The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-24
WOMAN OF FASHION.

New York. March 2S.-The fashionable
world goes to church these days; partly
because there is nothing else to do, and
partly because it is. socially. the proper
thing, not to speak of morally. Perhaps
there is also a feeling that it is the last
chance, for the summer is coming on
apace and hot weather soon willis ones
good resolutions for regular attention to
ones weekly devotions. If, then, fash
ionable folk can ease their consciences a
bit by wearing sackcloth and ashes for
six or seven weeks that is one of the
benefits derived from the season. The
sackcoth and ashes raiment, however, is
decidedly fgurative. for the materials are
anything but coarse and the hues far
from ashen. But then, women have al
ways had the reputation of being able
to perform their devotions with much
greater ease and grace when becomingly
attired in fashionable gowns than when
draped in the proverbial sackcloth-a gen.
eral term among womenkind for any old
or unattractive gown. This is true of
women in any ether phase of life. They
walk better and talk better when they
know they are well dressed. For the mat
ter of that, l think 1t was Thackery, or
some other frank-spoken, honest man who
confessed to a weakness of that sort him
self. A woman may well be pardoned for
this. She has had to rely upon her good
looks for her blessings so long that it is
small wonder the habit should have be-
come second nature.
Whether the New Woman is possessed
of this quality remains to be seen. If
vanity is looked upon as a sin, of course
she will have none of it, for according
to recent treatises on the New Woman
by subjects of the treatise, this creature
is perfect, and has no qualities that are
Objectionable.
But either the women one sees on the
streets just after a fashionab BILE congrega-
ton has received its benediction, are not
new" or else they have taken up vanity
as a cult and have apotheosized ii into
a quality which their Puritan forefathers
would not recognize as the worst of sins
The example of the lily of the field has
little influence upon them except to in
duce them to pluck and wear 1t. This
they do with indefatigable energy. and
ufacturer comes to the rescue. Not only
the lily but the rose and the tulip and
the marigold and all the lovely flowers
that grow are simulated for the adorn-
ment of woman--"new" or old" it mat
ters not which.
This flower craze is French fad, but
1t is rapidly becoming naturalized into
the most American of fashions. A hat
with an entire brim of flowers Is an or
binary thing In the millinery world and
the flower boa is as much of a necessity
as the yawning and UNAUTHORIZED mink
of he winter season. They arc hung W
behind the show cases and slowed away
in boxes, and taken as a matter of course.
like ones spring cape of bonnet 4
pretty fancy in this line was a boa made
Of verbenas. With a draped jabot OF
lace at the front. The lace used with these
flowers is cream colored and ten or
twelve inches wide. II takes about three
quarters of a yard. and an uptown store
was selling of cream lace wells for the
purpose at a very rapid rate. In the use
Of flowers for trimming. combinations