The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1905-03-04
BY KATE Epson CLARK.

The other night my beautiful
young friend, Eleanor, went to par
ty. She wore a pale-blue gown, low
necked and short-sleeyed. The rather
wide blue strips over the shoulders
were edged with lace, headed by pink
rosebuds. The square neck was en-
tirely outlined in pink rosebuds. The
draperies were full and fluffy to de-
gree, and caught up here and there
by punches Of pink rosebuds. Yards
and yards of insertings and edg1ngs
and narrow ribbons entered into the
composition of this goWn-and, to
crown all, the skirt was thickly span
gled with silver stars. Yet Eleanor is
only 16 years old-and not yet
through her prep" SCHOOL,
Now, for a fancy dress ball, as belle
of the Second Empire, or as bird OF
paradise OF the Megatherium epoch
{if there were birds at that time),
Eleanor would have been appropri-
ateIy attired But for the simple lit
tie "kid' dance Gas her older brothers
called it, to which Eleanor actually
wore her marvellous combination of
chiffon and lace ruff1es and insertings
and ribbons and pink rosebuds, it was
hardly better suited than it would
have been to take a journey in the
cars. And this was what struck the
so or 40 other young people who con-
stituted the Junior PatriarGhs',-Or
whatever fine name it was by which
re erio
and girls called themselves.
s.Hi!" laughed one of Eleanor's
most privileged playmates, boy who
had grown up almost next eoor to
her, Sky fell on you while you were
coming over, didn't it2''
"sky? ehuckled another Don't
you know a Christmas tree when you
see it? This is living Christmas
tree. bony for my present the big
pink rosebud that sticks up on the
right shoulder
Come on!'' called out another.
Lets dance around the Christmas
tree!"
And before she knew it, Eleanor
was surrounded by laughing ring Of
boys and girls, scanpering around her
and chanting, in a most inharmonious
chorus, Twas the night before
Christmas, and all through the
house,
It was noticed that at the next
gathering of the club Eleanor wore,
as did most of the other girls, sim
pie gown, with almost no trimming
upon IT. When the roguish boys asked
what had become Of the Christmas
tree she smiled back to them, You
will never again behold that vision of
beauty It is too good for you. / am
casting my pearls in other directions
just now
Privately, it may be stated that the
wholesome lesson was not lost upon
the young lady The trimming upon
the blue frock has all been ripped off,
and will be judiciousIy distributed
among three others. In point of fact,
there is enough for four.
y
At a recent reception, among sew
era1 highly overdressed elderly wom-
en-, one shone prominent. She could
not have been a day under TO. Her
hair was white and beautiful Her
face bore the wrinkles which the
faces of all welI-regulated old ladies
should hear; but above it lowered
ridiculous creation of white lace and
pink flowers, SO high and SO e1abor-
ate that it was almost impossible for
the polite women to suppress a smile
as she moved among them like pea
cock in full regaIia. Her gown was
made to match. It was probably sup
posed to have for its foundation some
sort of gray or lilac silk, but this was
quite buried and lost sight of beneath
the loads Of lace and passementerie
with which some ambitious modiste
had endeavored to hide it. Pink and
silver figured largely in this ornate
trimming
The present season is, we are told,
one of trimming there is
pronounced movement on foot, and
BY no means a bad movement, to
make all the old ladies look Young
But, again, let US plead for the .hap-
py medium
The women of the orient cling des-
perately to the veil; and in the foot
binding countries, it is almost impos-
sible to get mothers to spare the feet
of their daughters. 1t is said by mis-
sionaries that it is hard to- induce
women in certain countries to believe
or admit that they have souls They
will seldom do SO, until instructed by
their converted husbands Women
are everywhere the eonservators of
custom. Wise leaders must arise to
drive them, or else they will never
discard once cherished idol.
And now. in addition to all this
furore of decoration. instigated by the
stdrygoods trust comes the hirsuta
campaign. instituted by the dealers
In human hair. The bodies of the
dead are being riHed. we are told, and
all the peasantry of Europe are being
shorn, in order that our thriee-de-
mented women may pile upon their
heads eofffures which rival those of
the middle ages,
Lately, many clubs have launched
out into forms Of phiIanthropIc en-
deayor. This is well. But there is
another greater and far more essential
work than even making soup for the
poor, founding kIndergartens or beau
tifylng our cities. 1T il the nroper
control De this senseless. shameless.
=souIIess Tuggernaut OF fashion. 50
that the health Of hall our women