The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1862-09-24
welnen,s Dress.

"emen's Dress.
N. F. Willis, is an advocate for reform
IN womcn's dress. In long article on the
subject, he says: .... .. ....9 ..
While cultivating the tastes of our sex,
practicing our trades, following our yoca.
tons and amusemcnts-as the ladies arc
now gong to do, to much greater extent
than ever befOre-they will suffer as usual
from the Inconvenience and membranes
OF female costume. The question will &C.
cur, whether there is not a certain compro.
mise between the two, a mingling of the
masculine and feminine attire, which might
accommodate the new desuet lde of belle.
sh'p-.something which might not seem to
De wholly assuming the masculine, while
1t still gave the weaIer the male privileges
as to movement and discoloration. WHY
should not some dress be invented or adopt
ed which is thus avowedly neutral, and
which shall be kind of uniform of rynun
cldmentos-to be admired and respected
as representing class? The lsdy nurses
OF the army might first adopt and conse-
crate 1t. There is rescue of certain f.
male beauty from maltreatment, which
might as well be suggested in this connec-
tion-the adoption of costume which
shall serve both one costume and the other.
AS every artist knows, nature has made
symmetry Of limb almost a universally
with women. There are few who would
not look well in the becoming kilt of the
Scotch Highlander, for instance; and it is
evidently the design of nature that the
shape OF the leg shall be seen. But, though,
in the crossing of streets and the going up
OF stairs, the stocking, with the present
fashion. is visible enough, that stocking is
ar0,oedty concealed by the crinoline skirt,
at the same time that it is inevitably made
dirty by the skirts inappropriate length
1t seems such q pity that our attention
should be called both to beauty and to
the profaning of it-that the article Of
dress to which purity is the most impor-
tant, the white stocking Of the lady, should
DC the most invariably polluted in our sight |!
Now the long gaiter, reaching from the
Instep to the knee of shapely limb, is ex.
ccedingly becoming, whether made OF
Scotch plaid, or patent leather, or OF any
oolored cloth !; and 1t may be worn with the
balmoral or kilt, with the jacket and cap oil
the hussar, or with the frock of the off.
GERS uniform, so as to be perfectly conve.
'.'S"t' Wv w HoS sCc III idCl, why JneCe
should not be q standard third dress thus
permanently established, giving much
greater liberty to the female sex, and enab-
ling them to supply the deficits. Of the
times" with far more readiness.
And-to look beyond the custom of the
matter-are the ladies aware how greatly
the destiny, of their sex is to be amplified
and dignified, when lode and petticoats arc
to be no. longer considered necessary to its
fuffiinent? How many arc the women wht
are gifted with the energies and talents
men, and who, though they make very res
pcctable mothers, would make much better
editors or treasurers, artists or secretaries
authors or merchants! Love and matri
mony are by no means necessary to all
and with liberty to choose, how often woult
they. gladly select other professims an,
excel in them | am greatly inclined t
think that there are to be some novel re
suits Of character from the new combina
tions Of genius with femeninc purity and pa
Gencc and that some of the most dstin
guished Americans of the coming day ar
to be Of this third sec the gifted who shal
have put By the petticoat and the cradle, q
belongings that chance to be needless.