" she asks, moral
ly insane, or mentally? Do they know what
they are doing?"
Undoubtedly they know exactly what
they arc doing and why they are doing it,
and they are not mad either They are sim
ply making the most OF their physical at
fractions to the extent allowed by the con-
ventions Of society. as it is in their nature
to do. and as women have always done
under the permission Of custom. The ball
room dress Of this period Is about tho same
as 1t has been for centuries, so far rs ex-
posure goes Mrs. WARD has only to study
the fashion plates OF the past to verify
this statement. 1t was not worn In New
England villages. was unknown in the Pu-
ritan society of Boston. but 1t was almost
on the world OF fashion. The rea-
son why she discovers it now as q shocking
novelty Is that that gay world and Its GUS
toms have greatly extended in our day, so
that the historical ballroom costume Is now
brought to her provincial eyes. The
iress OF the ballet, too. Is purely
and II tho petticoats
nave been shortened during the last
or since FANNY ELssLERs dnys,
t has not boon at any sacrifice of modesty, |
or the longer dress may be more immodest. |
rhe modesty or immodesty are in the dance |
n the dancer, II they be present at all, not
n the costume. II young girls look on un-
Ibashed 1t is not because OF tho impurity OF
heir minds, but because the suggestion OF
vii does not come to them from tho conven-
ional dress. For the same reason habit
md custom prevent ballroom usages from
them as they afiiict Mrs. WARD, ac-
only to the high gowns and re-
trained manners OF the village tea party.
Yet there Is something worth serious con-
liberation in what she says, more partcu-
nrly as to tho laxity OF speech used and toll
rated In polite society OF this period. We
we're once provincial in our squeamishness
n that respect, but there is such n thing as
'Oing too fur In the opposite direction. 1t Is
lso true that more American ladies drink
vino than formerly. though the young man
'ho told Mrs WARD that they are often in
at balls presumed on her ignor-
nee and innocence.
King LEOPOLD DrObablV heayed n SIGH NJ