Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 May 1887 — “Decolloty.” [ARTICLE]

“Decolloty.”

Low-necked dresses are conducive to both pneumonia and to immodesty. An old man—the merchant of his native village—who had visited Washington for the first time, went home both sadder and wiser. As ho had large influence in country in which he lived the wife of the Representative in Congress from his district sent the old country merchant’s daughter an invitation to’spend several weeks with her in Washington. The old man read the letter and handed it to his wife. After sitting a few moments in thought he turned to her and said:- » “Do you know what a decolloty dress is?” “I’m not sure that I do, Isaac; but I reckon it’s a material something like silk?” “No, yer off there: ‘Decolloty’means no waist to speak.of,” “What? A dress without a waist?” “Yes, and there’s plenty of ’em in Washington. You see wimmen there standing half-clad, in cold, draughty parlors, shaking hands with a passel of unprincipled dandies that go off and make fun of ’em! No hospitality, no dress-waists, no sense, no nothin’; but there tbfey stand, grinnin’—grinnin’— and shaking somebody or other’s hand. They go and go to these receptions till they drop dead of pneumonia! and then some other ridiculous people take their place and shake hands and grin and go half-clad.” “Do you want our Lucy to do that way ? I’m sure you don’t any more than I do, and no more would Tom Bowles thet she means ter marry. I tell ye, Sary, them decolloty dresses is the cause of much domestic trouble and frequent lung diffikilty!” — Youths’ Companion. I