Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-03-25

and Swedish sovereigns. and indeed
most OF the German princes wear blue.
A ustria, like tho Papal Court, chooses
black and yellow. Russia is in dark
green, but England alono flares out in
bright scarlet. In a queer old book
in the British Museum there is written
out an ordinance of the tins of Queen
Elizabeth which permitted tho wives of
the aldermen Of Cambridge TO partici-
pate 10 the royal privilege of wearing
red. The order itself is rather funny.
1t reads in this way: " 1t was ordained
that every alderman who has been
made before Christmas nezi shall buy
for his wife gown of scarlet; and that
every mayor before Michaelmas next
after mis- election buy for his wife a
scarlet gown, upon forfeiture of 10
pounds; five pounds to the uso Of the
town; 90 shillings to the poor mans
box; AMI 80 shillings to the u1e of the
mayor. And that their wives shall
wear their gowns at the feasts follow
ing, Christmas Day, Easter Day, As
censibn Day, Whitsunuay, &c. To
forfeit 20 shillingH for every default
five ehillings TO the poor's box;
fivo shilings to the mayor, and 10
shillings to the use of the town." L
wonder bow many women refused to
wear their gowns on those special holt
days2 Fancy being commanded by the
queon to wear red fruck, whether a
red frock we're becoming to you or not !!
Nowadays, lovely woman would object,
ana lat her husband pay the fine.
Lovely woman must have been humber
In the days of Queer Elizabeth than
she ia now, though, indeed, even now.
when she goes to make her bow to tine
Queen of England. she has to dress
according to the laws laid down by the
Modes and Persians. And don't she,
nine timea out of ten, look like his
Satanic Majesty, with that bunch Of
feathers cooked up on her head, and
displaying every bone in her neck 10
the daytime to public that is inclined
to jeer at her. The average woman
does not look we'll in a low bodice
during the day. And when the average
woman is the average English woman,
her neck is litrls too apt to be sug-
gestive of meat sold by the pound than
anything else.
It's beautiful to see with what cour-
age English women will wear old
clothes! What lessons of economy We
could learn from them. They will cling
to an old gown as if il were pSarl of
great price. and fail to see why 1t
should ever be given or thrown away.
It's queer how ashamed We are Of any
economy in which we indulge. The
English woman ia the exact opposite.
She is never so we'll pleased as when
she is telling you that the dinner dress
which she has furbished up is really
several seasons old. AS II you had any
doubt of it! When big sleeves came
into vogue, about FIVE years ago, the
average American bodice either had
new, big sleeves put in it, or it dis
appeared with othor useless things,
into an innocuous dssuetude. But the
English woman saw no reason why she
should either alter or throw aside a
bodice that might still be worn, and
she was to be met, travelling over the
country, and looking as funny as posi-
BILE in tight. fitting little sleeves when
the women of all other nations were as
Stunning ballons. She is probably just be-
ginning to wear big sleeves now, for ii
fashion strikes her as good ahe sticks
to it. If you have any doubt about
this statement, just look at the pictures
of the royal ladies of England, and all
their royal relatives. Every blessed one
of them wears one of those abominable
fuzzy pieces that comes way down on
| her forehead ana doesn't permit her
own hair to show. The Princess OF
Wales has to do this, am told, because
she's bald, but / have failed to see why
all the younger women need initiate
her lie this outlendish mode of arrang
ing somebody elso's hair on their own.
which gives them stupid, weary look.
And how an English woman sticks
| 10 sailor hat! There is no coquetry
| in her manner of assuming it. Its
tilted well over her forehead, and gives
her u decidedly hard look. But you
couldn't convince her, no matter how
strong your arguments we're. that a
sailor hat did not look well ON woman
past 80, and incl.red to be red-faced.
| The sailor hat belongs only to youth
and beauty. II can never be- excused
| on the head of woman who looks
over 49, 1t is true the French MILL
ners have trimmed the sailor hat almost
out of all recognition. but it's impos-
sible to efface that severe line OF brin,
| which has made many a good-looking
girl seom hideous. We've had purple
winter. and we're going to have red
summer. Well, rcd dress Looks very
| pretty with the ocean or the mountains
as background. A RED bonnet may
be very becoming, and red shoes very
coquettish. but there ia one thing limited
at against which every woman's hand
must be raised, and that is-red gloves.
To have one's hand look as it they had
been dipped in dyer's vat ia not in
| teresting, nor is it attractive. And a
sensible woman wants to be both. She
wants her appearance to attract You,
and her mentality to hold you. Imagine
| making love to woman who pre-
scented you, on departing, with red
gloved hand to kiss! That would be
an abomination. And denominations
and pretty women ought not to be
| thought OF together. Pretty gowns and
flowers, becoming bonnets and fancy
shoes, gay parasols and new jewels. all
| these sound we'll, and do we'll combined
with women. But no denominations.
| They are the sort of things we pray
| to be delivered from. And one should
not only pray to be delivered from a
pair Of red gloves, but should flee from
| them as terror. Bah.