Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-12-16


painted, although she was dressed iI a I
nr1cAded petiicoat and satin Jacket |
Tor hor murning stroll. Hut when she
went TO the theatre 10 laugh at Nsll
Gwynn or 10 the opera to hear the
french singers her beautiful HAIR was
elaburHtely dressed with fuathers and
jewels, and she took off after she en-
tered her hoy the quiltei hood that
protected her head from drafts as she
travelled through the streets in her
aedan chair.
Nowadays hats and gowns suited to
the street are worn ~ the evening, laceH
and jewels proper onls for erening wear
ars conspicuous in the morning and
the law of good taste seems forgotten.
But there are soms women who dress
we'll Occasionally ons does meet
woman who In thu morning is gowned
in the simplest of cloth frocke, who in
the afternoon goes visiting in rich
elk and velvet and TRY bnnnet and
who in the evening ia fna AM! gay in
bright colors and lace, rich jewels and
rustling silks and all the furbclows
specially permitted to lovely woman.
BY the.by, fur is on everything from
tho ball to the dressing gown and from
tho street wrap to tho opera wrap.
Wamen always feel luxurious when they
have On furs. They caress one. They
make the skin look whittier, the eyes
brighter and clearer, and given warm
rnnn, wherein there are plenty Of
inwars and sumo sweet perfume. the
woman who goes 10 from the cold
wrapped up in furs suddenly feels a
iense of great luxury as she pulls the
soft, warm wrappines about her, even
49, .,I. I ~.
three beautiful actresses VINO always
looked their best in fur lined cloaks---
Lille Langtry, in sapphire velvet
cloak, lined with the skins of 300 chin
chillas; Olga Nethnrs0le, in an orange
velvet wrap. lined with ermine and
Mrs. Brown Potter, in IA green velvet
wrap, lined with mink. Ouida, that
artist in dress, always covers hur
heroines with furs, which for time
they always decline to lay aside, giving
the people whom they are visiting an
| opportunity to see them in the most
| picturesque framing possible
The skins Of animals seem proper for
women to wear, for one cen think of
the brave lover risking his life to hunt
| wild beasts that they may he laid at
the feet of his ladylnve to form mantle
for her, which will always remind her
nf his temerity. That sounds nice and
sentimental, but nowadays the bravery
usually consists in the man being will
ing to pay the bill after my lady has
chosen what she desires to possess in
the way of furs Every woman longs
for sables-- Russian sabluH but unfortu-
uately every woman does not get them.
However. there are other furs that are
wonderfully becoming and which are
within the reach of the average woman.
There is the blue fox. which is gray,
and which brings out the olive skin Of
the brunette in the most exquisite
manner. Then there ara mink and
ermine and black fox for the blonde,
who, il she has good bank account,
makes herself look handsome in a Rus
sian blouse of sealskin having high
collar of ermine. Almost any trouble
could be borne in such a garment, for
the consultations Of religion would be
weak beside it, There Ia something dig
nifisd about furs, aud yet how few
women are dignified.
The average woman, anxious TO be
uignified, looks, to quote my old
nanny. "as il she had swallowed a
poker. or, to quote from recent i'm
portatiou from Ireland, 'as If she had
/ GHkBD an bNlEH uuhB w fdlllrUU lBH, Jig
nifty is a something that comes with
years OF experience, and it cannot be
assumed. 1t is sngularly restful and
has peculiar charm of its own. Two
dignified women, as unlike as possible,
are the happy queen OF England and
the unhappy empresa of France, and
yet they are 60 dignified tiny and
so stout that shu Gun scarcely walk, but
all who approach her. or even see her.
are conscious that sho is a woman of
dignity, and while she In kind and
thoughtful and has been good mother,
yet she Is beyond frivolity, her very
atmosphere expressing the very hest
sort of dignity; the other tall, slender
peculiarly sad in her mourning robes,
hreathes the same spirit. The youngest
soldier represents to her what her son
might have been, and for him she has
kindly word yet one feels no matter
huw she may speak in kindiness that
ne would not dare answer her except
in way appieciative of the position
that she has held.
Real dignity does not mean stiffness
or arrogance, hut it ia that something
that tells US that the woman We are
look ing at has lived uut noble, good
life and that the time has come for u
to show her in our manner the respect
we feel 10 our hearts. The dignitied
woman ia the flower of humanity. iou
} know there are people who cannot dis
tinguiah between weeds and flowers.
Sometimes the sun has mnde the rose
come forth and bloom, surrounded il
, with lovely green leaves ami then VI
} around it have grown tall, poisonous
, weeds, and people who don't know tht
! difference reach out and grasp, perhanI
, the flower, perhaps tho weed, and very
often, too often, they are satisfied will
] what they have got and don't discover
the difference until their hands ar,
poisoned by the weeds, their eyes arr
hurt and often their hearts are made Il
: smart. How shall We know?
There is woman of 80, dressed in ;
] dignified way, whose children homo
her and who to-day is ready to sympa
thize with them in their sorrow o.
their ioy--this is flower.
There ia another woman of the sam,
age. and she bore no children: the,
t were too much trouble. Her hair il
hleached. her face is painted, and sh,
dresses like girl of l6 and acts lik
the fool that she is--this is weed.
, There is man who 10 loving ant
D tender to his wife, devoted to his chill
t dren, honest in his business, kind Il
! his friends; in fact, gentleman-tha
8 is flower.
I There is another man whose manner
] are too line to be true. who can argu
, one into believing that wrong is RICH
s and who takes off his best manners a
. he does bis dress clothes-that is a weeu