The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-10-03

Talleyrand once said that he would like to
| be belle for 10 years. q successful Gem
| eral for another decade, o successful statesman
for 10 years more. and to spend the rest of his
days in being Bishop.
Of course man, being a man. can't ever
know the JOY Of life az belle knows it; but,
| on the other hand, there is one period in the
masculine existence that is crowded with JOYS
| and opportunities the like OF which do not como
into the life of woman. 1t is when boy is 10.
or, at the most, IA years old lie is the freest,
| gladdcst being of all on earth. He knows
enough to be interested in thousands of things,
but bis knowledge brings him no responsible
| ties. he can talk with anybody-grand father
or the baby, poet, scientist or street-car driver.
He is bound by no conven;ionalities, as is his
sister. lie can climb trees romp with the dogs,
SIT on the honsetop go riding on the tenders on
! the cable cars, and GO swimming wherever the
water is deep enough. He has pockets, and he
! can jump over tennis nets. His clothes are COM
Portable aud also becoming, and he is bothered
| less by them than he has ever been before
or ever will be again. His Fauntleroy curs
have been cut off, so he does not have his
| temper all rntfied by snarly hair. He does
| not have TO learn to sew make beds; if he
| have any duties they are out-oi-dOors ones and
more than half fun He has few laws of
| pollteness concerning his treatment OF women
that he must regard. but they don't hamper
him much, for he spends most of his time out
| with the boys. He can eat anything and make
friends with any animals that he chooses to
"a fprh ic mats r., ;,a
is continually suggesting new employ ment and
| fun for his busy. happy body; and altogether
there is no existence quite like his. If he have
just the ordinary amount of goodness and in
| telligence about him all Nature-tbe trees and
! rocks winds and waters and rains aud all liv-
ing things-seem to be in league to make him
happier and heartier.
Apropos of iloomers-and really everybody
Is talking about them, boomers and bicycles
there are some very bright stories going the
rounds. and in one in the Argonaut Is funny
little idea:
" AS little girl, you are used to the crackle
of white pctticoats; as a woman, the frou-frou
of skirts accompanies your every movement,
and the effect of bloomers can only be described
az lonesome"
AS long as Nature has not provided any new
animals. my lady of Fashion will use seaIskin
and mink, Persian lamb and sable, ermine, bear
and fox rs of yore. Capes and collars. jackets
and cioaks. tippets aud trimmings so far are not
much different from what they were last year,
but little cold weather will no doubt bring
out many fads and fancies.
The Marie Antoinette styles of hair dressing, |
the Pom padour. and other variations from the |
now popular parting. are promse for this |
Winters girls aud matrons; but the same |
promise held out last year without any
results.
girl just from Paris gives some rather |
startling communications with regard to the |
fashions in that gay city. When one hears os |
complicated skirts-even fuller than they are |
now-aud made with shirred top or with Il
box pleat adown the middle of the front, it is
with sigh at the thought of parting from the
dear, graceful plain skirts that have been so
long popular But styles do not travel so fast,
after ALL and we ordinary American women do
not havo to take up a new one for several
months after the Parisians have started it.
Also. this same girl tells of square revers for
our jackets. instead of the pointed ones, of gay
Louis XIV coats of brocade with embroidered |
silken vests and of the lavish use of passmen-
tries and embroideries of all sorts for skirt
panels and waist trimmings. And buttons. she
says, are used for trimming-all sorts of but
tons, pearl buttons medalions, miniatures and
cameos all as fine as one can afford, and as big
and as numerous as ones pocket-book permits
The pet colors Tor the Winter are red, green
and bTown-a wide enough range so that all
may be suited, and matrons aud maidens with
Indifferent compilations can rejoice that the
cruel bucts and purple-reds are to be banished
Only girl with q rose petal complexion could
ever wear them with any composure, and it is
n relief to hear of honest. kind, becoming
shades like red, green and brown. Further
more, this maiden tells of patterned velveteen
i'll colors, like Persian shawl, to be made into
waists, From all that she tells we can only
foresee most gorgeous and butterfy-like gar
ments for the stylish ones. Those who love
sober attire cannot seek ad vice from the French
women this year.
Some one has said that men prefer women
to wear black dresses, but it hardly seems pos
sbe that that is so. Sometimes black cos
tunes are stunning-a black chiffon dress for
a pretty blonde, or tailor made street dress
for dashing brunei. For elderly ladies with
soft gray hair, black always seems o pretty
setting, if they have bright eyes and pink
cheeks; but for women in general, black clothes
are the reverse of becoming and also they are
usually SO gloomy -lookiug, that they please
neither man nor woman. However, black is
a great favorite with many women, who think
it particularly ladylike.
1t is said that only the Russian ladies appre-
ciate the becomingness of black velvet for
frocks and that while they use it q great deal
and most becomingly, women of other coun-
tries neglect it almost entirely.
Every one is gossiping more or less over the
coming international marriage that of Miss