The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-08-07
WOlnell's Pockets.

One Of those popular journals which are
the organs of feminine clothing has recently
begun to agitate with much earnestness
and cloqucnce In behalf of the right Of women
to have and enjoy pockets. It points out
the fact that while man Is provided with
from nine to fifteen pockets-exclusive of
over-coat pockets-woman has either one
solitary pocket or none at ALL This is un-
doubleday a gric vance, and the demand
for female pockets will commend itself to
the world with much more force than did
the demand for female trousers. Earnest
as has been the agitation in favor of the
latter, 1T has proved a failure. Men could
not, by any argument, be brought to admit
that 1t is the right and duty of women to
wear trousers, and though few fearless
and determined women provided them
selves with the garment in question, their
appearance thercin n was 30 startling that
their personal victory has been the defeat
Of their cause. The withholding of pockets
from the women has undoubtedly had Its
origin in the fact that among girls of tender
years there has been no apparent desire
for pockets. The boy is emincntly q
string consuming animal. In his sports
and occupations he has constant need of
strings, end hence he is properly provided
with pockets In which to carry kite strings,
shoe strings, top strings and general strings.
The girl never uses strings in any form, and
therefore docs not feel the need of pockets.
AS the boy grows to be man his pockets
expand and increase with constant use, so
that he is finally able to use ten or fifteen
at once. The girl, OH the other hand, grow
ing up without pockets, reaches womanhood
without them, and as much as she may
then desire pockets, custom is against the
qualification Of her desire.
The one pocket with which an occasional
woman Is provided, and in which she car
rlcs her keys, her handkerchief, her smelling
salts, her pin cushion, aud a quantity of
miscellaneous articles, Is nothing more than
make shift. 1t has no precise locality
prescribed for it. Its owner, although she
Knows that She has pocket somewhere
beneath her skirt, can seldom find II without
a prolonged and irritating search. TO some
women direct access to the pocket by
means of n slit in the skirt is denied, and
In such case the woman who wants to get
ut her thimblc Is compelled to seek the
isolation OF corner of the room, where
she goes through mysterious and protract-
ed process through which her pocket Is
finally reached and exhumcd. 1t is OBJ
vlous that this inconvenient substitute for
the free and open pocket Of the male Sex
Is by no means sufficient to satisfy the deep
wants OF the feminine nature and that its
existence Is no answer to the complaint
that women arc virtually pocketlcss. There
is not only no reason why a woman should
be deprived Of pockets, but thcl is abundant
reason why her pockets should be even
larger and more numerous than those of
man. Nature socms to have designed her
to blossom into innumerablc pockets.
Mans clothing, with the solitary exception
OF his coat tails, fits closely to his person,
and affords no room for really capacious
pockets. The skirts of women may, how
ever, be hung with pockets within and
without, and tho capacity of each one may
he thrccfold that of the largest trousers or
coat pocket. In the concealed pockets she
may carry weeks supply of clothing and
hair pins, and the visible pockets might DO
put to uses of which tho masculine pockets
are totally incapable. A large pocket, for
example, might be placed outside the skirt
with an opening in tho region of tho belt
buckle, and in this pocket moderate
sized infant may be carried, thus avoiding
tho fatigue of filling tho arms with a burden
that must be handled with the utmost care,
and, at the samo time, leaving the hunds
free. In case Of twins, the capacity of tho
pocket might be enlarged, or a rear pocket
Of like pattern may be used, 80 that the
weight of one twin would balance tho
weight of the other. This is thrown out
as mere suggestion of one of the uses to
which feminine pockets might be put, and
q hundred other like suggestions might
easily be made.