THE CLOTHING WE WEAR. 155 



moist earth, and they also give support and afford 

 firmness to the step. Why should Fashion push 

 good devices to absurd extremes ? We must aid in 

 dethroning the tyrant when her decrees lead to the 

 physical or moral injury of the race. The common 

 fashion of leaving the neck and the upper part of 

 the chest bare, is fraught with evil consequences. It 

 would be less objectionable in countries uniformly 

 warm ; but that our daughters, here in this frigid 

 and changeable climate, should constantly expose to 

 chilling winds a vital part of the body, is one of the 

 evils of fashion which should be discountenanced by 

 every mother, and father, and brother. 



No part of the dress of men is really more absurd 

 than the hard " stove-pipe 1 " hat so generally worn; 

 and yet all attempts to subvert it have proved abor- 

 tive. For thirty years we have worn this kind of 

 head covering, and we like it better than any other; 

 we have tried hard to like the low, soft hats, but we 

 cannot; and this is the experience of thousands. 

 Absurd as the high, hard hat is, it does keep the 

 head more comfortable, it does maintain a more 

 equable temperature, it does feel better, than any 

 other form of head covering ; and so let us continue 

 to knock them against beams in attics and the 

 branches of tree$, If they serve a good purpose in 

 brushing cobwebs from the roofs of old garrets and 

 stables, they also protect us from bad bumps, an^i 

 keep our heads comfortable. 



