The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1883-02-21
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..

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that man is particular about it is his
breeches, or as the Americans all say,
pants. From the time that Adam
discovered that the world was without
a tailor, and he hadn't any clothes, the
aim of each masculine has been to get
apparel which will set off 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
savage. The style Of trousers changes
with each generation; indeed, until the
beginning of the present century our
modern pants were not worn, and
knee-breeehes were in vogue. George
Washington, the father of his country,
wore clothes like the baseball PLAYERS
of the present day, and wouldn't now
receive an electoral vote should he ap.
pear in his full dress suit.
When Daniel Webster went to Dart
mouth to be examined for college he
had on blue jeans homespun breeches,
as tough as the hide of a rhinoceros,
Then, as now, it wasn't the pants that
made the man.
Pantaloons first came into use in
Venice during the fifteenth century.
They were worn by devotees Of :he
patron saint, Pantaloon, and were
called by the Italians pantalini. TC
don them was an evidence of foolish
ness or buffoonery, and the individual
who appeared in pantaloons much re-
sembled clown. They were nothing
more than long stockings, of one
piece, from the hip to the knee, very
tight-ftting, and frequently the legs of
different 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.
Breeches, in the strict meaning Of
the term-for trousers is the only
proper word to express the existing
style of wearing apparel from the hip
to the ankle-were worn by many of
the nations of ancient times, notably
the Medes 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 I. they were
worn loose to the knee, and ended in a
fringe or row of ribbons. After the
restoration 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 aft into
the Revolution" We're introduced by
William I'LL, and the final change
to the modern trousers began in
1912, in England, although in Oxford
and Cambridge colleges an order was
issued during that year that all stu
dents appearing in trousers should be
considered as absent. Mrs. Siddens,
the great actress, wore trousers when
she performed Imogen," in Londcn.
! in 1902.
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 revolu-
tion, when all the ancient ideas re-
garding dress were buried in the ruins
and blood of the licentious and ex-
travagant nobility. For almost one
hundred years people of the civilized
earth, with the exception of Turkey,
have been wearing the trousers
which are now in use. They are
more comfortable and durable than
the costumes of the past, and be-
come equally well the fat and the lean
legs of this generation. DR.. Mary
Walker, the strong-minded female, has
stepped out from the ranks of her
sex and shown her appreciation of
mems pants by wearing them herself.
The style from tight to loose breeches
changes every year or two in order to
give the tailors a chance. But knee
breeches are seen only in. plays, and
are to be found in no other place than
/ in the shops of the cOstumer.
VIII the knee-breeches of our ances-
: tors ever come in vogue again? For
many reasons il is to be hoped that
they will Our trousers scrape up all
the dirt and become frayed at the bot
/ tom. The knee-breeches set off a tinr
calf to the best advantage, and prettv
hose can be worn where it
will show. Boots are rapidly
going out of fashion, and now nearly
everybody wears shoes on account of
the inconvenience occasiuned by trOu-
sers worn over high-topped boots.
| Knee-hreeches could at least obviate
this difficulty. OF course they would
look strange for time, but what in
novation has not seemed ridiculous d?
Certainly the tailors would not object
to the change, for it would open to
them a wider and more profitable field
of usefulness.
In the days Of our forefathers, when
trousers were a novelty, they were
patched so often as to resemble the
famous coat of Joseph, which made
the boy so stuck up and aroused the ire
of his less fortunate brothers. But the
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