Year: 1866

For the Jackson otnndafd,J


Fashion,


We suppose that Adam and Eve had
some fashions, but it is not probable
that they were changed so often as in
these later times when men are swift to
seek out many inventions. We sup
pose that after the lapse Of FIVE hundred
years or more the fashions of the patri-
archs was not strikingy "old;" for the
world did not live so rapidly then, and
there were no Young Americans and
no Paris. However, we waive the con-
sideration of these things-candidly ad-
hitting that the sudden introduction of
the fashions of five thousand years ago
would not correspond withthe Improve
mentS of society. Yet, we can not resist
the temptation to say that a thousand
years Of patriarchal changes of fashions
and manners condensed into a "SeaSon"
of New York or Paris would not escape
the charge of dulness and monotony.
A full-grown Young American, measur-
ing duration by the succession Of the
freaks of fashion, has lived as long as
Methuselah. Swift or slow, however,
fashion is fashion, and the world will
have it. The philosopher must cease
his grumbling about the thing, and con-
fine his panegyrics oranimadyersions to
the quality of it. However comfortable
or beautiful the Roman toga may have
been, even to the degree that the sculp-
tor who would live in enduring fame
and please universal taste, must clothe
his faultless marble forms in it, the toga
must be thrown aside; for the fashions
of the world change. Comfort and
beauty are nothing in the scale when I'M
perial Fashion decides. Itwould be un-
fashionable to insist that the latest
"mode" is an affliction to the flesh; to
say th't it is unbecoming, is barbarous
and ridiculous. For is not the mode the
criterion of the elegant? Isnot Fashion
the magician that charges what is un-
couth and ugly into the beautiful-the
ne plus ultra of comliness! What was
beautiful last year is shocking this year,
because out OF fashion.


An American exqaisite-lady or gen.
tleman-wou!d be terribly out of fashion
in Africa or China, or any other place
except home. In the first mentioned
place the complexion would not suit at all.
The standard Of beauty would not yield
to the claims of white faces, even with
the addition of rouge and all the para
phernala Of an American toilet The
sable African with his feShy lips, fiat
nose with huge bone rings, and woolly
heads that has never known eau de CO.
logne, would scarcely admit that the ex-
quisites are equal to his race, (such is
the prejudice Of races, and would prob
ably deny them 'civtl rights" at least un-
til they had learned something. An
American would appear very awkward
at fashionable Chinese dinner. His
management of his "chopsticks" would
operate unfavorably in his introduction
to the best Chinese society. We can
imagine the ineffable disgust with which
fashionable and celestial "John" would
regard barbarous Yankee. Should
a translation of Chesterfield fall into his
hands, perhaps his disgust would soften
into commiseration. The East India
man is an outspoken and unblushing liar;
it would be difficult for him to compre-
bend the rationale Of the delicate tints
of stories in fashionable life OF the people
that send him missionaries. He will
steal too but never heard Of financier-
ing. All over the world people have
their ways of doing things moreover,
they have way of thinking that one
way is best because different from Others;
we except the philosophers.


Saratoga ais humbug So are all the
Sulphur Springs; unless we plead the
necessity for some consecrated places
where Americans may play the fool, and
form matrimonial engagements sensa-
tionally; or places where moneyed up
starts of something like the order of
Melchisedec, may pronounce the fash
ionable "shibboleth" Not few in the
cities are fast livers during the short
fashionable Season." and very cheap
during the longer period that is spent in
recruiting. A squalid urchin in a large
city said bescechingly, to magnificent
ly dressed lady on the street! "Mother,
father says for Gods sake come home
and mind the children while he goes to
get three cents worth of coal to boil the
potatoes with" The chagrin Of the la
dy would be laughable, if the incident
were not illustrative of a common phase
of life.


! "This is about the thing" said half