The Blackpool Herald. — 1884-07-11 (Blackpool, Lancashire, England)

FASHIONS.-It was noteworthy at the private views of the Academy, Grosvenor, and Institute, that all the leaders of fashion were dressed in black or very dark colours—greens, blues; reds, and browns of the darkest shades—next akin to black. Lace was the leading material, not only for trimmings, but for complete costumes. Many flounces of black lace were very popular, over colour or black. A very attractive black costume was made with a deep flounce of lace, side panels of pleated velvet; double drapery of lace, in front, with jet,tassels and bows of ribbon; black velvet bodice with a basque of jet fern leaves, black lace waistcoat and jet tassels; bonnet of lace and jet, formed like two large butterflies with joined wings, between which the hair was visible; velvet strings. The bonnets were very remarkable, for the most part small but trimmed very high in the front, and kept on the towering coiffures with pins mounted in real gems, diamonds, rubies, and pearls. A very showy bonnet was gilded and veiled in ruby tulle, spotted with beads, and finished on one side with a large ruby beaded butterfly. There were several hats in marked contrast to the bonnets, being very large and profusely trimmed with large ostrich' feathers and aigrettes of marabout. Next to black grey in every shade, from the darkest to the palest, MO worn.  and  OUR HOME Liva.—What a little world home is to those whose lives are almost wholly spent there ! It is a little world to all of us, but a great world to them—just their world, with its affections, its agitations, and, alas ! its animosities ; with its occasions of joy and sorrow, and, alas ! of sin. What scope for the working of the good spirit, and, indeed, of the evil too ; room enough for the practise of every piety, and of every impiety. Piety we define according to its derivation, thatr which is holy. This is the tree. But 'the tree is known by its fruit," and the fruit of the tree, "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." There is a very different list, in which we find such undesirable companions as "hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, envying., murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such ;like." But we will not speak of this evil inventory, we want you to furnish only the good. Would to God we all liked always to show "such piety at home !" For if we did, all fathers would be fatherly (which they are not) and mothers motherly ; brothers would never fail to be brotherly (BA they do now fail), nor sisters sisterly. It were heresy to say that morality or amiability constitutes piety; but it is no heresy to say (unless Paul were a heretic when he wrote that letter to the Galatians) that amiability and morality are parts of piety, and very important parts, too. But you will mistake the meaning utterly if you think it is enough to be always gentle, genial, docile to our superiors, and delightful to our equals. We want the root as well as the fruit. Let the Christian husband show Christ by never failing to continue family prayers. Let the Christian wife show it by gathering her children, even if she cannot get her husband, and praying for him if she dare not pray with him. To show piety you must have it to show. Let heaven be I your home, and your _home will be heaven.— ' Susday at Home.