The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1882-04-05
KNEE BR EECHES.
why should the Benefit OF these Garments
be Confined TO the Male Sex Alones
IOorv Work Times

why should the Benefit OF these Garments
be Confined TO the Male Sex Alones
New York Timesl
Men have been SO fond Of giving women
advice as to the clothes they should wear
that no fault should be found with the
courageous woman who has lately under
taken TO convince men that they ought to
wear knee-breeches. Like the male critic
of feminine dress, Miss Field processes to be
animated solely by the noblest of motives.
She does, indeed, admit that she regards
knes-breeches as more truely ssthetic
garment than trousers, but she bases her
plea for the former on the ground that the
physical development of man is hindered
by trousers. With his legs incased in the
| latter, he knows that his calves are secure
from observation. Whether they are large
and shspely, or whether they are modelled
after the pattern of the billiard cue. nc one
can tell so long as trousers cover them
Hence. men are careless as TO their calves
they take no pains whatever to develop
them, and the race is steadily and surely
becoming more and more weak and ineffi-
Gent in point Of legs.
II, however, all men were to wear knee
breeches their calves would be constantly
exposed to view, and they would have n
powerful motive to foster and preserve
their symmetry. The firm development of
calf displayed by actors and liveried foot
men is an evidence Of the good effects pro-
duced by wearing breeches. In to effort to
develop handsome calves our young men
would take vast amount of exercise either
in the gymnasium or in some athletic sport
which makes demands upon the muscles of
the leg. Thu, knee-breeches would indi-
recsly improve the human race to such an
extent that in the course of n generation the
bIeeches-wearing races would be physically
vastly superior to any trousers-wearing
race.
This argument is so convincing that it is
| impossible TO deny that Miss Field has COM
pletely made out her case in favor of knee
breeches. The great fundamental truth
which lies at the bottom of her argument Is
moreover. capable of much wider application.
| What is good for the legs is good for the
arms and chest. Our modern coat and waist
coats, with the opportunities for conce alment
aud padding which they provide, exercise
the most deleterious effect upon the upper
regions of the masculine body. At least half
our young men have hollow chest and spin
die arms, but they find it SO easy to. CONCEAL
these defects that they. prefer concealment
TO Improvement. Now, were all men to
be compelled to wear bare arms, and to
have their coats, shirLs, and wastcoats cut
low in the neck, the thin and hollow
chested man would be no longer on an I'M
fair equality with the brawny and bread
chested man. He would have to expand
his chest and develop the muscles of his
arms, or else to see his more athletic rival
| preferred before him in the admiration and
affection Of the other sex. Miss Field is
doing a good work in advocating knee
brooches in the interest OF the male leg, but
she ought to insist that the arms and chests
of men should have at least equal facilities
for improvement.
What her own sex has accomplished in
connection with arms and necks affords a
striking proof of the truth of Miss Fields
theory. For centuries woman has been
accustomed to display her arms and neck,
except in teose parts of New England where
woman is supposed TO consist exclusively of
brain. The result is that the feminine
neck-which is a term of far wider appli-
cation than is the word neck when used in
connection with man-is wonderfully de-
veloped There can be little doubt that its
most marked characteristics are the result
of the long continued custom of exposing il
to view and of fostering in every possible
way its expansion and plumpness. Who
shall say that man can not reach the same
success by wearing low-necked coats? This
is grand field for speculation, but as it
might lead away from the immediate SUBJ
iect under consideration, il can not be prop
erly discussed here.
The venerable proverb, physician, heal
myself" might by some exceptionally bold
and reckless man be called to the attention
of Miss Field and those of her sex who have
embraced her theory of knee-breeches,
Why should she seek to con6ne the benefits
of these garments to the male sex alone2
For purposes of concealment the feminine
skirt is infinitely more efficacious than the
masculine trousers, and it is simply impos-
sible for any man to obtain any expert
mental knowledge of the condition Of the
let US say substances, which it conceals
Obviously, the sex has no motive for de-
veloping the-that is to say, for walking OF
for prGcticing on the trapeze. II, however,
we remove the skirts-not, of course, with
out first substituting knee breeches-the
same pride which women now take in the
development of their arms and nechs would
be extended to--in short, would have 6
larger field for its exercise. Women would
would walk over rough and stony ground
who had never walked before, and although
as the ballet has shown US, sawdust could be
used by insincere and untrustworthy wo
men, the latter could never compete with
their most honest rivalz, who would seek By
vigorous exercise to develop their muscles
and improve their health.
On the whole, Miss Field would do vel
to teach by practice IS well as precept
Much as men may need the improving in
fluences of knee-breeches, women probably
need them at least as much. Let Mis-
Field prove her forth by her works, and sh'
will then find men much more willing thar
they are at present to accept her gospel o
knee-breeches.