Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1894-08-10

that he was strangled to death by his
wise's ribbons Our countries are dress
ed to death. You are not surprised to
find that the pntting up Of one public
building in New York cost millions Of
dollars more than it ought to have cost
when you find that the man who gave
out the contracts paid more than So
600 for his daughters wedding dress
Cashmeres Of a thousand dollars each
are not rare on Broadway. tits estir at-
ed that there are 10, 600 women in these
two cities who have expended on their
personal array 81, 600 year.
What are men to do in order to keep
up such homo wardrobes? Steal? That
is the only respectable thing they can
dol During the last 1 . years there have
been innumerable fine businesses ship
wrecked on the wardrobe. The tempta-
ton comes in this way: A man thinks
more Of his family than Of all the world
outside, and if they spend the evening
in describing to him the superior ward
robe Of the family across the street that
they cannot bear the sight OF the man
is thrown on his gallantry and on his
pride Of family and without translat-
ing his feelings into plain language he
goes into extortion and issuing false
stock and slillful penmanship in writ
ing somebody else's name at the foot OF
= promissory note, and they all 60 down
togcther-thc husband to the prison,
the wife to the sewing machine, tho
children to be taken care Of by those
who were called poor relations Oh,
for some new Shakespeare to arise and
write the tragedy Of human clothesl
VIII you forgive me if l say in ters-
est shape possible that some Of the men
have to forge and to perjure and to
swindlc to pay for their wives dresses?
l will say it whether you forgive mo
or not!
Again, inordinatc fashion is the foe
Of all Christian almsgiving. Men and
women put so much in personal display
that they often have nothing for God
and the cause Of suffering humanity. A
Christian man cracking his Palais Roy
al glove across the back by shutting up
hand to hide the cent he puts into
poorbox. A Christian woman, at
the story Of the Hottentots, crying CO.
pious tears into a $25 handkerchief and
then giving a cent piece to the collec-
ton, thrusting it under the bills so peo-
pie will not know but it was go gold
piece. One hundred dollars FOR incense
to fashion,. ? cents for God. God gives
us 90 cents out Of every dollar. Tho
other 10 cents by command Of his Bible
belong to him. Is not God liberal ac-
cording to his tithing system laid down
in the Old Testament? Is not God lib
eral in giving US 90 cents out Of dollar
when he takes but 10? We do not like
that. We want to have 90 cents for our
selves and for God.
Now, Iwould great deal rather steal
10 cents from you than from God. l
think one reason why great many pco-
pie do not get along in worldly accumu-
lation faster is because they do not OBJ
serve this divine rule. God says, "Well,
If that man is not satisfied with 90 cents
Of dollar then l will take the whole
dollar, and l will give it to the man or
woman who is honest with me-" The
greatest obstacle to charity in the Chris
tan church today is the fact that men
exDend 80 much money on their table,
md women so much on their dress, they
have got nothing left for the work Of
God and the worlds betterment. In my
first settlement at Belleville, n. j., the
cause Of missions was being presented
one Sabbath, and a plea FOR the charity
of the people was being made, when an
old Christian man in the audience lost
his balance and said right out in the
midst Of the sermon, Mr.. Talmage
how arc we to give literally to these
grand and glorious causes when our
families dress as they do:" l did not
answer that question. 1t was the only
time in my life when l had nothing to
lay.
Again, inordinate fashion IS distrac-
lion to public worship. You know very
well there are a good many people who
some to church just as they 90 to tho
,aces-to see who will come out first
What futter it makes in church when
tome woman with extraordinary display
# fashion comes in! "What a love OF
/ bonnetr' says some one. "What
perfect fright" say 500. For the most
ncrcilcss critics in the world are fash
.on critics Men and women with souls
% be saved passing the hour in wonder
ny where that man got his crayat or
what store that woman patronizes.
in many oI our churches the prelim-
mary exercises are taken up with the
discussion Of wardrobes 1t is pitiable.
Is it not wonderful that the Lord does
got strike the meeting houses with
lightning? What distraction Of public
worship Dying men and women, whose
bodies are soon to be turned into dust,
let before three worlds strutting like
peacocks, the awful question Of the
SOULS destiny submerged by the ques.
ton Of navy blue velvet and long fan
train'skirt, long enough to drag up the
EHuINll tslrlIf lllt lAttHbtbAlAA GADANi OA4ANNI
shop factory, fortune and the admira-
ton Of half the people in tho building
Men and women come late to church to
show their clothes. People sitting down
in a pew or taking up hymnbook, all
absorbed at the same time in personal
array, to sing:
Rise, my soul, and stretch thy wings;
Thy better portion tr.fe.
Rise from transitory things
Toward heaven, thy native place.
/ adopt the Episcopalian prayer and
say, Good Lord, deliver usP'
Insatiate fashion also belittles tho In
tellect. Our minds are enlarged or they
dwindle just in proportion to the i'm
portance of the subject on which we
constantly dwell Can you imagine any
thing more dwarfng to the human in
tellect than the study Of fashion? see
men on the street who judging from
their elaboration, l think must have
taken two hours to arrange their ap-
pareL After a few years Of that kind
Of absorption, which one Of McAllister's
mognifyinp glasses will be powerful