New-York tribune., 1908-03-15

are in that OdiOus captivity TO-DAY, and are
remain IN it for long time to come
Fortunately the women were not include
disaster. and so their graCes and their bea
have the enhancing help of delicate fabrics an
and beautiful ColOrs. Their clothing makes
opera audience an enchanting spectacle, q
the eve and the spirit, Garden OF Eden 70
and color. The men, clothed in dismal bl
scattered here and there and everywhere
garden, like so many Charred stumps; and
they damage the effect, but cannot annlhl-
late it.
In summer we poor creatures nave .
respite, and may ClOthe ourselves IN white
garments.-loose, soft, and in some degree
shapely,-but in the winter-the sOmber
winter the depressing winter, the cherries
winter when white clothes and bright colOrs
are especially needed to brighten our spirits
and lift them up-We all conform to the
prevailing insanity. and 90 about in drearE
black. each man doing it because the Others
do it, and not because he wants to. The
are really no sinccrer than SaCkClOth and
Ashes At bottom the SackclOths do not
care to exhibit their emotions when L am
performing before thcm,-they only do u
because Ashes started it.
| would like to dress in a loose and flow
ing costume made all of silks and VelVets,
resplendent with all the stunning dyes OF
the rainbow. and so would every sane man
| have ever known; but none of us dares
to venture 1t. There is such thing as
carrying conspicuousneSs to the point OF
discomfort; and if | should appear on
Fifth-ave. on a Sunday morning, at church
time, clothed as | would like to be clothed,
the churches would be vacant, and |
should have all the congregations tagging
after me, to look, and secretly envy, and
publicly scott 1t is the way human beings
are made: they always keeping their
real feelings shut up inside, and publicly
exploiting their fictitious ones.
Next after fine Colors, | like plain white
One OF my sorrows, when the summer ends
is that | must put of my CHEEKY and com
Portable white clothes and enter for the
winter into the depressing captivity of the
shapeess and degrading black ones. 1t IS
mid October now, and the weather is grow
ing cold up here in the New Hampshire
hills, but it Will not succeed III freezing me
out Of these white garments, for here the
neighbOrs are few, and it is only of crowds
that | am afraid. | made a brave expert
ment the other night to see how it would
feel to shock a crowd with these unSeaSOn-
able clothes, and also to see how long it
might take the crowd to reconcile itself to
them and stop looking astOn1shed and out
ragged On a stormveVening | made a talk be-
fore a full house in the village, clothed Ike
ghost, and looking as ConSp1cuOusly, all solI-
tarV, and alone on that plattormaS any ghost
could have looked; and found to my graft
fcation that it took the house less than ten
minutes to forget about the ghost and give
its attention to the tidings | had brought.
am nearly seventy-one, and | recognize
age has given me good many privileges, ,-
privileges; privileges which are not gra
younger persons. Little by little | hope
together courage enough to wear white clC
through the winter, IN New York. 1t VIII bt
satisfaction to me to show off in this way;
haps the largest Of all the satisfactIons vii
knowledge that every scotfer OF my sex VIII
envy me and wish he dared to follow my leaC