BLOOMERISM. (From the "Edinburgh Advertiser," September 12.)

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 608, 11 February 1852, Page 4

BLOOMERISM. (From the " Edinburgh Advertiser," September 12.)

Women take strange whims in America. There are 60 few of them in proportion to the male animals in that country, thnt they aie courted and pelted and run after at a groat rate ; and, in return, they look upon n f°atber as much too heavy a thing for them to lift ! They get it all their own way before marriage, because thero'n no competition in that line ; and tlmy get it all their own way alter marriage, because thpy are tbeu left very much to themselves. The Yankee husband soon falls off from his worship of beauty, and, returning to his old allegiance, prefers the dollar to the doll. " From morn to noon, from noon to dewy eve," he reckons and calculates in his counting-house, and leaves his wife to Jook after— wb.nl 1 Ihs dinner? No— the genuine Yankee ♦'bolts" his meals and his cobblers at an oidinary; he needs uno wife to grin'l his corn." So "lie leaves his wife to her own whims and her own company, or to receive visitors, and look after the children. When we consider all this, and that the land of the stars and stripes is vaunted by its happy inhabitants as ' the very Paradise of Liberty, -we need not bo surprised if those birds of Paradise, its females, should take liberties with no sparing hand. In July last year, we were favoured by accounts of a Female Congress held at New York or Boston, whither fan representatives assembled from all parts of the Union, to " throw off their chains and assert their rights." Their rights to what? We ■were not aware of any peculiar grievances afflicting the fair sex in tbat land of liberty, and the only chains we had evei heard of for them were those silken ones of Hymen, which they seem always happy to wear. Indeed, although the meeting in question was one of the raoßt noisy on record, (not even excepting the French Assembly when Victor Hugo is speaking,) yet we ivould have been nad!y at a loss to say what all the noise was about, had not veiy recent events thrown some light upon the matter. It now seems that — under whatever specious guice these fair revolutionists (like most revolutionists, whether fair or foul i veiled their proceedings,— their real object was, to conceit measures for taking from man the monopoly of that real toga virilis, — the pantaloons ! To take from their lord* and masters tbat garment, the wonring of which lins always been considered the peculiar privilege of men esj-erially married men ; and the. abandonment of which by tb«> latter is considered as indubitable proof that " the grey mare is the better horse."

And liie) ha>edoneu! They I«av.> »mled up their loi n<~ m bhwmns, and takpn tbo field — the sfieot, «c should say— against us. An lnpxpi risible war is impending, — si helium plwquum avile.—a. mo i t uncivil afFuii , that will coimil-o society to Us bottom, — that v ill bivalc out in our houses, and bieak into our wmdiobi-s ' \\ c sh.jll now, like .ill good historians, stop back a little, and allow our ic.ders how all tins began. Theie is a cei'sun lady in a ceiiaiu town ol Weshrn I\i j w \ 0)k, named l\lrs. Bloomer, an edifies of a newspapei , w!jo, we aie duly lnlbniu'd b\ the Baton Tiu>i!>ntpt, •'awoke one morning, and f n-d herself famous '" Hiic had been wearing the "bl »',noi" overnight. U hcth<Mi\!r. Rloowr nwoko at (he 'nine moniPiit, and found himself equally famous, we cannot say; but we suspect the woithyman mu^t have deceased t>eloio then, and that his inconsolable )nni)i? widow must ba\o got hoi | fust taste lor this sort oi thins; fioru expeiimenting in ' the defunrt's wariliobp,— l« indeed she had not begun lier experiments at an e-nlier period, and theiebv hastened her luckless partner's denn-e. Bo tins as it may, eveiy morning a^ tfir tI)llt: e^ntful one on winch Mrs. bloomer, like 831 on, "awoke and found herself famous," she has dul) donned that pecuhas £>aunent which is destined to nnmoitalise her name, and in that costume daily £oes through all the duties of an editor and a Jady. So we are informed.'* And as it is now time to condescend to p.nticulars, we shall describe the Jlloomei costume (o tho best ol our pool abilities. As lady-editors aie iatl>er scarce in this country, we have emloavouied to compensate our own simplicity in. sucli mattets by help from other quaiters. The stieet dress, then, of J\lis. Amelia 13Ioomer is a changing figured silk, puiple and vlutp, extending tome tv, o inches below the knees; — sleeves close, cut bo worn with perfect ease and comfort, but less light than tho fashion of IHS6 ; — wi ought niusliu wristlets, about two inches in width, fitting loosely on the hand side, and somewhat lesemblinir, at fust sight, wristlets with uiffles; — stiaw hat, with foui and a half inch nm, lined wi'h white silk, dimmed and tied with two and a half inch plain white nbbon ; — black Silk visite. tt mimed with foui-inch I -co and tassels ;; — tiousers of same material as dioss, g.itheted closely at the ankle with an inch and three-cjuaiteis gaging, with a ptetly two-inch r i file of same material below, just coveiing the top of the Congiess gaiter, the tops of which ate black piunella and the sides patent leather. The visiting or parlour dress buttons but half way up, and then has one gold or peail button at the tin oat, thereby causing 1 the dress to lay open \n front in nn easy and graceful mannpr. and leveahng a "white hneu bosom" with finp gold studs. This novel costume has received the formal approval of the Fnnlty (a veiv hunted one) that piesides over female fashions m Yankeeland. At a meeting held on pome Satuiday of last month, in Hope Chapel, New Yoik, the Committee on llesolutions reported the following :— " Whereas the present lashion of female diess is detumental to health, inconvenient, burtbensome, uncomfortable, [what astiing of expletives?] unclean!}', and less becoming than other styles that might be adopted; and wheieas this fashion is of foreign origin," &c, after three rebolvet> they come at last to the point : — " Pipsolved that we call upon our sisteis everywhere to declare, by words and deeds, their independence of hurtful and degrading fashions, and to adopt such styles of dress as may best promote health, usefulness, comfort, and real beauty. Resolved, that the costume we recommend is not Turkish or Persian — but American, the outgrowth of our own wants, thp product of our own skill, and the sign of our independence." 0 land of the Stars and Stiipes! what was your oiiginal Declaration of Independence to this? The resolutions were pas«ed by an almost unanimous majority — only seven of the gentle deputies voting in the negative. '' Some of the officers of the meeting were dressed in the new costume." This new mania has made quite a sensation in the New World, and newspaper editors seem especially liable to its attacks. They are evidently " gone coons." The fair Mrs. Bloomer, " the editress of a very able newspaper in the western part of the State of New York, as well as a lady of rare accomplishments and brauty' I—has1 — has smitten them outright. They predict thaf in six months' time the new diess will be almost universally adopted; and they call on every "sensible and self-thinking woman" to consult her comfort, despite the clamour of narrow-minded fault-findeis. For Mrs. Bloomer in paiticular they can find no encomiums too high. She is an angel in female (?) guise' — the ' meekest and most beautiful ofcieatures, &c, &c. The editor of the Boston Museum seems especially smulen, and he indulges in flowers of rhetoric unknown to the less fervid " gentlemen of the press" m the Old World, — flowers that grow only In lands that bloom beyond the Western wave. "If there should by chance be congregated upon the side-walks (says he) a company of low minded person's, 1 who should take it upon themselves, as ' lords of the creation,' to dictate what women should or should not j wear, her countenance continues to express that same purity and happiness within, that would be expected j from a child of fiftepn engaged in cultivating a bed of flowers, and her thoughts occupied only with the goodness and wisdom of an all-wise God." Such enthusiasts are clearly not to be judged by our Old Country notions ; but they act up to their professions, and rush to the breach most gallantly. An editor who was married last month at Boston, we are told, received his bride in Bloomer costume,— a white satin tunic, '' neatly made, fitting snug round the waist and close up in the neclc ; the spencer opening in front like a naval officer's vest, and intei laced a la Swiss mountaineer; sleeves flowing, white kids, white satin slippers, hair done plain with a wreath of orange flowers over the brow, and a long bridal veil flowing from the crown of the head over the shoulder." As we believe the Press have power to do anything in America, there is doubtless good reason for that quandary into which Yankee mammas and papas have been put by this startling innovation. These venerable individuals, if we are to believe the newspaper editors, are in this matter the only Conservatives to be found in that " go-ahead" community, and declaim as loudly against the threatened Bloomer reform as any Croker in England did at the Eeform Bill of 1830. But what shall we say 1 The Bloomer mania, like the cholera, thinks nothing of crossing two thousand miles of sea at a leap, and makes no more account of the Atlantic than of a wet ditch. Indeed the costume was expressly designed to facilitate leaping and such like gymnastic exercises. The consequence is, that our ' sea-defended isle' is carried by assault, and forthwith symptoms of Bloomerism break out all over the country. Yes, all over the country. Scotland, England, and Ireland are staitled out of their propriety by tbe sight of female Turks promenading our streets, escorted for a while by urchin-pages, and finally hailing busses, and disappearing into cabs or railway-coaches. As was natuial, tbe Bloomer made its debut in the English Babylon, where Turks, Persians, Hindoos and other pagans ore at present numerous enough to throw shams into the shade.^ Here is the first announcement ; it will j doubtless be printed in letters of gold by future gene- i rations of Bloomers : — " First Arr-nAnANcE of the Bloomer Costume in London. — Two ladies were to be seen promenading Ox foid Street this (Saturday) afternoon, attired in the ! Bloomer-costume, and escorted by a crowd of ragged urchins and a number of the curious of both seses. They weie said to be mother and daughter of the name of Jeffers, recently arrived in the metropolis to attend tho Vegetarian soiree. The ladies, who appeared to be respectively about thirty-seven and eighteen years of age, were attired in black satin visites, and an inner tunic, reaching a little below the waist j the inner garment being loose pink-striped pantaloons, fastened round the leg a little above the ankle ; the head-dress was of the usual kind worn by females. Tho mob at last got troublesome, and the ladies entered a cab, and were driven oft", amidst 6houts of laughter." — Weekly Chronicle. A week afterwards we read :—: — "Debut of the Bloomer Costume in Beitast. — To the infinite surprise of many, and the amusement of more, three ladies — apparently, from their age, a mother and her daughters— mado their appearance on the afternoon of Sunday sennight, on that very public ond often thronged promenade, the portion of Carrickfergus Road between Castleton and Parkmount, in full 1 bloomer' costume. Those who had not heard of the American revolution in fashions knew not what to make of the singular and theatrical-looking compound of the attire of both sexes which was paraded befoie them, in a manner as unfeminine as the style of rho diess itself. Others — and those most numerous — expressed an opinion the reverse of complimentary to the rank and character of the ladies, identifying them with persons xvhose over-dressed gaityof appeal ance in public stamps the class to which they belong. The ' bloomer' in each case consisted of a satin visite of cerulean shade ; un inner tunic of the same mateiial, but of a different tint; and loose muslin trousers, fastened considerably above the ankle — somewhat after the manner of those worn

* Mr. Hloomei, it serins, ii still alive, though he is wl to lie separated iroin lus wife— not a nhadow of blami', however, being imputed to her on this account.

bv Tin kiUi belles. We Ik aid th.il the 1 idles «i 1 • tie wife and daughteis of the cnptaui of a tneiclMiitn-an, nt present on a vov<i'"( . 'I I>p piui. n U<' r > r "o « unl>>.iy can sage ut Greene a>rle — llel'tut SenS I.elL'i. Another week, »md ;t<;nin hp lead . — "BIOOMIRl c M I\ ]u>l\HUHO(l— !*'l\'."T \lt f-Yf\r.~ CoiiMdeiablo surpiiSi' and amusement \\ > c isiotted on 'Iliuisday iu",lit bv ihe nj)|io<n Mice > ii the Dean Budge of two I, idles — one about forh, ,md another appaiesitlv about fifteen years her juiuoi, \.piiiii'> tl.e Bloomer o,i«b m the fullest st\le. '] lv» eldeilv lady was diosspd in a lon^ m!>\ -colon e<l silk mantle, 01 polka, which parli.illv bi 1 that j>oi tiou of the di'^s i«» which tlio aogtession is uu»>t duumly m.inilested. Under thp upper aarment tbeie. seemed lobe 'iiiiueihinq like a shoiter one of the same thape bound mhiikl th<> \\ai<t with a rich shawl. 'I he 'coi.tiiMritiOiis' v\tn> neatly of the same colour, and jeirlsed to th« in^tpp o! the ioof. The you nr: l.td\'s<'"'- was ox ••"./ sumlai in shape, but eo»bidei,'bV i.< ''ii m c '>< 'I lie bonnet, -m the c,i--p of the . n .>, ■» plain, M»e that of moic docoions ladies, wlii'e the ot'pej one tune a straw one, somew hat ol a gipsy olnpe. I h* 3 singular spectacle thus piesented attiacted considerable attention oven in the letired quarte-i of the town in which it was witnessed, and ( eminent*, c'aaiactertse'A by lreedom moie than politeness, were now and again made !>v nidiin " lio followed the unblushing bloomeis." — Scottish Pi ess. Last week, once more we read :—: — "Bioo^irnisM l^ Gi-^gov. — We Lav* 1 to nnnounoa the advent of Blooineiinn in our city during the pipsent weel*. On Monday afternoon considerable excitement was occasioned in Jamaica Stieet, by the ..ppeaiance of two young females } <ssj!^ aloi. . ''usscdin the new gail). Their trovi^eis which w< u Ji rmeii ol yellow silk, weie tabtefelly (ringed m iili white 1 -c, while the upper portion ol their dress was of a d.i'ker live, and t.om?whai m form like an oidin.ny polka, although ratbei longer in the eknts. Their head-dic-s w.is of the oifhnary female fashion, r.nd contrasted oddly enough with the usurped niticlcot atlne. 'i lie weaieis of this novel costume, who wero oi course the * observed of all observers,' were young girls appnicntly of fiom twelve to fifteen yeais of aye, and seemingly strangers in the city." — Citizen. Bloomerism, in fact, is breaking out in one town after another, and its appearance is as duly chronicled as if it were the Plague. W e hope tbe Boaid ot Sanity is watching its piogiess. They have mach need : heio it is ngnin — this veiy week. ' "'lnn Blo(vmlk CobTiJMr at liro-Mno^.— For several days past three young and 1 beautiful ladies lnve astonished the •' names" ot Biompton fequaie and it* neighbourhood by appearing in ihe full Bloomer costume. The dress consists ot something between a gipsy hat and a" wide-f.wake" of stiaw : si white collar turned clown upon a velvet coatee of Lincoln green buttoning tight around the waist, but open, and shotting a hilled shirt-front at the bosom, the sleeves ftuin^ the arms closely, and the bkirts descending to the knee; the "hloanws" are exceedingly lull to the knee, but tig'it from f hence to t. l> e ancle, where they a<e drawn close. The hose of ihe ladies weie bplendidly chevined and they wore patent leather hali-ancle shoes, with silver buckles and bnllants." — Morning Post. Where is this all to end 1 If our newspaper editors follow the example of their bietbien in America, wo shall soon have rlie " new costume" blooming all over the country. .And will they not? As we are neither the Sphinx nor a Clairvoyant, we shall not pretend to poire so giave a problem. We can only give the following, which was scarcely to be looked lor fiom the Land of Puritans, and leave our fair readers to ''guesb" and " calculate" winch way the wind is likely to &et. It is appended to the notice of a Bloomer debut: — " We are not sorry for the advent of lUoomerism, or any othpr ' ism' which will supersede the present disgusting, diity fashion of dtaggle-tail skills. Our Queen is unfortunately much below the aveiage Size of her sex. She has had the good taste to die-s herself so as to make that as little noticeable as possible ; but is that any reason why well-made, handsome, stately women should adopt a dress oiiginally assumed to conceal deformity, and sweep the streets and bcdiaq;gle their feet and legs wHb theskiits of tlicii gai meats ! liloomensm is a necessary consequence ot such an ab->urd toadyism, and wo therefore L.ni it or any other leform tlmnki'ul'y ; and hope that some of our handsome IHles will shake oft" the tiammol- of a dj«gustui» fashion w hether they adopt Bloomeiism oi not.'" — Koi th Bntnh Mail. Now, we have no peculiar partiality for six-foot women, and our love and admhation for our best of Queens is by no means lessened by her being " unfortunately much below the average size." As for the insinuation that, but for the want of Amazonian stature, our most gracious Majesty, the very pattern and boast of all true Englishwomen, would costume herself like the Sultana of the Sublime Porte or the Empress of the Gteat Mogul, the innuendo is worthy of the pillory. In regaid to the meiits of the case, wo canrot see, for the life of us, how "the present fashion of i' male dress is detrimental to health," except tiom ovi-Miglit stays, which are as likely to be worn under them v < ir <r, i> as under the old, — unless indeed, the mela^oi be taken for fact, that the new style is less tight-laced than us predecessor. The present sknts, we presume, may he shortened if necessary, and as to the talk about '' foreign oi igin," "slavish subservience," "Anieucau growth," &c, our Translantic sisters will be left in undisputed monopoly of such aigument. After much dubiety, and frequent appeals to Blue Books, and all other desperate sources of illumination, the only conclusion we can come to is — that if our women mean to turn Turks, it can only be as a hint to us men to tuin Mabommedans, with the view of legally disposing of that formidable and yearly-increasing female surplus which the census reveals, and which all theeffoits of Mr. Sidney Herbert cannot bundle off to our colonies in sufficient quantities. Indeed it were pardonable if the fair sex have taken alaim at going abioad, after spying such a paragraph as the following, headed Markci' for Youth and Beauty: — " The Courner de la Gironde states that the captains of several vessels, who had takpn out a number of females on speculation to San Fiancisco, had been under the necessity of selling them by Auction, in order to defray the expenses of their passage! The plainest among them weie knocked down at £4, 35.; the others according to their youtli and beauty, fetched better prices ; hut the highest sum obtained was only £11, 55. !" As our remark-shave extended to a greater length than we purposed, we must reserve " tbe conclusion of the whole matter" till anothei opportunity; before which time we may have the good foitune to meet in with a live Bloomer. As yet we have only seen a daguerreotype of that inteiesting production of the nineteenth century ; but from that glance we may confidently assert, for the sake of all intending Masqueraders, that bonnets and bloomers won't do together.

Statue or the late Lord Melville. — We leain that the Committee nppointed at the late meeting of the County, to superintend the erection of a monument to the late lamented Viscount Melville are proceeding vigorously with their woik, and considerable amount of subscription has alrpady been received. The DuKe of Buccleuch heads the list with a subsciiption of £oQO, and the Bank of Scotland (of which the Viscount was so long a Director) contiibutes a similar sum. — Edinb wgh Advettser.