Identifier: twocentsofcostu01earl (find matches)
Title: Two centuries of costume in America, MDCXX-MDCCCXX
Year: 1903 (1900s)
Authors: Earle, Alice Morse, 1851-1911
Subjects: Clothing and dress
Publisher: New York, The Macmillan company London, Macmillan & co., ltd.
Contributing Library: Getty Research Institute
Digitizing Sponsor: Getty Research Institute

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any rate none were called bouncinggirls. The portraits of men or women certainlyshow no restraint as to richness in dress. Theirsumptuary laws were of less use to their day thanto ours, for they do reveal to us what articles ofdress our forbears wore. While the Massachusetts magistrates were fussinga little over womans dress, the parsons, as a whole,were remarkably silent. Of course two or three ofthem could not refrain from announcing a text fromIsaiah iii, 16 et seq., and enlarging upon the well-worn wimples and nose jewels, and bells on theirfeet, which were as much out of fashion in Massa-chusetts then as now. It is such a well-rounded,ringing, colorful arraignment of womans folliesyou couldnt expect a parson to give it up. Everyevil predicted of the prophet was laid at the door ofthese demure Puritan dames, — fire and war, andcaterpillars, and even baldness, which last was reallyunjust. Solomon Stoddard preached on the Intol-erable Pride in the Plantations in Clothes and Hair,
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Rebecca Rawson. Dress of the New England Mothers 67 that his parishioners drew iniquity with a cord ofvanity and sin with a cart-rope. The apostle Paulalso furnished ample texts for the Puritan preacher.In the eleventh chapter of Corinthians wise Pauldelivered some sentences of exhortation, of re-proof, of warning to Corinthian women which 1presume he understood and perhaps Corinthiandames did, but which have been a dire puzzle sinceto parsons and male members of their congregations.(I cannot think that women ever bothered muchabout his words.) For instance, Archbishop Lati-mer, in one of the cheerful, slangy rallies to hishearers which he called sermons, quotes Pauls sen-tence that a woman ought to have a power on herhead, and construes positively that a power is aFrench hood. This is certainly a somewhat sur-prising notion, but I presume he knew. However,Roger Williams deemed a power a veil; and beingsomewhat dictatorial in his words, albeit the tender-est of creatures in his heart,

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