Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-05-06


as il the very air itself we're filled with
the possibility of war. Great and little
nations are squabbling among them
selves, and poet-lovers are all wonder
ing who will initiate Byron and go to
fight for Greece In the meantime,
nearly all the spring hats are red. You
wonder at my jumping from subject
OF vital Importance to mere question
of fashion; but, il you will take the
trouble, as | did. to studyup the his
tory OF colors, you will fpd that there
was never time when war ragged that
red was not in vogue. am told that
during the OWL War in our own coun-
try red bodices were very fashionable.
They called them Garibaldis. Who
does not remember the red liberty cap
OF the Terror During the time when
we had that little unpleasantness with
England, who can doubt that the
bright hue of the English soldiers
ooats---as seen from their backs-in-
cited each American to greater deeds?
Them too, at this time every lady of
importance, who regularly attended the
fashionable assemblies in New York.
Philadelphia, Baltimore or Richmond,
would have counted her wardrobe ne
very poor one unless there had been 10
IL bfoChue, bdbiu tuubth Dhll
gown. So much for red.
Now, what effect does blue have on
you? The dark blue is depressing--.it
suggests domesticity, economy. but none
of the pleasures of life. As contrast
TO it, take light blue; and without fol-
lowing line of thought, you think of
the cold skies, of the robes wcrn by
angels, but you are unconsciously
chilled. That pale, heavenly blue is
too holy for us, who are essentially of
the earth earthly. Yellow, that wonder
fully pure shade, has no individuality,
oddly enough, unless ii is combined
with something else. Put yellow
frock on beautiful woman and she
may suggest sunshine, but she never
brings to your mind strong per-
sonality. Put black and yellow frock
on woman who knows how to wear it,
and with this knowledge she can laugh
at beauty. for as she moves around, and
you see first the bright yellow, then
the dead black tthis is most effective in
stripes) the individual woman stands
out as attractive, interesting, subtle, a
little mysterious, and distinctly feline.
Put white and yellow on young
woman and she looks like Dresden
statuette; she suggests to you bappi-
ness and gaiety; but you are conscious
that, as yet, her soul Is sleeping.
Now think OF the color of which it is
said that there are 70 distinct tInts--
purple. The faint violet, lavender or
heliotrope, call the delicate tone what
you will, is the color OF emotions and
Of experience, and tho longer you look
at it. even il it is only in the form of
bunch Of violets, the mora certain
You become that it is not adapted to
the young girl, but to the young
matron, or best of all--the widow. The
veritable royal purple assures you that
it has will Of its own; it controls
And it makes the elderly matron who
wears it assume a stateier walk, hold
her head little higher, and causes
her to think of herself as woman OF
Importance. There is another shade OF
purple that was affected years ago by
tho Greek hetaire-it is that tone which
seems spashed with red until it is
neither purple nor red, but a mingling
OF both, resulting in color that tells
of wckedness, of power, of gaiety, oil
sorrow, and of everything that seems
contradictory. Green, the color of hope,
should, in its light tints. TO worn by a
happy woman. Whenever she looks al
it it whispers of something better that
is coming; but green in its dull, dark,
dingy hue. belongs to woman who
thinks little, who economies much,
and who ia rather desolate.
Pink is the color dedicated to the
happy young girl; it is really couleui
de rose. 1t means ignorant innocence
it means love without fear. and il
suggests unbounded faith. Can you
imagine woman who doubted the love
of her husband putting on pink
gown 10 toll him of her suspicion? VIZ
all laugh at that character on the stage
known as 1.-THE woman with past, u
aud the critics count themselves at
very witty when they Jeer at her fol
wearing black gown. But that blacl
gown is just as certainly the express
sion of her wretchedness as the all
white one ia sy mbolical of the happi
ness of young bride. But, oddl,
enough. neither white nor blact
express anything until they are as
sumed by n woman. The woman
triumphs over the colors without color.
1t was Balzac who said that woman
character Internationally found expires
sion in the colurs that she faucied. II,
thought woman who wore yellow q
green would be quarrelsome. She Wit
nut OIL black without cause was not Il
DB lFubt6u. Iub WbdTer Oh Wufte buOult
be coquette. To The woman who wa
unhappy he dedicated pearl.gray. Ant
lavender, his thought, should be- wori
by a woman OIL her daughters wedding
day. But Balzac did not, at least Il
my way of thinking. discover all tn
subtlsty that exists in the heliotrop
tints; and neither did he find out boy
colors influence women and nations
How their influence is as strong as tn
pressure brought to bear by the mys
FERROUS waves OF thought that contro
the entire world at one time. Thos
waves Of thought that have their brit
nobody knows where; that roll fror
country to country like the ocean, no
body knows how: and that give way
in their own good time, to new waves
and nobody knows why.
By-the-hy, apropos of brides wearin
white, are you aware of the fact tina
the giving of wedding presents, excep
by one's kindred or very intimat
frieEds, is thing of the past? Di
you ever happen to think how vulga
1T was, this giving to every Tom, Die
and Harry, to whom you send card
the church to witness your daughter
marriage, the privilege of saying, "oh
dear, I've gotten cards from the Grays
suppose shall have to SEND them
present!' When good taste insiste
that wedding presents should not b
exDiblteQ. praat manu- who only cav