Our Girls Part 4

DESCRIPTIONS OF DRESS

I wonder women's cheeks do not burn at the sly contempt for themselves, displayed in this constant description of their dress.

It hardly needs an ill.u.s.tration, though just now one comes to hand, of which a word. A beautiful, n.o.ble girl was married, last evening, in a neighboring city, and the Boston newspapers, of this morning, are full of the wedding. In the first place, we have a long description of the young woman's underclothing. Every article, worn upon every part of her person, is described in elaborate detail, with the number, style, make, tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs, etc., etc. Running over the description of the trousseau, my eye falls upon: "French exquisitely daintily invisible finest delicate exquisite princess elegant coquettish grace jaunty lavender reliefs stylish coquettish Parisian stylish pretty striking tea-rose bouffant Cluny graceful Valenciennes jaunty nondescript becoming square broad high tiny stunning tiny China silk finest Valenciennes rose elegant beautifully lovely unique elegant heliotrope artistic perfection grace delicate rose-buds lovely exquisite finest delicate gossamer airy fairy.

LETTER FROM WAs.h.i.+NGTON.

Reception at the White House. From "Our Was.h.i.+ngton Correspondent."

Senator A., General B., and Vice-President C. said and did so and so. Mrs. A., Mrs. B., and Mrs. C. said nothing, did nothing; but half the letter is devoted to gorgeous descriptions of their dress- maker's spread. This silent contempt of the woman, and elaborate detail of her dress-maker's style, must cut every proud, sensitive woman to the very quick. It is another piece of what is called "ladies' man," and "ladies' small talk." It is of a piece with this taking off the hat, this excessive bowing and smirking to women, while they are paid for equal services but one-third a man's salary.

We had a capital ill.u.s.tration of this gallantry and injustice, in a speech made by a leading member of the American h.o.m.oeopathic Inst.i.tute, at its great meeting in this city.

A resolution was introduced inviting educated woman physicians of the h.o.m.oeopathic school, to become members of the Inst.i.tute. An old and most respectable member of the Inst.i.tute, from----, spoke very warmly against the resolution.

He said: "I am a ladies' man; I never pa.s.s a woman with whom I am acquainted without raising my hat. I do not keep my seat in the cars while ladies are standing, as I see gentlemen do in Boston.

"Yes, I am the most obedient and devoted servant of the ladies, gentlemen of the Convention, but when you would introduce them to members.h.i.+p in the American Inst.i.tute of h.o.m.oeopathy, I say no!

never!"

It is this making woman the occasion for a display of man's gallantries, with this contemptuous disregard of her claims to common justice; it is this spirit which pa.s.ses the woman, and devotes itself to a description of her dress, to outlining her "low corsage," her "magnificent bust," etc., etc.

If I were a girl, and one of these besmeared, bescented, befaddled, "ladies' man" puppies were to condescend to perform his whining and barking for my special delectation, I should mildly suggest to him the infinite wisdom of bestowing his precious slaver upon some small, gentle poodle.

EXCESSIVE ORNAMENTATION.

The tr.i.m.m.i.n.g mania is frightful. What do you think of one hundred and twenty yards,--three hundred and sixty feet,--four thousand three hundred and twenty inches of ribbon in the tr.i.m.m.i.n.g of one dress?

I wish I could command for an hour the pen of a Jenkins, and give the names of the various ribbons and shades of ribbons, of the laces, their origin, style, and value. (Each kind of lace has a history, which is dear to the heart of the devotee of fas.h.i.+on.) I wish I could describe the hundred and one crimps and frills and things. I wish I could command the pen of one of these amazing writers about woman's dress. I would give you ten pages of it.

I say again, that the tr.i.m.m.i.n.g mania has become insufferable. Unless a woman has a dressmaker, she must be the veriest slave. She must be at it morning, noon and night.

Gather in one place all the artists, auth.o.r.esses, and women of finest and highest culture, and how many of them do you suppose could be bribed to go into the street all rigged out in ribbon, gimp, frills, edgings, ruches, fringes, satins, velvets, b.u.t.tons, nail-heads, etc., etc., etc.

I have met many of the women who may be cla.s.sed as above, and I cannot now recall one who was fas.h.i.+onably trimmed.

This rage is, in essence, tawdry and vulgar. It is cheap in everything but money.

EAR RINGS AND OTHER TRINKETS.

What a barbarism to bore a hole in the flesh, and stick in a trinket. I have seen several ears in which the ring had cut its way out, making a slit, and a new hole had been punched in one of the pieces.

Men have fallen into this vulgar barbarism. American savages offer many instances of men with gold or silver trinkets in the ears. But among lower savages in different parts of the world the custom is quite general, and many of them add an ornament in the nose.

My own wife, in her girlhood, had her ears pierced, but I have never seen them embellished with trinkets.

FINGER RINGS, ETC.

What a vulgar show you sometimes see among the demi-monde,--a dozen great gold and jeweled rings on the fingers, two large rings or hoops about the wrists, a great buckle in the belt, a gold chain about the neck, a gold watch, several charms, a locket or two, a breast-pin,--what a barbarous, vulgar show; poor things, I suppose they think it helps to advertise their unhappy trade.

My dear girls, leave this trinket show to the Indians, and use no other jewelry than a neat small pin to hold the collar, and a delicate small chain to guard your watch. The watch should be in a pocket, and not slipped under the belt. The belt must be mischievously tight to hold the watch. To wear a watch pushed half way under the belt, is to constantly expose it to accident, and, at best, to make a vain announcement of the fact that you have one.

In England it is a common remark, that you may know a n.o.bleman by his plain dress, and by the absence of all jewelry. And I will add, that everywhere you may know a shoddy pretender by an excessive display of jewelry.

No person of really fine culture delights in an exhibition of trinkets or gew-gaws of any kind. The refined soul cannot make an ornamental parade.

OUTRAGES UPON THE BODY.

It is barbarous to tattoo the body. Among civilized men, only low sailors, who spend their lives at sea, indulge in this barbarism; and they confine the tattooing to a limited surface, "p.r.i.c.king in"

the figure of an anchor, or a s.h.i.+p.

The nose, lips, teeth, ears, and other parts of the body, are cut or distorted by some of the savages of Africa.

Wherever we find among men the custom of tattooing, cutting or distorting the body, we need make no further inquiry,--it is a land of barbarians.

Undeveloped peoples, in the service of false religions, maltreat their bodies; and even followers of Christ have immured themselves in dark cells, and caves, carried the acc.u.mulated filth of years, scrupulously avoiding water, starved themselves, pinched and whipped themselves, made long journeys on their knees or bellies, made pilgrimages with peas in their shoes, and kicked, cuffed and outraged themselves in many other ways.

Among advanced Christian nations, even now we sometimes observe a lingering reflection of this strange hallucination.

For example, a great many people rather fancy a dyspeptic, ghostly clergyman, and can hardly bring themselves to listen to a prayer from a preacher with square shoulders, a big chest, a ruddy face, and a moustache. The ghost, they seem to think, belongs in some way to the spirit world; while the beef-eating, jolly fellow is dreadfully at home in this world.

The ghost exclaims:--

"Jerusalem, my happy home, Oh! how I long for thee; When will my sorrows have an end?

Thy joys when shall I see?"

The other, like Mr. Beecher, enjoys a good dinner, a nimble-footed horse, a big play with the children and the dogs, seems joyous in the suns.h.i.+ne, and,--wretched sinner,--does not sigh to depart.

So deep-seated is this old pagan prejudice, that a ringing shout of laughter from a young woman is very suspicious to the deacons of her church.

Leaving the religious fanaticisms, we come upon another form of this prejudice.

The fragile, pale young woman with a lisp, is thought, by many silly people, to be more of a lady, than another with ruddy cheeks, and vigorous health.

It is, perhaps, difficult to define it exactly, but there exists, somehow, in the fas.h.i.+onable world, the notion that a pale and sensitive woman is feminine and refined, while one in blooming health is masculine and coa.r.s.e.

But every acute observer knows that the feminine soul, like the masculine, utters its richest harmonies only through a perfect instrument.