Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-08-06
THE IDOLOF FASHION
tUlREy DR.. TALMAoE DEPICTS THE
TRAGEDY OF DRESS.

Evils OF Dress.
y BnooKLYN, Aug. 6.-Rev. DIR. Tai
mage, who is now in Melbourne on his
hround the world tour, has chosen as the
subject Of his sermon today through the
press 'The Tragedy of Dress, " the text
selected being l Peter fiji, 3, A, "Whose
adofning let it not be that outward
adorning of plating the hair and the
wearing Of gold or of putting on of ap-
parel. but let it be the hidden man of
the heart +"
That we should all be clad is proved
by the opening Of the first wardrobe in
paradise, with its apparel Of dark green.
That We should all, as far as our means
allow us, be beautifully and gracefully
appareled is proved by the fact that God
never niade wave but he gilded it with
golden sunbeams, or tree but he gar
landed it with blossoms, or sky but he
studded it with stars or allowed even the
smoke of q furnace TO ascend but he
c0lumned and turreted and domed and
scrollcd it into outlines Of indescribable
graoefulness. When / see the apple or.
chards Of the spring and the pageantry
Of the autumnal forests, / come to the
conclpsion that, if nature does ever join
the church, while she may be Quaker
in the eilence Of her worship, she never
will be Quaker in the style Of her
dress Why the notches Of fern leaf
on the stamen Of water lily? Why,
when the day departs, does it let the
folding doors of heaven stay open 80 long
when it might 90 in 50 quickly?
Quo summer morning saw an army
Of million spears, each one adorned
with a diamond of the first water--l
mean the grass, with the dew on it.
When the prodigal came home, his fa-
ther not only put coat on his back,
but jewelry on his hand. Christ wore
u beard Paul, the bachelor apostle, not
afflicted with any sentimentality, ad-
mired the arrangement of a woman's
hair when he said in his epistle, ''If a
woman have long hair, it is a glory un
to her.
There will be fashion in heaven az
on earth, but it will be different kind
OF fashion. 1t will decide the color Of
the dress, and the population Of that
country, by beautiful law, will wear
white. / say these things as a back.
ground to my sermon to show you that
/ have no prim, precise, prudish or cast
iron theories on the subject Of human
apparel But the goddess of fashion has
set up her throne i'll this world, and at
the sound Of the timbrels we are all OK
pected TO fall down and worship. The
Old and New Testament of her Bible arc
the fashion plates. Her altars smoke
with the sacrifice Of the bodies, minds
and souls of 10, 900 victims. In her
temple four people stand in the organ
loft, and from them there comes down
cold drizzle Of music, freezing on the
ears Of her worshipers This goddess
Of fashion has become rival Of the
Lord of heaven and earth, and it is high
time that we unlimbered our batteries
against this idolatry. When / come to
count the victims Of fashion, / find as
many masculine as feminine. Men make
an easy tirade against woman, as though
she were the chief worshiper at this
idolatrOus shrine, and no doubt some
AtAI4A IL VIZ l44Oib Conspicuous Dehi vi JiA'
pew have already cast glances at the
more retired part of the pew, their look
prophecy Of a generous distribution.
My sermon shall be as appropriate for
one end of the pew as for the other.
Men are as much the idolators of fash.
ion as women, but they sacrifice on a
different part Of the altar. With men
the fashion goes TO cigars and clubrooms
and Yachting parties and wine suppers.
In the United States the men chew up
and smoke 500, 900, 900 worth of to-
bacco every year That is their fashion.
In London not long ago man died who
started ia life with $3.50, 900, but he ate
IL all up in gluttonies, sending his
agents to all parts Of the earth for some
rare delicacy for the palate, sometimes
one plate of food costing him $500 or
&400. He ate up his whole fortune and
had only guinea left With that he
bought woodcock and had it dressed
in the very best style, ate it, gave two
hours for digestion, then walked out on
Westminster bridge and threw himself
into the Thames and died, doing on a
large scale what you and have often
6een done ON a small scale But men do
not abstain from millinery and elabora-
tiop Of skirt through any superiority Of
humility, 1t is only because such ap.
pendages would be a blockade to bust
ness. What would sashes and trains =
yards long do in a stock market? And
yet men are the disciples of fashion
just a. much as women. Some of them
Wear boots SO tight they can hardly
walk " the paths Of righteousness, And
there afe men who buy expensive suits
q ci0fhes and never pay for them, and
who ~ through the streets in great
stripes Qf color like animated checker
bQafof Say these things because
wmi a show you that ! ann impartial
~ n'f discourse, and that both sexes
~ fAe language Of the surrogate 5 Office
Fhall share and share alike" AS God
ma5 help me- ! shall show you what are
the aeaifoying and deathful influences
" inQf0lnate fashion.
Tho Nfst baleful influence 1 notice Is