Page:Once a Week Jul - Dec 1859.pdf/399

 388 ONCE  A

every department  of  the  human  frame; — the brain and  nervous  system,  the  lungs,  the  stomach, and other  organs  of  the  trunk; the  eyes,  the  skin, the muscles,  the  glandular  system,  the  nutritive system, and  even  the  bony  frame,  the  skeleton  on which  all  hangs. If dress  can  meddle  mischiev- ously with the  action,  or  affect  the  condition  of all  these,  it  can  be  no  marvel  that  it  is  responsible for a good  many  of  the  hundred  thousand  needless deaths which  are  happening  around  us  this  year.

Putting aside  the  ordinary  associations,  as  far as we  can,  and  trying  for  the  moment  to  consider what is  to  be  desired  in  the  clothing  of  the human body, — what  is  requisite  to  make  dress good and  beautiful, — let  us  see  what  is  essential.

Dress should  be  a covering  to  all  the  parts  of the  body  which  need  warmth  or  coolness,  as  the case may  be. It should  be  a shelter  from  the  evils of the  atmosphere,  whether  these  be  cold,  or  heat, or wet,  or  damp,  or  glare. This is  the  first  requisite; for such  shelter  is  the  main  purpose  of  clothing. In our own  country  the  dress  should  easily  admit  of the  necessary  changes  in  degrees  of  warmth  de- manded by our  changeable  climate.

Dress should  bear  a close  relatipn  to  the  human form. No other  principle  can  be  permanent; no other  can  be  durably  sanctioned  by  sense  and taste, because  no  other  has  reality  in  it. We may fancy that  we  admire  the  old  Greek  and  Roman robes which  look  dignified  in  Julius  Caesar  on  the stage, and  in  statues,  and  in  our  own  imaginations  of classical  times; but  we  could  not  get  through  our daily business  in  such  a costume; nor  should  we admire  the  appearance  of  our  acquaintance  in  it. In fact, the  wearers  themselves  were  always  tucking up or  putting  away  their  troublesome  wrappers when they  had  anything  to  do,  and  the  busy  people of society  appeared  in  their  workshops  and  fields  in garments  which  left  their  limbs  free,  and  their whole body  fit  for  action. On the  whole,  in  a general  way,  with  particular  variations  according to taste,  the  dress  should  follow  the  outline  of  the body. Any great  deviation  from  this  principle involves inconvenience  on  the  one  hand  and deformity on  the  other.

Where it  follows  the  outline  of  the  frame  it should  fit  accurately  enough  to  fulfil  its  intention, but so  easily  as  not  to  embarrass  action. It should neither  compress  the  internal  structure  nor impede the  external  movement. An easy  fit,  in short,  is  the  requisite. It is  a part  of  this  easy  fit that the  weight  of  the  clothes  should  be  properly hung and  distributed.

After the  peace  of  1815  it  was  said  that  we gained  two  things  from  the  French — gloves  that would fit,  and  the  shoulder-piece. It would  make the difference  of  some  lives  out  of  the  great  num- ber thrown away,  if  we  made  due  use  of  the shoulder-piece, now. By the  shoulder-piece,  the weight of  the  garment  is  spread  on  the  part  best fitted to  bear  it,  instead  of  being  hung  from  the neck, as  it  was  before  we  knew  better,  or  from  the hips or  the  waist  (in  the  case  of  women’s  dress)  as now,  when  we  ought  to  know  better.

Next; dress ought  to  be  agreeable  to  wear: and this includes  something  more  than  warmth  and  a good  fit. It should  be  light,  and  subject  to  as  few dangers and  inconveniences  as  possible.

WEEK, [November  6,  1850.

These conditions  being  observed,  it  follows  of course  that  the  costume  will  be  modest,  and that it  will  be  graceful  Grace  and  beauty are flowers  from  the  root  of  utility. The worst taste in  dress  is  where  things  are  put  on  for no purpose  or  use,  as  in  the  earrings,  nose-rings, bangles and  necklaces  of  savage  (or  civilised) wearers, the  feathers  on  the  head,  and  flaunting strips of  gay  colour,  whether  of  wampum  or  ribbon, and the  fringes  and  furbelows  that  one  sees — now in Nubia,  and  now  by  Lake  Huron,  and  now  in New  York  or  London. The best  taste  is  where the genuine  uses  of  dress  are  not  lost  sight  of,  and the gratification  of  the  eye  grows  out  of  them; where the  garments  fit  accurately  and  easily,  and the colours  are  agreeable,  and  the  texture  good  and handsome, and  the  ornaments  justified  by  some actual benefit,  such  as  marking  outlines,  as  the Greek borders  did,  or  beautifying  the  fastenings, or affording  a relief  to  the  limits  and  edges.

These seem  to  be  the  main  conditions  agreed upon as  essential  to  a good  mode  of  dress. It would appear  to  be  a greater  sin  and  absurdity  in us  than  in  our  ancestors  to  dress  injuriously  and offensively, because  the  observance  of  these  condi- tions is so  much  easier  to  us  than  to  them. It is astonishing  to  us  to  discover,  by  thinking  about  it, how costly  dress  was  to  the  gentry  of  the  king- dom in the  reigns  of  our  Edwards  and  Henrys,  and even under  the  last  of  the  Charleses  and  Jameses. The proportion  of  middle  and  upper  class  incomes spent in  dress  must  have  been  something  far beyond what  prudent  people  in  our  day  would dream of. We must  suppose  that  garments  were made to  last  very  long. With the  labouring-classes we know  it  was  so,  before  the  days  of  cotton,  and when linen  was  only  for  the  great. In the  rural cottages and  artisans*  dwellings  throughout  the land, men,  women  and  children  wore  woollen  gar- ments, the history  of  which  would  not  be  agreeable to our  readers,  accustomed  as  we  are  in  these  days to think  of  clothes  as  meant  to  be  changed  every day and  night,  and  often  washed  or  otherwise cleaned.

The variety,  the  cheapness,  the  manageableness of clothes  in  our  day,  compared  with  any  former time, ought  to  render  us  obedient  in  an  unequalled degree to  the  main  conditions  of  good  dress. In- stead of this,  we  see  trains  of  funerals  every  year carrying to  the  grave  the  victims  of  folly  and ignorance in  dress.

How is  it  with  regard  to  protection  from  heat, cold, damp,  and  glare?

The Englishman’s  dress  seems  to  be,  on  the whole, as  little  exceptionable  as  any  that  can  be pointed  out. We are  not  thinking  of  our  soldiers, dressed in  tight  woollen  garments,  stocks,  and heavy head-gear  in  all  climates  and  seasons  alike. The mortality  from  that  tremendous  cruelty  and folly is  a separate  item  to  be  urged  against  the military authorities. Non-military Englishmen wear a costume  which  may  be  rendered  warmer or cooler  without  losing  its  characteristics; which indicates the  form,  may  fit  it  easily,  at  the wearer’s pleasure; leaves  the  limbs  free,  and  need press injuriously  nowhere. Some years  ago,  we must  have  denounced  the  cravat,  or  stock,  as dangerous; but  the  throat,  with  its  great  blood-