The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1864-12-16

ever would The fact was, in city like
this it required more than the courage If
a martyr 10 oppose public opinion in such
manner. She bad maintained courage
to e eater endurance than would be ne
cessary To lay her head upon the scaffold
She had worn the reform dress as matter
of conscientious duty But in these mat
tiers women needed the countenance and
approval of public opinion and of the OPP
posite sex. She had had approval at
home-lhe approval of her noble aud man
ly com panion, than whom God never made
nobler Or more sympathetic man.
She had been subjected to many insults
by rude and ill-bred persons when wearing
the reform dress. On Broadway CT Fifth
avenue she had met with nothing worse
than prolonged staring, but on other
streets little ll-bred street boys would
boot and cry at her, sometimes throwing
chips, and twitebIng her dress FROM be-
hind, AID then arranging themselves in a
row across the sidewalk, in front Of her,
and skipping backwards as she walked,
with shouts aud laughter and excla-
nations of wonder. Rowdies on hote.
steps and street corners would make re-
marks as she passed, OF so insulting and
obscene a character, as to make every
drop of blood thrill with horror, and al
most cause her to wish to sink out of
sight. Lost women would avoid her, and
point their polluted fingers at her as she
passed, as if she were a thing more vile
than they. Suspicious policemen would
sometimes follow her for blocks at dis
lance, just to keep watchful eye upon
her. Richly dressed ladies' would draw
aside their skirts as if to touch her gar
ments as she passed were contamination.
There was ridiculous aspect, too,
which had often excited her risibiiities as
much as it embarrassed her. Some years
ago, when Baruum exhibited his "what is
it, she heard the questions asked scores
of times by ladies aud gentlemen behind
her on the sidewalk, "Do look at that -
What as ity'
When the Japanese were here, wearing
their queer baggy pantaloons, the cry
changed to "See here here goes one of
the Jlpnese,' and curious crowds would
gather around and follow her, making the
queereSt remarks, surprising she could not
understand the English language. Moth.
erS wnuld call the attention Of their little
children to Japanese Tommy,' aud much
wonder was expressed that he looked SO
much like au American.
Later, when the war broke out, she
once heard the question. whats that 7"
to which an 'ther replied, 81 guess there
goes Il seceSsionst."
At another time as she passed two fast
young men on the str ct corner, one OF
them gave prolonged whistle and said
to the other, "Chaw me up, Tom, but |
couldn't guess what that is"
These were specimens of the trials to
which she was subjected while wearing
the reform dress. Few women, she be-
lieYed, could sustain themselves against
such an overwhelming public oplnion.-
There w're some who did, but she thought
she noticed that it was destructive to
woman's peculiar aud delicate loveliuess
and amiahllity that belongs to her sex,
and tostered II hardness cf temper and III
sensibility to public opini, that was as
urbecomiug as It was undesirable. tex.
cluded her to great extent from society
and thus denied to her many OF the social
pleasures that woman 81 much enjoys In
fact, the mental agony that she experieu.
ced was ten times greater than the benefit
she derived from wearing short skirts
After much thought on the subject, there
fore, she gave up the theory of duty. and
believed the proper consideration of it was
to regard it as mere matter of convent
CAGE. From HAT time she wore lnrg
skirts again, merely taking care to have
the dress loose about the waist, still wear
Ing the drawers and under-clothing Of Tho
reform dress.