New-York tribune., 1883-06-20
THE VAR ON TROUSERS.

There are signs Of irrepresslble conflict on the
subject Of trousers. small but indomitablc band
of agtators have decreed that tho trousers Of the
period are ungracciul aud must DO replaced by the
knee breeches OF the fathers These agitators are
too discreet TO make their warfare incessant. They
appear at regular intervals, each tmo with little
different form OF attack, strike their blow and re-
tire. Most of the attacks have been made by
women who have sought to convert .he masculine
taste by judicIous appeals 20 masculine vanity.
The men have been told that they would look ever
30 much more picturesque and graceful IN knee
breeches that in their present style of appare! they
arc too ridiculous for anything" Tho Rev. Anna
Oliver, who was one of the most radical OF che ag-
tators declared few months ago that the highest
point Of manly grace and beauty would not be
reached until men resumed the dress of old time
page That opinion was rapturousy appauded at the
time of its utterance by the ladies who heard it but
tie men, for or other, failed 10 adopt
the suggestion Possibly the fact that the weather
was extremely cold at the time had something to
do with chilling the reform.
Other ladies' soon afterward appeared and, in
splred by the presence of Mr.. Oscar Widcr took up
the cudges vigorously in favor of more modified
phase of tho reform than the Rev. Anna Oliver had
advocated They recommended the sons OF men to
follow Mr.. Wilde's example and begin not with
tights but with knoe-breoches This suggestion was
also coldly received. 1t might have Jared better If
Mr. Wilde had not been here TO stand as model of
what the reform was able to do for man. What
ever emotions Of admiration that distinguished gen.
tlsmau's personal appearance may have excited in
The breasts Of the genter 1t is entirely accurate
to say that the emotions which casual inspection
of him awakened in the average man were of a
different character. No man in the whole United
States has ever appeared who was willing to be-
come follower Of Oscar Wilde. He has since con-
fessed the failure of his mission by substituting
trousers for his own knee-breeches.
This discouraging failure depressed the anti
trousers movement for time, but by no means
suppressed it. 1t broke out in u new quarter only
a lew days ago. This time man is said to be the
leader The letter-carriers of Chicago first got
wind Of the attack. They head that the Post
master. General was considering a proposition to
mt all the letter-carrlers into kneebrceches, and
like true sons of free country they immediately
organized an indignation meeting aud protested
The burden of their protest was that they would die
rather than be turned into dudes; that the recon-
mendaton came from the Philadelphia postmaster,
who IS himself dude" and who lives in u city
| where shalf the people are dudes" that " ont
West we are moro independent and will fight to the
bitter end" that there can be no "knee-breeches
| or pettcoats for u.s."
| In our opinion this violent and somewhat brutal
outbreak will quiet the reform for month or two.
| Chicago was not a favorable spot to work upon.
| That was the city in which Mr.. Wilde was called
| g Wild Oscar the Aesthetic" and which he himself
called the most utterly dreary In America. Ut is
cloarly not city which is rlpe for reform of this
delicate artistic character. In fact it is doubtful If
there is anywhere an American city which is ripe
for 1t now. The project has unfortunately become
mixed up with esthstes and dudes and until it can
be disconnected from them, even feminine hattory.
that most potent of all agencies will not be power
| full enough to make men look kindly upon it,