National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-09-10
RREoRN w MENa DRESS


passing strange that efforts have not been
made in this direction before We have
witnessed exhibitions Of the greatest fer.
vency in the work of bringing about moral
reforms; we have listened and watched
and prayed for political reforms; we have
sometimes shudderd at the strange earnest
ness Of those cratic creatures, male and
female, who are striving for female dress
reform, and now we are called upon to
chronicle the establishment of movement
having for its object reform in the dress
OF the male branch Of the human family.
We are glad Of this. Since DR.. Mary
Walker started out to mystify confding
public as TO her gender by encasing herself
in the particular pattern Of trowsers appro-
priated by the tyrant man to his exclusive
use, we have felt that some reform was i'm
| perstively demanded in masculine gar
ments. Wehave long felt the want of some
style that VIII preclude the possibility of
angular and reckless females like Dr. Mary
creating sort ofhermaphrodite gender, and
now we are in a fair way of seeing this
thing accomplished.
A society has been formed in the city of
New York for the purpose Of bringing about
this reform: ''The association consists
''of ladies as well as gentlemen, and is
fully determined to interest the public in
''the matter, deGming it of vital importance
''to the well-being of humanity that man
should escape from the thraldom of
fashion, and dress not according to con-
"ventionslism but reason" That is the
way correspondent of the Graphic states
the case. 1t is strange that we have never
before had a real earnest effort to escape the
thraldom Of fashion, and now that public
attention has been directed to it the doom
Of the tyrsnt cannot be long postponed.
Chow needlessly complicated male apparel
has become r. exclaim these crusaders
sgainst fashionable tailors. Look at the
list Of garments worn by man, which Is
paraded with the accuracy Of 9 wash list
by the dress reformers We have socks,
drawers, undershirt, shirt, collar, necktie,
'cuffs, studs, sleeve-buttons, pantAloons,
'fsuspenders, vest, coat, gloves, cane, UNI
'breIla, oTer-shoes, handkerchief, and hat
nineteen articles in ALI" And yet that
array Is not complete. Gum shoes may
answer in New York, but here we are
afflicted Ia addition with boots or shoes,
which swell the list to twenty-one, count.
ing pair to each individual man. We in
sist upon the boots and shoes, because, in
matter Of such ''vitsl importance to the
well-being of humanity" there is nothing
Ike throroughness. There are other arti-
cles worn by some men at certain periods,
but these need not be mentioned st this
inaugural stage Of the great reform move
ment. Some Of those articles cannot, per-
hsps, be legitimstely classified with the
male wardrobe, not being exposed for sale
in fashionable tailoring establishments
We draw the line, therefore, and write
twsnty-one as the sum total of the list of
articles of male apparel that should be alb
solutely cast away.
eve construct systems Of philosophy,
count the stars and measure their distances
''yet how little we know of ourselvesP'
VIII any man be bold enough to deny the
premisei "Is this exaggerated ultraism
'just and reasonable state Of mindT' We
trow not Then "whst civilized (saye the
smarkD man knows even the number Of
''his pocketsf'' Here is q conundrum
which would remain unanswered did not
our apostle of reform enumerate the pockets
and give us fourteen in all, and still more
"when man wears his overcoat" Surely
it is time some radical change was made in
this exaggerated ultraism" of pants and
pockets. Shall we continue to sweat under
superhuous clothing and groan with per-
picking multiplicity of pockets, when the
remedy is 50 simple and 50 easily attained2
Fashion has too long been permitted to ex-
ercise her baleful sway and hide and pinch
manly forms in her conventional folds.
'"These impedimenta must be obviated,"
insist the new refomers, and ga modifca
''tion of the Roman toga, with belt at the
waist for ordinary occasions" is the
simple and inexpensive style suggested to
take the place of the present exaggerated
ultraism' in trowsers, coats, pockets,
etceters. The adAptabilIty of the Roman
toga will be very generally admitted. 1t
is an easy, graceful garment, convenient to
get into and out Of and if cut biased and
gored and ornsmented with passementerie,
could hardly fail to become chef d. Guvrs
in the way of full dress with all young
gentlemen who part their hair exactly in
the middle. We are in favor of the tosa,
and trust to see it very generally adopted
by our society" people next winter, san,
every article nowimposed upon the human
form divine by the tyrant fashion.
But the best thing about this reform
movement is the style adopted for the
common workingmen." Say the leaders
Of the new fashion ''There is no good
treason why common workingmen should
"wear more than sbreech-clout in summer
''and a close-ftting suit Of serge in winter.
'NOthing can be said against this on thu,
"score of decency, and much on that Of
"health and ease. Hats are unnecessary,
"as the head should always be as cool as
possible, and the badness of our men is
mainly due to the wearing Of them"
VIII any common workingmsn" rise up
and object to costume so diaphanous and
50 easy Of Adjustment No oppressive gar
ments to interfere with the free circulation
Of the limbs and Cypress and chafe the body
with dust and heat No deception could be
practiced in such garb, ald it would be
proof against the designs of such amphib-
ious people as DR.. Walker. "a breech-
clout in summer would be Just the
style, and we like it for general use
oven better than the Roman toga, with a
belt at the waist In such a primitive
dress it could no longer be said with truth.
sfhe apparel Oft proclaims the man
Every individual man would then stand
forth in his own showing and his own
brief breech-clout and neither would he be
the worse "for this poor furniture and |
mean array" Give US the breech-eIout
good reformers, that we may cast aside
these villainous and expensive fashions that
hang upon our manly forms like ivy on
rotten trees.
The earnestness Of this new movement
viii give it favorable consideration with the
fashion-ridden public fsThe ladies Of the |