The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-27
STUDIES IN FINE CLOTHES.
Puritan FOp-sOme Examples of |
Ancient Extravaganza.
From the New York Evening Post.


We must not wear fine clothes at the
present day. that is, If we belong to the
male sex; but a large proportion of as
would like to do so. It is perhaps the
only instinct which civilization has quite
repressed, and that is much; to destroy it
would be work for supernatural powers.
Every male crea ture is more brilliantly
equipped than the female, even though
it be smaller and weaker except certain
species just numerous enough to show
that the rule is not absolutely universal.
Darwin found sufficient explanation of
the fact, but they say that he began to
doubt his own argument in his latter
years. Many convinced Darwinians re-
ject it at present, but the alternative the
ory asserts that male animals are more
ornamented than female because it is nat
ural. Which does not help us much, says
the London standard. though we are not
unaware that the conclusion Is based upon
profound and intricate observations. If 1t
be natural" for man to adorn himself
there Is no hope that he will ever lose the
inclination, though evidently he may he
compelled to ignore it.. The boldest at
this time dare not go beyond scarlet ties
or socks. A spirited endeavor to introduce
NNAtASh NpdNS was IORbiAtQ IRON dIlS not
long ago. Nothing came of it. Even the
| harmless ebcentricty of knee breeches and
stockings for evening wear, which made
rather vigorous struggle for existence
some years back, could not survive.
But nature will have its own way in the
long run-if it be true that nature is inte-
rested. The change may not come in our
| time though it seems likely that one prac-
! teal objection to gay colors may be re-
moved before long, when electricity clears
| the atmosphere of blacks" And cycling
may cause the revolution. Already il en-
| courages a display of fancy in the matter
of stockings. After all, this is not the first
| era OF colorless clothes in England The
| Puritans imposed that melancholy fashion
| in their day, to be followed by an outburst
| of rainbow tints. Indeed, one of their pet
| heroes would never submit Harrison was
| the bravest of the brave and the sternest
| of fanatics, but fine clothes he would have.
| Moreover he liked to set them off against
| a duh background. Mrs. Hutchinson tells
| how the major general came to her hus-
| band, sitting with the Earl of Warwick.
! the day before the Spanish ambassador
| was received. Hutchinson was dressed, she
| says, in sad-colored cloth, trimmed with
| gold the points and buttons of
| silver. Upon this text Harrison dl-
| lated, pointing out how unseemly
| it would be if the parliament
| men appeared next day in rich costumes.
| ACCOluluBIy HUTCHINSON ana w dTWlCkt ana
all who heard him, wore black at the re-
cepdon; but to their ludicrous vexation,
| the saint himself arrived in a suit of scar
| let, loaded with gold and silver lace, land
| the coat was so covered with cinquant
that one scarcely could discern the ground.
and in this glittering habit he set himself
| just under the speakers chair"
| Harrison, in fact, never missed an op-
| portunity to make a show When Ireton
| died, cromwell sent him no invitation to
| the funeral, nor mourning. But the speak
er summoned all members to attend, and
| Harrison seized the chance. Every one
was in black, of course with sable cloaks
and streaming bands and the rest.
The rooms were hung with black We
| imagine the picturesque effect, and also
| the outburst of indignation when he
| marched in, scarlet from top to toe. I'm
dismayed. he entered the death chamber.
Great lords demonstrated; aldermen who
had charge of the arrangements apollo
gized humbly for their neglect to send
him mourning. What Cromwell did we
are not told. But in scarlet among the
| sable throng Harrison followed his com
| rade in arms to Westminster Abbey. The
| passion for fine clothes-could not go be-
| yond that point. But il breaks out where
least expected
| Charles Fox was accounted the most
! slovenly man in Europe among his other
| distinctions. But if he would not keep
| himself clean, nor troubled about any dis
| order i'm his dress he insisted upon having
| the Handsomely and most expensive artl-
| cles. He accompanied the Earl of Car
| Isle as far as Lyons simply to buy waist
| coats, and admitted the charge. But we
| must go further back to see the passion
for fine clothes at it's hottest. Sir John
| Finnets description of the marriage Of
| the Princess Elizabeth TO the Elector Pala-
| tine is worth reading on this account,
/ nrrI, aVfs n a re-
| marks thar such display had
never been seen in England hith-
| erto." This is a very bold assertion; but
| Sir John was qualified to speak. He says
that gold and silver We're the poorest
| burden men laid on their backs; pearls
and costly embroidery the least consdera-
| BILE of ladies' wear" Lord Montague was
VIGOROUSLY a pauper; but he contrived to
| find 1880 for each of his daughters to
be spent in embroidery alone, perhaps 5000
in modern money. King James himself
| complacently valued the Jewels worn by
his wife and daughter at f9OO,0O0-say f3,-
10000. Sir John might we'll gasp incred-
| ulously. Imagination can hardly picture
| Buckingham in the superb beauty Of his
| youth with "ropes of pearls about his neck
| and hat and all his person strewed with
| diamonds, rubics and precious Jewels in
somuch that he famed like terrestrial
SUM-" Elizabeth had set a very bad ex-
| ample. Dress was a mania with her
| Every schoolgirl knows that she left 1900
| costumes, representing every fashion in
| Europe. Stout Cecil almost ventured to
| protest. "Your majesty will think me
| great enemy to sumptuous apparel" he
| writes "that neither can spare my speech
| on II In London or Edinburgh" II was
| the extravaganza Of English officers at
Berwick which reused him on this occa-
sion. Passing through on his way to
Scotland, he found some Captains carry
twenty soldiers and some forty In their
| hose"
Good Lady Cecil upheld her husbands
1 protest by example. We have a droll letter
| from her steward to young Thomas, who
had sent or proposed to send a silk dress
| to his mother from Ireland. The honest
| steward recommends one OF cloth, with
some velvet in IL: for silk one "she would
make a holiday gown" whereas. II Il were
| Of common material, with your letter to
| desire her. for your sake, 10 wear il daily
| she would accustOm herself with IT, so as
she would forget to go any longer in sdch
base apparel as she hath used to have
| delight In. which Is too mean for one Of