The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-09-04
TROUSERS FOR WOMEN.

Mrs. E. M. King, honorary secretary
of the Rational Dress association,
which has for the last two or three
years been exciting some curiosity in
England, says Montreal special to
the New Y ork Times has arrived in
this city, having come over on the
steamship Vancouver. In converse
ton with Times correspondent, Mrs.
King stated that her object in coming
to this country was primarily to at
tend the meetings of the British asso-
citation. She also hoped to disseminate
her views on the subject of dress re-
form both in Canada and the United
States. Mrs. King is quite an interest
ing woman, pleasant and intelligent;
she speaks we'll and is very enthusiast
tic on the subject of her pet hobby.
She is rather short of stature, but
with finely developed physique,
which speaks well for her theory. She
is 81 years old and is the mother of
stveral children. She wears her hair,
which is yet scarcely tinged with gray.
short, and arranged in some what
masculine style.
Mrs. Kings dress at first sight
seems to have nothing startling in it,
appearing to consist only of a loose
flowing vest and basque and short
draped skirt. She explained it's mys-
teries, and, lifting her skirt, showed
the correspondent that she wore trou-
sers. Taking a modest glance at
those garments, the correspondent
saw that they were made of the same
material as the wearer s dress, trimmed
also in the same fashion, Mrs. Kings
idea being to do away with all super
fiuous pet. icoats, which impede the
freedom of the lower limbs, or, as
Mrs. King calls them plainly legs, and
thus interfere with the health and
strength of women. Mrs. King worked
for some time in unison with Lady
Haberton, who was one OF the first to
take up the subject of dress reform in
England, but differences of opinion
arose, and the two ladies though it
best to separate. Mrs. King believes
in calling spade spade,
and insisted on speaking of her
trousers as trousers, while Lady
Haberton preferred the less startling
appellation of divided skirt" Mrs.
King thinks that though the word
trousers may sound strange and struck
and that these trousers should be
worn Instead of petticoats, and that
over this should be worn the dress, so
as not to be too great shock to the
weak nerves of public opinion, though
she has no doubt that the day will yet
com2-perhaps not in her time, nor
even in heI children's-when women
will wear skirts which will not come
below the knees, the lower part of the
legs being covered with some style OF
trousers.
Clothing consists of two parts
dress and drapery. The first named,
being for utility, should conform to
the outlines of the figure; and what,
she pathetically asks, is more beau
titul among all Gods created things
than the figure of woman ?
The drapery, she says, may be
safely left to the individual taste OF
the .Wearer, for she is surely that
though she herself may not have the
knack of making the dress attractive,
the love of prettiness born in most
women will soon assert itself; besides
which they have the added beauty OF
better health and the graceful freedom
of limb which a more rational mode
of dress would give. Especially tc
Young girls, on whom depends the
welfare of the coming generations
does Mrs. King wish to make it cleaI
that because they adopt a style Of
dress which is healthful and comforta'
BILE, they need not necessarily sacrifice
beauty, but quite the contrary. Mrs
| King saws that coming out OF tn
Vancouver they had ladies evenings,
during which she delivered an ad
dress on her views of dress reform
and succeeded in horrifying her lad.
fellow passengers to an unheard o
extent, which is easily believed /
she appeared before them in tn
semi-masculine toilet she wore be
fore your correspondent. Thi
lady says that she has many CORES
pondents in the states, some of whOr
have organized dress exhibition,
be held in San Francisco this fal
This will be somewhat similar to th
exhibition that Mrs. King had in LoI
don, at which, she says, there WEI
10000 paying visitors. 1t is not, how
ever, only to women that she az
: dresses herself, but also to the stern'
: sex, in whose costume she sees muc
E that needs reform-nOt, perhaps, G
: the ground of utility, but on that
{ beauty of outline and coloring; an
D indeed, she asserts that many men a
4 members of her society, not only b
: cause they wish to see their wives al
7 daughters become healthier al
+ stronger women. but because they a
d not Sc tisfied with their own Dire
h Mrs. King very sensibly observes it
) only through the support of men tn
). women will have courage to endu
/ the ridicule with which their trous