The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1908-06-19
JosEPH,s COAT OF MANY coLoRs

None of the sacred nor profane his
torians have left us a description Oh
this wonderful coat which was so bean
tifuI as to excite the envy of his broth
ers even to the point of killing him eX-
cept to say that i, was a coat OF many
cOlOrS."
We do not know whether IT was
made from a solid piece of many col
ors or from many pieces of as many
different colors. something on the o.
der of our modern patchwork quilt.
whatever it was it must have been
of one material, either all linen or all
wooden, or perhaps all velvet. as Il
was against the statutes to have CLOTHS
interviewer Of different materials.
Thou shalt not let thy cattle gen
der with a diverse kind; thou shalt
not SOW thy field with mingled seed,
neither shall a garment mingled OF
linen and wooden come upon thee.
So ran one Of the statutes.
Even since our forebears ate If
the fruit of the tree of knowledge
dress has at different stages OF the
world become more or less ruling
passion with men and women 81
wealth and leisure and every age aud
nationality has had its peculiar and
distinct characteristics Of dress.
vestments of the dignataries of the
church and kings and their courts, aud
nowhere has it been more pronounced
than in the uniforms of our military
chieftains.
When our republic was organized
it was not noted for its simplicity in
dress.
The prevailing fashion was the velvet
coat and vest, silk stockings. ribbon
garters, low quarter shoes with huge
gold or silver buckles, lace cuffs anil
shirt fronts and powdered wigs.
The dress of the women of the con
tinental era was even more conspicu-
Gus.
Before this period the dress OF
those who formed the circles Of fash
ion was even more conspicuous AMI
swords and sashes were a part o.
every gentleman's wardrobe.
The dress of the English beau OF the
fourteenth century was preserved by
one of the writer's of that era and
would put to the blush the dress of the
boy in fantasies of the present age.
1t was described as follows:
Long pointed shoes fastened 10 the
knees by gold or silver chains; hose
of one color on one leg and of a diff
ferent color on the other; short
breaches which reach to the middle
of the thighs; a coat the one half
white, the other half black: a long
beard; a silk hood buttOned under the
chin, embroidered with grotesqua
figures of animals, and dancing men
and women, etc.
This dress we are told was the very
height of fashion during the reign %
Edward III of England, and it will be
remembered that this was several
thousand years after the account gil
en- us of Joseph's coat of many col
Ors."
At the time of the reformation
and the severity in religious affairs
which followed it there was a tOning
down of dress and at a later period w
see the plain and peculiar dress nf
the Quakers and the Methodist. I'M
der the leadership of John Wesley.
made a special inhibition against the
wearing of ornaments and costly ar
tire.
This is the age Of simplicity in
dress, and men and women are gov
erned more for comfort than for shoy
and even our military and naval uni
forms are less hashy than in former
times
The flowing garments OF the Orien-
tails are gradually being discarded an
the plain European dress is being
adopted by all nations.
A coat Of many colors" would not
now create envy among any people
anywhere on the face of the earth x
cept perhaps among the Seminole I'm
dians in the Florida Everglades