The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1898-09-03
GARB GOING.
TRENDS" GRADUALLYADoP
ING DRESS OF THE WORLD
One Members Opinion OF It-Demure
Gray-faowned Worshipers Of Olden
Times Have Given Place TO. Women
Arrayed Fashionable Clothes,

must surely remember how scandalized
were many Of the friends of; the last
century when Mistress Marie Wynne.
the mother of. Hugh, broke through
the narrow lines which in those days
were drawn about quaker women,s
dress, and following her French bent,
put upon her cap a bright colored rib
oon and bedecked herself In colors
more suited to her own-IiEht-hearted
nature than was the sober quaker gray
But that was many years ago, when
the quakers were stricter than now,r
says the New York Tribune. At least
so it seemed to the onlookers who were
present during the yearly meeting held
by the friends lately at their meeting
house in Rutherford square.
The sober meeting room where the
members assembled was not decorated
with the national colors, as just BOW
is the fashion at other gatherings, but
a sWeet-faced woman said that this
was from no lack of patriotism, butt
rather because of the quakers' inbern
dislike for the employment OF decora=F@
ton OF any sort. Be that as it nay:
it is certain that the latter-day frhnds
have given up the distinctive dress
which their ancestors wore for gen.
erations and have blossomed forth az
gayly as any descendant of the men
and women whom John Wynne dts-
trusted long ago.
A reporter pushed open the door
leading into the meeting room and in
stead OF beholding the sober, decorous
garb, there seemed to be fields Of
freshly blooming flowers, roses, lilacs
and carnations, with all the wild fow-
ers known and loved-buttercups.1
daisies, dandelions and the beautiful
trailing arbutus.
The absence of the quaker dress was
commented upon and a woman pres
ent said: **Well, yes, it seems to be
going out of, use more and more every;
year. OF course, some of the oldes.
friends will continue to wear il as long
as they live, because of their old as-I
sociations with it, but the younger
members, with few exceptions, do n6
adopt it; especially is this true Of tia
larger cities. don't see how they ever
called it becoming. I think it Is the
reverse. For myself, I have never
worn it at all. You see, when nay!
father and mother came east before
the war mother was wearing the quak-;
er gown and bonnet and she continued
to do so for a year Or two afterwaEd..
Then, somehow or other, she became
dissatisfied with it and adopted tie
more fashionable dress worn at that,
period by New York women. So we
children were not accustomed to see
ing the dress worn at home and conse-
quently we did not adopt it for our
own wear. My mother never put on
the dress again. She kept the old gown
in which she had travelled to New York
because, she said, it was reminder
to her of the many happy days which
she had spent with the friends Out in
Indiana"
'But there are some women here
who wear the quaker dress,'' said the
reporter.
"Oh, yes, some few; but you won't
see more than ten women today who
wear the gray gown and close bonnst
which their mothers and grandm others
wore before them. Now, just look
over there and she pointed out a.
handsome, gray-haired woman, whose
rich bonnet and gown would, in an
other assemblage, have given no hint
of her religious belief 0
'She is prominent friend, and yet
look how far away she has drifted from
the old custom
Just then the reporters attention was
directed to pretty little quaker sit
ting beside her mother. It was evident
that the vanities of this world had
tempted her beyond resistance, for her
little white frock showed hints of pink
through it's meshes and here and there,
holding it's folds in place, was satin
ribbon cleaning brightly, while her
golden curls were caught back from
her forehead by rose-pink bows OF
satin. She made such a dainty, pretty
picture that one could not help won
dering if, in olden times, the quaker
maidens looked as charming in their
sober dress as did this little fairy.
NapoleOn's Table Manners.