The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-07-20

mat u man Is particular 8uOut ~ ID hhS
breaches, or, as the Americans all say,
pants. From the time that Adam dis
covered that the world was without .
tailor. and he hadn't any clothes, the
aim of each masculine has been to get
apparel which will set of his form to
the best advantage. The style and
quality of pants are mark of civiliza-
ton, for in barbarous lands nothing but
clout hides the nakedness of the saw
age. The style of trousers changes
with each generation; indeed, until the
beginning of the present century our
modern pants were not worn, and knee
breeches were in vogue. George Wash
ington, the Father Of his Country, wore
clothes like the base ball players OF the
present day, and wouldn't now receive
an electoral vote should he appear in
his full-dress suit.
When Daniel Webster went to Dart
mouth to be examined for college, he
had On blue jeans, homespun breeches,
IS tough rs the hide Of rhinOcerous-
Then, as now. it wasn't the pants that
made the man.
The foppery Of dress was at its height
in England during the reign of Henry
I'LL, and the reigns of Louis XIV. XV.s
XVI. of France were famous for ex-
travagance in attire. The mobiles wore
what was called "bombasted'' breeches,
which were pulled out from the hips to
the knee and tied with gorgeous rib
bons or bands of gold. The richest
materials were used in making these
garments and thousands of dollars of
the people were squandered in the pur-
chase of magnificent breaches for the
Kings favorites.
Pantaloons first came into use in
Venice during the fifteenth century.
They were worn by devotees of the
patron saint, Pantaloons. and were
called by the Italians pantalini. To
don them was an evidence of foolish
ness or buffoonery. and the individual
who appeared in pantaloons much re-
sembled a clown. They were nothing
more than long stockings, of one piece
from the hip to the knee, very tightly
fitting, and frequently the legs of DIFF
ferent hues.
The Saxon ancient breeches were
very similar to these, and were rendered
more attractive to the barbarian eye of
the early Teutons by bars of variegated
| colorS.
The pantalini of the Italians were in
troduced in England and France during
the sixteenth century. and after con-
siderable period of disuse were worn
as full dress during the reign of George
LII.
During the Plantagenet reigns the
long garments hid the brooches from
view, and hose completely incased the
legs. The breaches of the Celts and
Saxons were not worn by the Romans,
who would not discard the toga, the
ancient and time-honored costume of
! the race.
Brooches in the strict meaning of the
| term-for trousers is the only proper
word to express the existing style OF
wearing apparel from TIE hips to the
ankle-were worn by many of the ma
tons of ancient times, notably the
Modes and Persians. Phrygians. Gauls
and Teutons. The ..bombastes''
| breeches were introduced by the Nor
mans into England, and Henry VIII.
always appeared in puffed-out breeches.
In the reign of Charles 1. they were
worn loose to the knee and ended in a
fringe or row of ribbons. After the
restoration of the petticoat breeches of
the French began to be worn. and were
the mode for some years. The plain.
tight knee-breeches, as worn by our
forefathers who '.fit into the RevOlu-
tion," were introduced by William I'LL.
and the final change to the modern
trousers began in 1872. in England. al
though in Oxford and Cambridge col
leges an order was issued during that
year that all students appearing in
trousers should be considered as abb
sent. Mrs. Siddons, the great actress.
wore trousers when she performed
'.Imogen" in London in 1902.
Wellington adopted trousers in the
British army, and they were for long
time called Wellington trousers.
1t was a good age for tailors two hum
dred years ago, and they were more i'm
pOrtant personages then than now
| Fine brooches were in demand and sold
for fabulous prices.
The real cause for the change in the
mode of dressing, especially in the style
of pantaloons, is to be attributed to the
influence of the French Revolution,
when all the ancient ideas regarding
dress were buried in the ruins and
blood of the licentious and extravagant
nobility. For almost one hundred
years people of the civilized earth, with
the exception of Turkey. have been
wearing trousers which are now in use.
They are more comfortable and dur
able than the costumes of the past and
become equally well the fat and the
lean legs of this generation. DIR. Mary
Walker, the strong-minded female, has
stepped out from the ranks of her sex
and shown her appreciation of mans
pants by wearing them herself. The
style from tight to loose brseches
changes every year or two in
| order to give the tailors 3 chance.
But knee-breeches are seen only
in plays and are to be found in no other
place than in the shop of the costumer.
Will the knee-breeches of our ances-
tors ever come into vogue again? For
many reasons it is to be hoped they
will. Our trousers scrape up all the
dirt and become frayed at the bottom.
The knee-breeches set off fine calf to
the best advantage, and pretty hose can
be worn where it will show. Boots are
rapidly going out of fashion, and now
nearly everybody wears shoes on ac-
count of the Inconvenience occasioned
by trousers worn over high-topped
boots. Knee-breeches could at least
obviate this difficulty. OF course they
would look strange for time, but what
innovation has not seemed ridiculous?
Certainly the tailors would not object
to the change, for it would open to them