150 



NEW ENGLAND FARRIER. 



March 



^abks' pcpttrtmtttt. 



DOMESTIC ECONOMY; 



OB, 



HOW TO MAlvE nO]\IE PLEASANT. 



BY ANNE G. HALE. 



[Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 



18b6, by li. P. Eaton it Co., in the Clerk's Office of the 



District Court for the District of Massachusetts.! 

 r ' 



CHAPTER VIII. 



WOMEN'S APPAREL— ITS MAKING AND 



MENDING. 



Among the pictures exhibited at an entertain- 

 ment the otiier evening was the portrait of a 

 Hawaiian qncen ; and I felt not a little vexed 

 at tlie tittert; and smiles which answered a sarcas- 

 tic question of the exhibitor, as he arranged the 

 focus of liis in.strument to display to the best ad- 

 vantaiic the woman's conspicuous head-dress. 



Her heathen majesty was arrayed in the Eng- 

 lish costume of tifty years ago, and the low-necked 

 dress of that period, with its short sleeves, made 

 very apparent that brawny plumpness so much 

 admired by connoisseurs of Sandwich Island 

 beaut}^, wliile an enormous bunch of ostrich 

 plumes, like a flock of moonlit clouds, hung over 

 a forehead "black as the brow of Night." 



"What makes girls like feathers ?" was the 

 question. Why do soldier-boys wear plumes and 

 bearskin caps two feet tall ? was my mental re- 

 joinder — availing myself of a Yankee's privilege. 



A woman's fondness for dress is not always 

 proof of her vanity, as is generally asserted, and 

 as this question and its significant answer seemed 

 to imply. Neither is her renunciation of its ser- 

 vice any token of her humility or her modesty : the 

 nun, beneath her sombre veil the, quakeress, in 

 her simple garb, may cherish as many arrogant 

 thoughts as did Hood's two peacocks of Bcdfont 

 "Trailing their velvets wantonly." 



The love of dress frequently springs from a de- 

 sire to rule or to influence others: sometimes from a 

 wish to improve and ennoble personal appearance ; 

 while not a few women find in the preparation and 

 arrangement, as well as in the wearing of their 

 dress and its ornaments, the gratification of an in- 

 nate love of the beautiful, and the development of 

 their ideas of order and harmony. 



We have all witnessed, if wc have not experi- 

 enced, the depressing effect of shabby and inap- 

 propriate clothing, and everybody has at times felt 

 that exhilaration which the consciousness of be- 

 ing well-dressed can impart. It is not vanity, nor 

 self-satisfaction, but a delicate and delightful sen- 

 sation of self-approval, which lends ease and 

 gracefulness of thought and action. 



Some persons seem to understand intuitively the 

 art of drc^sing well upon all occasions. Whether 



this may be considered tact or talent, were it 

 classed under the head of "facultj%" which in co- 

 lonial times was a taxable article, I believe hun- 

 dreds would willingly pay a high rate for the pos- 

 session of so desirable a gift. Quaint old Doctor 

 Fuller must have had these happily endowed 

 women in mind wh n, enumerating the qualities 

 of a good Mifc, lie says : "Her clothes are rather 

 comely than costly, and she makes plain cloth :o 

 be velvet by her handsome wearing it." 



There are those who contend that the dress bears 

 the same relation to the l;ody that the body does 

 to the soul ; that it is, so to speak, an out-growth 

 of the sentes and perceptions — that certain hab- 

 its of thought and feeling find their exemplifica- 

 tion in the choice of garments, under the name of 

 preference or taste. According to their theory, a 

 woman of equable temper, quiet and modest in 

 deportment, pleasant and refined in speech, will 

 never make choice of gaudy or '■'loud" colors or 

 styles, or incongruities of trimming or ornament. 



This is very agreeable doctrint", but it cannot i)e 

 accepted without modification while so few women 

 are a law unto themselves in this matter ; the rigor- 

 ous rules of fashion and the voice of Mrs. Grundy 

 too often overpower individual proclivities, and 

 crush out all independence of character. But no 

 true woman will bow so low to the behests o*" fiish- 

 ion as to compromise her integrity or her self-re- 

 spect; and, however nmch she may delight in 

 splendor or show, comfort and propnetj^ will claim 

 her first attention, and neatness and good order 

 have precedence over elegance and ornament in 

 the furnishing of her wardrobe. She will be no 

 slattern, and there is little fear of her becoming a 

 dowdy, for she knows that an agreeable personal 

 appearance exerts a genial and impressive influ- 

 ence ; and as a good housewife and housemother 

 she- will not neglect those small yet important 

 points which are so effective in a woman's attire, — 

 the graceful cut and neat fit of her dress, the har- 

 mony of its tints, the pretty collar, and the be- 

 coming neck-ribbon. 



Much is said about women's extravagance in 

 dress. This generally proceeds more from igno- 

 rance than from recklessness. It takes a gi-eat 

 deal of experience, besides a keen eye for observa- 

 tion and a clear head for calculation, to be able to 

 follow, even at a moderate rate, the fluctuations of 

 fashion ; — how nmch less Worry and waste and 

 want there would be in the world if that despotic 

 queen issued her edicts from Pekin rather than 

 from Paris. But there is no prospect of the dawn- 

 ing of that golden age, so we must endeavor to 

 exercise all possiljle prudence while conforming 

 to present customs. 



And this prudence must be first manifested in 

 the purchase of durable and serviceable materials. 

 Flimsy and mean falirics arc always a shame to 

 the wearer ; and if they cost less money in the 

 outset, the expense of time and pains spent in try- 

 ing to make them pass as respectable and to keep 



