Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1895-03-08

money in the pockets; clouded sill
stockings, but no legs; a club OF hai
behind, larger than the head that car
rics it; hat of the size OF sixpenc
on block not worth farthing."
Milk and wine have each been use,
for the bath and beauty. Poppe;
bathed in asses milk. Modern youn,
ladies have had to be satisfied will
that of cows. But when the wrinkles
begin to appear they have bathed il
wine, white wine by preference, be
cause its astringency reduces these
tell-tales. Lord Shrewsbury demand
ed an increased allowance from the
government when he guarded Mary
Queen OF Scots because of the grea,
expense to which that royal lady's
wine baths came.
In vain, from age to age, have
sumptuary laws been leveled against
ostentation and luxury in food and
clothing. The love of liberty has
proved stronger than the love OF mo-
nopoly. 1T is no ones business how
/ spend my money" say the persons
who own it. This is quite true if we
make one exception. The moralist
has the right to criticise their method
if it should appear to be against good
taste and public morality. Liberty al
lows us to do many things that are not
for the common good. And it is from
the lash of the satirist and the in
creasing good sense of the community,
and not from legislation, that moral
improvements are brought about.
Vices are killed by scorn and ridicule
and public disapprobation, and not by
act OF parliament.
II is competent, therefore, for any
one who can afford to spend thous-
and guineas on orchids to adorn a
single banquet, but it is also within
the right of the moralist or political
economist to enquire if extravaganza
such as this is for the public good or
evil.
One of the many proclamations of
Queen Elizabeth against "the excess
of apparel" mentioned 1.-the wasting
and uHdoing Of a great number OF
young gentlemen, otherwise service
able and that others, seeking by show
of apparel to be esteemed as gentle
men, and ailured by the vain show OF
these things, not only consume their
goods and lands, but also run into such
debts and shifts, as they cannot live
out of danger of laws without attempt
ing unlawful acts. And so she threat
ened to have them rated in the sub
sidy books according to the costliness
Of their dress. Yet while Elizabeth
babe everyone else to set a good ex-
ample, she had in her wardrobe three
thousand dresses which had only been
worn once. We read in Stuart times
OF five hundred pounds for knight's
cloak OF embroidery for lady's gown
at fifty pounds yard of one lady
wearing over 100000 pounds worth OF
Jewels at time; of duke one blaze OF
diamonds from head to foot, and these
he often shook from him TO see the
maids of honor scramble for them
and Of the great and wise Sir Walter
Raleigh wearing on court days seven
thousand pounds worth of precious
stones on his shoes, having his armor
OF solid silver, and his sword and belt
afame with diamonds, rubies and
pearls.
Thus the ostentation Of former
times was far in excess of ours
Nevertheless, there is still vast room
for improvement. From the highest
to the lowest the practice is much too
prevalent of living beyond ones
means; of making grander show
than ones position warrants; o.
dwelling in houses out of proportion
to income; and, generally, of aping
those who are superior in wealth and
rank. 1t is not the rich alone who
are thus guilty. The middle classes
and the poor are equally, and often
more, ostentatious in their way. We
are told that costermongers wear the
most gorgeous and most expensive
silk handkerchiefs that can be OBJ.
tanned to adorn their manly necks
He who has the costliest is the mosI
"killing" in the eyes of his fair ones
The poor prefer snowy furniture, chear
and fragile, to the humber but more
substantial articles. They prefer
sham veneer to a solid reality. II
is the same in dress. Good wooler
material is the cheapest, most com
Portable and most healthy in summe
and winter. Yet snowy, fiimsy, un
healthy fabrics take its place. Th'
stomach is often starved that the bacl
may bear fnery. Education and pa
rental training are made subsidiary tt
appearances. The young are earl.
taught the important lesson that tt
seem" is of more value than Ito be.
This sordid and paltry hypocrisy pei
meates society from end to end and
the source of much ignorance an
crime, folly and all sorts of prostitu
ton. People are afraid to acknow
edge their true position, and ashame
to be thought poor in these days whe
any clever rogue may become rich.
, it any wonder that peculation of q
dinds is so common as it is; that boy
in their teens gamble like hoary sir
ners; that maidens sell their virtue fe
a paltry jewel or snowy article I
dress?
( Notwithstanding all these thing
), ours is a splendid race, full of enerl
Q and ambition, but the latter should
tempered always by modesty ar
o straightforwardness. We do not net
to appear greater than we are.
q this, as in all things, honesty is Il