Year: 1859




Eryaton lost in tempest of sobs
Wen, felt for the lady, and felt for my hat too.
1mprovised on the OF the latter tattoo,
In lieu of expressing the feelings which lay
Quite too deep for words, as Wordsworth would say;
Then without going through the form of bow,
Found my self in the entry hardly know how
On door step and side walk past lamp and square
At home and up stairs, in ny easy chair;
Ioked my feet INTO slippers, my lre into blaze,
And said o my self, as 1 lit my cigar,
Supposing man had the wealth OF the Gar
OF the Russias To boot, for the rest of his days,
On the whole do you think he would have much to spare
III he married woman " ith nothing to wearl
Since that night taking pains that should not be bruted
Abroad in society, Pve instituted
A course of inquiry, extensive and thorough
On this vital subject, and find my HORROR
That the fair Floras is by surprising,
But that there exists the greatest distress


In female community solely arising
From this unsupplied destituton OF dress,
Whose unfortunate victims filling the air
With the pitifu vail of ''nothng to wear
Researches in some of the ''upper ten districts,
Reveal the painful and startling Statistics
OF which let me mention only few:
In single house, the Fifth Avenue,
Three young ladies found, all below twenty two
Who have been the whole three weeks without thing
In the of ounced silks, and thus left in the urch,
Are unable to 20 to ball, concert church
In another large mansion, the same place,
Was found a dcporabe, heart -rendng case
OF entire destiution of Brussels point lace.
In neighboring block there was found, in three calls
Total want, long continued, of camels hair shawls,
And suffering family, whose exhibits
The most pressing need of real ermine trpcs;
One deserving young lady almost unable
a
Another confined to the house, when it's wnder
Than usual because her shawl isn't India.
Still another, whose have been terrific
Ever since the sad loss of the Pacific
In which engulphed, not friend or relation,
(For whose fate, she perhaps might have found consoaton
Or borne 1t ut least, with serene resignaton)
But the choicest OF French sleeves and collars
Ever sent out of Paris, worth thousands of dollars,
And all as to style most recherche and rare,
The want of which eav her with nothing o wear,
And leaves her life so drcar and dyspcptic,
That she's quite n rccuse and almost skeptic,
For she touchingly this of grief
Can not find in religion the slightest relief,
And philosophy has a maxim spare
For the victims of such overwhelming despair,
But the saddest by fan of all ,hcse
Is the cruelty practiced on the poor creatures
BY the husbands fathers real Buebears Tmons,
no resist the touching appeals made for diamonds,
BY their wives and their daughters and leave days
unsurpled with jcwclry, fans bouquets,
Even laugh at their INSERTS when they have chance
And deride their demands useless extravaganza;
One case OF bride brought my view,
Too sad for belief, but alas twas true,
Whose husband refused, Charon,
To permit her to take than trunks to Sharon
The consequence was, that when she got there
At the end of three weeks she had nothing to
And when she proposed to finish the


AT Newport the monster refused u and out,
For his infamous conduct aIledgng reason,
Except that the waters good for his gout.
Such treatment this shocking of course,
And proceedings now going on for divorce
But why harrow the feelings by lifting the curtain
From these scenes of wocl Enough, it is certain,
Has been here disclosed to stir up the pity
Ofcvery benevolent heart i'll the city,
And spur up humility into a canter
10 rush and relieve these sad instantcr.





Come forward to morrow and head a subscriptionl
Won't Kind philanthropist seeing that aid is
So needed at once by these INDECENT ladies',
Take charge of the mattcrl-or Won't Peter Cooper
The corner stone lay of some splendid super
Structure like that which to day links his
In the union unendng of honor and ame
And found new charity just for the
OF these unhappy women with nothing to wear,
Whch in view of the cash that would daily be claimed,
The laying out hospital well might be named?
Won't Stewart some of our dry goods importers,
Take contract for clothing and
Or to furnish the cash to supply these dsresses
Ere the of them makes much rougher and hornier
Won't some one discover California!
Oh, ladies' dear ladies' the sunny day
Please trunde your hoops just of Broadway,
From its whirl and its hustle, its fashion and pride
And the temples of trade that tower each side,
To the alleys and lanes where misfortune and guilt
Their children have gathered, their city have built;
Where hunger and vice, like twin beasts of prey,
Have hunted their victims to gloom and despair
RAISE the rich dainty dress, and the fine brodered SKIRT
Pick delicate through the dampness and dirt
Grcpe through the dark den, climb the rickety stair
To the garret, where wrccles, the and the old,
Half starved and half Naked lie crouched from the cod
See those skeleton limbs, those frost bitten feet
All bleeding and bruised by the stones in the street.;


Hear the sharp of cdhoodthc deep that swell
From the who writhcs the floor,
Hear the curses that sound like the echoes of hell
As YOU slcken and shudder and fly from the door;
Then home to your wardrobes, and If you dare
Spoiled children oil fashion--youve nothing to wear
And OH if pcrchance there should be a sphere
Where all is made right, which puzzles US here,
Where the glare and the glitter, and the tnsel of Time,
Fade and die in the light of that region sublime,
Where the soul disenchaned of flesh and of sense,
Unscrcened by its trappngs and SHOWS, and pretense
Must be clothed for the life and the service above
With purity, truth, faith, meekness and love;
Oh, daughters of earth. foolish virgins, beware.
Lest in that upper realm you have nothing to wear.