Morning journal and courier., 1880-08-02
The Jersey.

To the beautiful Mrs. Langtry is given the credit of having made fashionable the gar l ment popuIarly called a jersey. From time immemorial the sailor, whether English Ger 1 man or French, who is born on the coasts of the British Channel, has been accustomed to wearing close fitting woven woolen gar ment which has been always known as jer- sey. It covers his arms and the upper part of his body down to his hips, and is in all re- spects more convenient, more serviceable and more neat than the loose woolen shirt which was universally worn by the now extinct race of American sailors. Undoubtedly the jersey was first made or worn in the island of ter sey, and thus obtained it's name. The little group of islands to which Jersey belongs has also given names to the Guernsey frock and the Attorney COW, and certain philologists pretend that the garment called by Burns a 'sark'' also came from the Channel Islands With this, however, we are not at present concerned, and it is sufficient for us to recall the fact that the jersey originated in the island of Jersey. When Mrs Langtry, who is herself 8 na- tive of Jersey, desired to gain the priceless honor of inventing new style of dress which should be forever linked with her name, she bethought herself of the jersey. Of course, in it's crude state, the jersey could not be l worn by any woman of taste or self respect, but it was capable of being so transformed as to become perfectly adapted to feminine
 
 jersey, cut off the sleeves, reduced it's length, drew it in here, let it out there, until it be- came glorified jersey, fit for the most beau tiful women of London. Thus altered, and with the finest of wool substituted for its original coarse material, the feminine jersey achieved immediate popularity. It was found that it fitted the form so closely as to display every line and curve of beauty, and in a short time every fashionable woman who felt any confidence in her figure hastened to display it with jersey.
 It is painful to be compelled to mention that the jersey is found to have one great fault. It is easy to put on, provided the wearer performs that feat before she puts on her back hair, but when the time for taking it off arrives she begins to wish that Mrs. Langtry had never been born, and, unless she has a maid or some friendly person to help her, despairs of ever again undressing in this world.
 Now, it has always been the boast of wo- man that her clothing, though somewhat intri- cate of adjustment, can be readily laid aside It is said by experienced husbands that all a woman has to do is to let go few halyards, cast of few braces, and, perhaps, cut flashing or two, and everything comes down by the run. This description may be exag- gerated, and, indeed, there is no way of dem onstrating its accuracy, but the celerity with which woman can prepare herself to jump overheard when steamboat accident occurs Justlnes us In assuming that, as rule, she can reduce her more important garments with ease and rapidity. Man has always been confessedly her inferior in this respect His boots frequently defy his most earnest efforts, and in those cases where he has weak ly permitted himself to fasten his collar with pins, he is sometimes reduced to the necessi- ty of tearing it of, and relieving his mind with vigorous language.
 The masculine wearer of the original jersey VI tab of Ean it with both hands just above the shoulders, and pulls it over his head This he can safe ly do, because the coarse, strong flores of which 1t is made render it able to resist very heavy strain. The delicate feminine jersey cannot, however, be treated in any