Middletown transcript., 1898-04-16

ordinate scantnesse of clothing. AlasI
some of them shewen the bose and
the shape cf the horrible swollen MEM
bres, that seem like to the maladie Of
Hernia, in the wrapping of the hosen,
and exc the buttokkes of hem behinde,
that faren as it were the hinder part Of
a she ape in the full of them cne." The
disgusting fashion of short and tight
breeches (which rather exposed the
wearer's nakedness than hid it," was
banished from France by an edict of
Chas. Y. The bsaux of Elizabeth 'sreign,
however, differed those of Chaucer's and
Charles times. They stuffed their breech-
es with feathers, rags, and other light
materials until they were swollen to a
hugh circumference, and at the same
time tho ladies wore larged hooped
farthingales, something like modern
crinolines, SO that ''two lovers aside
could surely never taken one another
by the hand" In print by Vertue,
Lady Hunsden, leader of fashion,
heads Elizabeth's procession to Lord
Hunsdon's. Her standing up wire
ruff" rises above her head, her stages
reach to her knees, and her farthingale
encloses her "as in capacious tub"
Disraeli says:-"The amorous Sir Wal
ter Raleigh must have found some of
the Maids of Honour the most impreg-
nable forti6cation his gallant spirit
ever assailed: ''coupe de main" was
impossible" Old Stowe says OF this
reign, in that time he was held the
greatest gallant that had the deepest
ruff and longest rayier."
We have seen an old French print of
Adam and Eve in elaborate Eastern
costumes, robed, jewelled. and turban-
ned. although we are told our Biblical
ancestors commenced with fig-leaves
and did not advance beyond "coat of
SKINS" The graceful and Greek-like
dresses Of Anglo-Saxon tines continued
to linger long after the Conqueror.
The conquest of France by the English
introduced French fashions, and these
and other refnements continued to
come to US at intervals from Italy and
Holland also. The English dress Of the
thirteenth and fourteenth centuries
was the most varied, the most bizarre,
and the most ridiculous. In the reign
of Charles II. the Puritans kept q
watchful and bilious eye upon every
change of fashion. "When courtiers
wore monstrous wigs, they cut their
hair sboIt;when they adopted hats with
broad plumes, they clapped on round
black caps. and screwed up their pale
religious faces; and when shoe buckles
were revived, they wore strings" So
is soured human nature.
We must not suppose that we have
arrived at the "Ultima Thule" of dress
yet. Possibly, judging from the trend
of fashion, in course of time things
will veer round and each sex adopt the
costume of the other, the men wearing
petticoats or kills which would be far
more becoming than the present scanty
jackets and tight trousers-and the
women wearing long coats or blouses,
and breeches or Turkish trousers. A
dress must be one which gives
the largest freedom to the body, is
healthiest, lightes, most comfortable,
and best adapted to climate and sea-
son. For picturesqueness, perhaps the
modern native Greek dress surpasses
all others. For purposes of coquetry,
it would seem that concealment is most
effective. Tacitus tells as that the
beautiful Poppea exposed only "a part of
her face ITO irritate curiosity" and to
heighten by imagination the perfection
,f the remainder. But whatever we
wear, or however we dress, that must
De most rational which best suits our
comfort and our circumstances, and
whether knickerbockers or skirts, is of
40 lawful concern to any Of the Peep
ng Toms, Paul Prys, and llp-pursed
Drudes who howl at any change Of re-
;reation in which they do not partici-
'ate. They who make the loudest out
'ry are probably those whose unshape-
ankles and legs will not bear inspec-
ion. but as the race improve in SYM
netry, and well-formed limbs become
General, it is likely that very short
resses for the women, and knee
'resches, as in the graceful olden times,
or the men. will be the universal fash
on.