Year: 1874

ANCIENT HEBREW LADY'S TOILET.


The first thing that would have struck
us in examining the garb-robe Of a He
brew lady, would have been the guam
tity of dresses. In this great age of
simplicity such a thing would natur-
ally astonish US. Hebrew women were,
indeed, fond of dress, and the luxury
among them manifested in the richness
and variety of dresses and the GUAM
tity of ornaments and jewelry was soon
carried to such an extent that It became
necessary to protest against it. There
is no doubt that, as the intercourse be-
tween the Jewish and other nations in
creased, the ladies felt no longer salts
fed with primitive simplicity. The
fashions of the clever Egyptians, the
elegant Phoenicians, and the luxurious
Persians, were soon eagerly sought af-
ter and produced. Even patient Job
got impatient at the dresses, and all of
us have read that magnificent, hold de-
nunciation of Isaiah, as with whitening
sarcasm he denounces the GO women of
the period living for nothing else but
dress and filtration, and having but
one desire, 60 to see and to be seen"


Now, look first at the under-garment ::
ketonet tunica. It was worn by men
and women, but of course women had
things made of the very best material.
It was made of wool or linen, white or
blue, now and then striped, and after
ward-thanks to the Persians-of a
silky material. It was worn on the
naked body, and a person wearing it is
often described as naked, which in the
language of the nineteenth century,
means that she was en- 7aeQytge. The
eastern dresses are all very far from be-
ing close fits, and the ketonet was at
first a loose garment, without sleeves,
reaching down to the knees. It is sup
posed that the poor wore no other dress
except the ketonet.


The second article TO be found in the
garb-robe of wealthy people was the
8Gdijn, translated fine linen in our YER
sion of the third chapter of Isaiah. I
suppose that was worn over the ket-
onet.


Thirdly, some ladies wore a second
under-garment, a long wide tunica,
with or without arms, known among the
Greeks and Romans, and worn also by
the Phpnicians. It was made of costly
material, and richly inwoven with flow
ers and figures. The part around the
neck was covered with ornaments, the
flowers were generally of the darkest
purple, and the borders were trimmed
with gold and brilliant colors. Next
came the girdle to keep up the dress,
so much thought of among the nations
of antiquity, as I need hardly remind
the readers of Homer. It was made of
different materials, according to the
taste, or rather the purse of the owner
The common girdles were of leather,
and very narrow. Some were of silk
or gold, and ornamented with silver
buckles; they were worn round the
loins women wore them lower and
more loosely than men.


The last piece of clothing / shall
mention is the upper garment, a long,
wide mantle, with a train that would
delight our western ladies. Tt seems to
have been originally a square piece of
cloth, somewhat like big shawl. At
first it was made of camel's hair, after
wards it was made of cotton. Those
worn in the summer were of light ma
terial, like our muslin, while for those
in use during the winter thicker mate
rial was generally chosen. The 8imIah
was useful and ornamental. It was of
ten used as a carpet or as a covering
during the night. Hence the law of
Moses, which regulated several things





ton and wool should be used in the max
ing of materials-commande that if a
man through poverty pledged his man
tie it should be restored TO him after
sunset The simlah was fastened with
golden pins to the shoulders, whence it
fell In graceful folds over the other gar
merits, Some of the mantles must have
been splendid. In the Book of Judges
the then living girls are thus described
by Deborah /" A prey of divers col
ors, prey of divers colors and needle
! work. "Her clothing is silk and pur-
pie" says Lemuel


Long hair was, of course, considered
a great ornament 1t is said of Shula-
mite, Thy hair is as a flock of goats. 5"
Once upon a time it was the fashion to
let it hang down and Just put a ribbon
through it, which is certainly the sim
plest and by far the prettiest way. Af-
ward, when people began to make them
| selves g beautiful forever" f" they plated
their hair. curled and twisted it in all
possible shapes and directions, and
poured pots of oil on it or powdered it
with gold-dust. Sometimes hair was
curled and made up into a gigantic
wreath at the back of the head at
other times the hair was rolled in
! several large curls, which were left
| hanging on the back. Coquettish girls,
! or fascinating young widows, let little
ringlet glide down gracefully across
! the forehead, so as to shade the eye
/ brows. But who can enumerate all the
ways In which women try to do their
| hair? The Hebrew ladies copied other
nations Jezebel was an adept in dres-
ing her hair she dyed daily, and it
was impossible to say In the morning
/ what the color of her hair or of her
/ face would be in the evening. The
I fashionable Hebrew ladies did not dye
/ their hair; they did it up neatly, but
! hew Is more than 1 can tell, for it Is
known that they had no combs. They
] painted their faces, as is the fashion OF