THE WIDOW'S " WEEDS."

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2704, 9 November 1889, Page 6 (Supplement)

THE WIDOW'S " WEEDS."

All that is most objectionable in mourning reaches its climax when it comes to the dress of a widow. In all cases, the nearer the relative the more cumbrous becomes the dress of tho female mourner ; but the widow's dress positively amounts to a mild form of Suttee, and would aeem to hint that the idea underlying various heathon rites as to the conduc; of women is not absolutely extinct among us. There would still seem to be a lurking feeling that if a man dies it is desirable that some sort of punishment should fall on tho wife, or that at least she should be sacrificed in some way, as far as is possible ■without being too much out of keeping with tho theoretical liberty of tho age. It is, in actual fact, a survival of the outward expression of tho inferiority of woman ; for the inferior always expresses grief for tho superior. The superior does not notice the death of the inferior in this manner. This dress of a widow may be said to possess every bad and •unhygienic quality of women's dress (and these truly are neither few nor unimportant) intensified fourfold. It is always man both oxtra long and clinging, so that exercise is even more impossible than evor. It is usually very heavy, and it is surmonted by a species of head-dress furnished with one or two (according to taste) long streamers hanging aimlessly clown behind. Theso streamers make it difficult to turn the head, partly because they are comparatively heavy, but more particularly because they aro rough, and the dross also being crapo orsomo rough material, they catch to it, and have to be continually pushed at with tho hands to prevent the cap being pulled off. Streamers of ths same sort are also carefully fixed to the bonnet, so as to ensure the walking dress being as wretchedly uncomfortable as that worn in tho house. Now, if it be taken for granted that most women are sorry when their husband dies —and, for the credit of humanity, wo may accept this hypothesis—there could not bo any less desirable form of dross. At any timo it would be depressing, but for one already in low spirits it is simply barbarous ; and its utter noudlcssuoss is thrown into strong relief by the fact that thuro in no special dress for u. widower,— Woman's World.