The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-05-20
GREEN ROBES DO NOT CHARM.
Natures FavOrite Hue Does Not Be-
come the Dusky Dame or DnmseI.


come the Dusky Dame or DamseI.
The prevailing shades of green will
not be worn by the colored society
belle this spring. The reason given for
this is that they do not match the aver
age colored woman's complexion. They
make a showing in the elaborate win
dow displays of the big stores which is
a delight to the eye and a solace to the
soul of any woman. But, in the lam
guage of the South side chocolate-hued
belle, green won't do, l can't get it to
match my face" The fight, however,
was not given up without struggle.
In the beginning there were those who
imagined that the obstacles attending
the wearing of the green by women of
color might be overcome. 1t was worth
the trial. White women looked so fetch
ing III green, they argued, that cOlored
women should not give in to the belief
until they had exhausted every ex-
pedient and proved beyond all doubt
that green had no place in the color
plans of colored woman's wearing APP
parel.
y leading light of the circle went 50
far as to state, in opposition to those
who favored trial, that the grass and
the foliage of tree and bush found in
Africa were not green, but dun colored.
She went so far as to state that that
was the reason why a colored woman
never looked well playing tennis or
swinging in a hammock. The green
background of grass and the general
landscape established a clear case of in
compatibility between the complexion
of the woman and her surroundings.
1t was too bad, she argued further, but
it did look as if nature had not fore
seen the introduction of the African
into the United States, or else, in her
endeavor to make all things equal, she
might have devised an outdoor color
scheme which would have precluded
the necessity for a colOred woman wait
ing until the twilight time to play ten
his or to lie on the grass and read the
latest novel. A strong argument this,
as was admitted on all sides, but the
trial must be made. Accordingly one of
the more daring of the set ordered a
dream in green. When it was finished
and delivered to her she voted it at once
the only feather on the bird" Her Sc
lCct coterie of friends came, saw and
were conquered. Even the eloquent
advocate of the opposition, in moment
of ecstatic delight, said it was "out Of
sight"
1t did not take long for the news to
travel and in less than a half day the
belle in question was the talk and envy
of nearly every colored society woman
on the South side The word had gone
out that the wonderful study in green
and a duslly complexion would be seen
for the first time on Sunday
morning. 1t arrived on schedule time
But, strange as it may appear, it turned
out a veritable frost" she looks like
a fright" "She's not even grain of
sand on this beach" Nothing warm
about that" She would look sc much
better if she only knew what to put
on" This settled the fate of green IS
a color for wearing apparel in select
colored circles.
The colored belle will LOOK with en-
yious eyes at her more favored white
sister sweeping by her a vision in pink
and green, but it is more than likely
she viii seek the warmer tones of the
tropics to heighten her own personal
charms, and find much consolation in
that axiom which has come stealing
down the ages asserting in its own
quiet fashion that there are Others"
Chicago Chronicle.