The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1905-12-06
FORTY YEARS AGO.
Excerpts Taken From St. Paul Papers Of
Forty Years Ago.

/ Regarding the latest styles Of hoop
skirts, lady, prominent in social
circles in st. Paul, and who has long
but vainly fought that article of
lady's wear, writes us: A we'll
known writer drew down upon her
self the walls of wrath some time
ago by her structures upon therevela-
lions made by the hoped skirts of
the young lady visitors at the COM
mencement festivities at Harvard
college. At that time the small
hoped skirt, known as the Quaker
was in vogue. What would she now
say to the bell shape that expanse
of crinoline which extends its area
at its base, and will not allow ladies
to stoop, sit down, enter a carriage
or leave an omnibus without such
result as should crimson their cheeks
with shame, but which has become
so common as to rarely extort more
than laugh or look of indiffer-
ence.'
Over these immense hoops one
thin skirt is often worn, and above
this the dress is drawn in such
way that the slightest disarrange-
ment of drapery reveals the "skele-
ton" in all its naked deformity. The
bell shape, in its most expansive
form, is the style of the new scarlet
and silver" hoped skirts, which
are extended to add their show and
glitter to the splendor of the coming
winter toilettes. Plainly, and pos
sibly not unwillingly, they will be
visible in the moving redowas and
wild galop, but we doubt if the
sight would add to the pleasure
with which any man would see his
wife or sister engage in these fas-
cinating exercises.
The rage of this season is for red.
Red dresses, red skirts, red jackets,
red cloaks, red in the bonnets, red
ribbons to adorn the hair, red hoped
skirts and equally bright scarlet
corsets. A garment may be opposed
to every idea of propriety, good
sense and taste; it may be ugly in
itself as we'll as unbecoming to the
wearer, but if it is the latest style
that is Endorsement enough; the most
woman would not after
that dare to question its claims to
respect and admiration.
What shall be done with this reign
Of scarlet and this reign of gold,
which has broken out like the small
pox or the erysipelas, and exhibits
itself in glazing blotches, in gilt
bands and brassy pendants, suitable
enough as adornment for window
curtains, but to our crude notion
out of place on the delicate and
graceful form of pretty woman
Men rule the nation, but women
make men. And what sort of men
will these women in scarlet and gold
and gewgaws make? Alas, not men
honest, true and incorruptible, but
false, treacherous, scheming men,
willing to sell themselves or their
country for that gold and mockery
of wealth, the love of which they
drank in their mothers milk.
A splendid specimen of native cop
per, weighing about eighty pounds,
was found on the line of the st. Paul
& Winona railroad, near Red Rock,
by Col. Crooks. 1t was dug up in
the boulder formation, near the
surface, and is probably a nugget
that has drifted down from Superior,
as copper lin place" would hardly
be found in that position.
When we approach the subject of
the weather, we feel very much like
throwing down our pencil and de-
claring our inability to describe it,
but we do wish to record the fact