POLITICS IN DRESS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2284, 19 November 1889, Page 2

POLITICS IN DRESS

♦ (Woman. World.) • Tho rod neok-tle of the Socialist, the primrose worn In the "hutton of tbe adm'rer of Lord Beaoom.fiold, ihe Felnan hat, a-e Illustrations cf the fact that the expreißlon of political oplniona In dress is poreonlal, only requiting tho atlmnl-s of popular excitement to beocmo really port.ntoua. To have the head covered aad the feet shod has. been from very early times a Big a of freedom. In ancient Rom* the only persons withont shoea wore theslaves; and In modern times In Brazil the> fleet thing a freed slave proou'red for him** self waa a pair of shoes. Thie giver? meaning to the fact that when the* Suabian peasants rose In 1502 they took a shoe foe tbelr banner v They wished to ooy that they meant no longer to be* elaves. Still more, the particular shoe* they choae was expressive of their intention to obtain their rights by union among: themselves. It was a shoe of wbioh tha aides came np over the ankle and were tied together across the foot* This tied shoe or Bandschuh became the title of their confederacy. Again, m Rome a slave who wae emancipated reoeived a hat, that article being so completely the symbol of liberty that Brutus and Catslas commemorated their slaughter of Caesar by a medal ' o lii which were two swords and a hat. Ami after the death of Nero many P.omane put on a hat aa a sign of liberty VegalaedIn later times the same sort"; of feeling; with regard to the hat prevailed. May not the oustom of the B/ousa of Commons,, to sit and walk about during debates with thele hats on, have risen Iv the firet, instance from a determination to affirm that above, all things they were ar* assembly of freemen? Being the most: oonsploaoua feature Iv a man's dreei, tho hat has naturally been used aa a politioal flag, and the most obvious method has been to wear It oi! tha party oolor, We. find the two opposing factions m Paris.— the Armagnacs and the Bourguig_oo» —making tha hat a rallying _Jgp, Blu. hatß and white hats ar* worn,, tbo rival hats being cocked In an opposing sense. The Quelphs and Qhlblleneß were distinguished from eaoh other by the side thoy wore their feathers' m their hata. Blu<3 was Charles Is oolour and apparently '<he oause of the troubleIn the earls period of bis contentions with the English Parliament, for ho had to forbtf blue ribbons. The nearly total doatsnotloD of Constantinople In the> sixth' '.century, through tha quarrels between' two factions calling themselves the Bines a_d Greens, Is a notable example of tha frightful degree to whioh politics m dress* work unmeaning feuds. Something similar has been the experlenoe In Ireland I with regard to the rival footlons. of Orangemen and Rlbbonmen. The former, .of oouibq, takes ita name from William I) I, but I am not c ware that It was ever uaad as a colour representing tho Prote.taut cause In hjo day ; on the* contrary, It is a oar-ova faot that at the battle of the Royae, the oognlmnoe ot William's, army war* a .prig of green worn In tho hat, while Jam.s H's soldiers worej the white badge m compliment to the great ;P«.tron of the Stuart cause— the King of Franco. Tho foundation of the Or _nge Society la Ireland,, toward, the latter end of the last oeutuVy, was met by the Ribbon Association, and both .actions expressed thoir political Ideas m their dreas. The Orangeman not only had his ribbons, bnt on July 12 — **__ anniversary of the 'battle of tho 80/,yne — he wore an oranga lily ia hlo b;_ttenhole. Ihe Rlbbonmen. boeidee q q\ v green rosettes In tbe form of a double cross of St Patrlok, appear to asve trimmed their capeß with the national uolor, Althoagh wearing oolors has ever ooen tbe commonest form of politically demonstrating by dreas, other ways have alao been resorted to. In ,1556, for example, the nobles m the Low Countries oonf ederated to obtain a redress of grievances, and being derisively spoken of as ' beggars,' took a. thole oovjnlasnce a baggae'g wallet and drlnklng-bowJ. Fft.noe, Indeed, abova all lands, has been romatkablo foe expressing politics In drees. A very curioU9 iußt-uiae of this may be, eoen m the faehlona of 1778, At that time a naval war was going on, and one of those pauloi with whloU wo are 19

f-mlllar occurred. The navy was noglootod •nd tbe Government Indifferent to Us fate. To impress the authorities the ladles dressed their hair In e- e:fc on *- 3 » •representing waves, and osrrled c n ihelr auG-D-lt a model of a filiate with a great flag at Ita bowsprit. Hat tho way tho tricolour was tckcu v.^ :a, perhfios, tl c most conspicuous i: n:r>».3a to be found of politics In dress. Ita apparition atoused Inconceivable enthuoU&m, and In high society the ladles pnt a great' trioolored oockade on tbe front of their hssd-ireßvei. and wore gaoza bonnets trimmed on elth :t ■ido with trioolored occkados, and * gre t bow of trioolored ribbons at tte back. Dresses and sllpperß were also worn of tho ■ame pattern. The mala costume of tho isme time w»s still more expressive— a blna coat, a wsistcoat of red Btrlpes ov a white background, stoaklug. and giov»B striped red, white, and blue — the patriotic Frenchman Id 1789 was an looaenation of the tricolour* The symbol was one of the mest perfect ever invented ; it correotly set forth the gospel of tbe revolution. Bine was the colour or liberty, white of equality, red of fratt> - ulty. Tbe tricolour seemed formed In 1> ' exceeding slmplenesa and beauty to be the ■imbol of humanity.