The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-12-31
DRESS and GOOD MORALS
Humanity's Best Aspects Displayed
in WelLfitting Garments
BE NEAT AND BE CLEAN.

Strangers One IL greatly Judges nv Hts
Auire-To Dress with Care eraune. ths
Renned Taste and ssiErespeet, and Pc
veal. True Consideration for others.
Ware all more or less influenced By our
.lothes When we are in our best coats and
Sunday bonnets we are In a manner morally
,tarchei and honorably stiffened. tits not the
consciousness OF our attire that puts us at our
ease and gives us the assurance and self-pos-
session to appear at our best. but the uncon-
seriousness Of it. And this uncon sciousnes s is
the result Of careful preparation and satisfac-
ton. II lie not the man In perfectly accurate
evening dress who IL thinking about his
clothes at the opera. but the man who forgot
his white gloves or whose dress suit lie not
quite up to date In some nne point The worst
Of it is he cannot disabuss his mind
Of the idea that everybody in the house
Is thinking about his clothes. too. and for
him even the ballet IL tame and the prima
donna has no charm. The exdulsitely cos
tuned woman. after she once assures herself
that everything about her toilet Is properly
adjusted and becoming. forRets all about her
appearance. The woman in the shabby bon
net and the last years gown cannot forget her
clothes for moment
OF course. there is occasionally a man or
swoman so absorbed as to be unconscious OF
lation. for It may be set down as the result Of
carelessness or concelt and neither is a very
eommendable virtue. A man may be un-
conscious that his collars and cuffs are irayed.
that his necktle is askew. his coat badly lifted
and shiny at the seams his hat two seasons
back in style. This may be because he con-
slders himself too great In some special line to
waste a thought upon his dress. which Inn
mediately betrays his vanity, for there Is quite
IL. L.. n -
great fastidiousness. only OF different
kind. OR II may be from want OF balance and
breadth In views. Such q man may be as
profound as Sophocles. but he needs some-
thing to complete him. He does not Join his
circle. and through the gap creep out all the
little loves and little pleasures that give
charm to life. Rarely is such a man passion
ately loved by woman. He may be respected
and honored. and perhaps half pityingly. half
reverentially loved by some sweet-hearted
Dorothea. who will marry him perhaps. and
then be wretchedly annoyed all the rest OF her
life by this very superiority TO conventionality
which she thought she admired.
With woman this Inconsistencies Of dress
Is yet more to be deplored than with a man.
man may be forgiven for indifference. but a
woman Is accounted guilty Of treason to her
sex and Is lawbreaker in her own country
Beauty does not help her. talent does not ex-
cuse. cleverness does not condone her offence
Besides II women, because o; higher educA-
tion and the rest OF It lose all interest In their
raiment and grow dowdy as they grow intel
lectual. the tyrant man will assert himself
more aggressively than ever and demand the
suppression OF education and intellect. not
only on account Of beauty. but because OF the
depression in trade. It IL always intensely
amusing to hear men complain OF the eItrava-
gance OF women when. II II were not for this
so-called extravaganza. manufacturers. Jewell
lers. merchants. importers, dressmakers. fur
riers. and milliners would have to go out OF
business 1t takes an army OF trained arti-
sans to get one great lady ready for ball.
When she is dressed from the tip Of her satin
slippers to the topmost diamond In her tiara
she Is the product OF dozen artistic trades
and represents some OF the mightiest interests
In commerce. 1t was the demand for the fine
things of all WON ems adjoining as we'll as the
sacrifice OF one woman's ornaments that led to
the discovery OF the New World.
Besides. dress is one OF the greatest re-
formers and civilizers In the world. As
q rule. dirt and slovenliness go together.
When women begin to dress they begin
to bathe as we'll. and. allowing for tho
few inevitable exceptions. fne appearance
without presupposes cleanliness and tidiness
In the garments unseen. French gown and
lonnet are the guarantees or oil manner OF
dalntiness within. for 1t Is as modish to be
fresh garments as TO be extrayagant with
dress and Jewels. Cleanliness Is, indeed. next
TS vt &c
beyond cayll the refining tendency OF dress
the Il .s 'wSSS
subdue in the last Of the Kusts the heritage OF
generations q coarse and BRUTAL ancestors.
girls. with ali the daintiness in dress, the del
icaey and care in the natter Of bathing. the
became a man was always noticeabls In his
toilet, and this she considered one OF the
II Rs fs;S 81:
ill:temPered girl. and when she has on q deli
boil, the cruelty Of her nature goes to sleep
with a smile on its Ratchet face, the luminosity
Il H.. e % 50
4, The beneyolenee OF vanity Is as soitening In
Its influence as the bsHeyolspes Of pleassuIs
cred By many mothers with careless. stoop-
shouldsrsd growing daughters, A mother
blouse waist and dull schoolgirl frooks after
having tried everything for her daughters
aud braces without any good results. And
the now carefully fitted dresses really wrought
ioVsd prcttg e sns and soon tooF PRIDE "a
the ne and appearance OF her frocks, me
quite spoiled in effect II worn by a doWdy
round. shouldsTed person,
important one. 10 this That among strangers
a person must be Judged by his or her appear
anee, With women the world is particularly
cruel in this respect. Good business men
admit freely that when = woman applies Tor
any kind OF work, from running typewriter
uD to managing an editorial departm ent In a
newspaper. II sne Is attractive IN appearance
and well and bscomingly dressed, she stands
q much better chance OF securing the place
desired than II she came In looking IKE
dOwdy. OF course. the reasoning IL not entire
~ wild and wide OF the mark, for a capable
man or woman Is, as rule, well enough paid
T. AFFORD Renteel attire. shAbbiness Of dress.
then, predicAtes one OF two things-either the
worker has not the ability that commands
Of course. IL sloVenly In habits and lacking in
the self respect which prompts every one 10
look their pest and be their best and do their
the world.
And. nnAlly. the Consciousness OF being well
dressed gives . self possession and assurance
that carries with Ii authority and influence. lt
has been said that MIRA Potter Palmer Was
able to control the raging and troubled Gle
ments OF that Board OF sQuAbblng Lady Man
sgers lust because she Was conscious OF AlWaJg
being beautiful and fAultlsssly dressed on all
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