The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1884-08-29
MANKATo FREE Press
FRIDAY, AUGUST 20. 1884.
woman,s Opposition to Pockets.

II It is difficult to put In few words
that quality or trait which most dis
tinctly separates man from the various
lower creations, IL is quite easy, on the
contrary, to tell what 1t Is In civilized
life that sets off man on the one hand
from woman on the other. 1t Is, mere
ly, the one who wears pockets, while a
woman does not wear them. A woman
may possibly have one pocket. but II
she passes into the plural plumber with
this convenient receptacle, and ven-
lures to have two, she may be set down
either as strong-mindeh or on the way
to DO SO. or else is the possessor of
brain that Is not far from becoming, In
lsome way. disordercd.
r Women and girls do not mind as
Stunning the gentleman's style of hat, or
his collar, and will wear something
that considerably resembles gentlo-
mans coat, boots and ulster; they will
carry diminutive canes, and cut their
hair short, but they are unanimously
and unalterably opposed to pockets.
| They will dispose of q watch-chain In
way not unlike the style adopted by
their brothers, and thoy will affect, on
occasions, a cravat. Very few things
there arc. indeed. in masculine dress,
which thoy do not freely accept or imi-
tate. but for some deep reason their
dislike begins. and they draw the line of
acquiescence and departure ut pockets.
Ii would be hard to tell what there
Is about the innocent practical device
which man finds so. convenient which
Is SO disturbing to awoman, or which
she cannot find 1t equally handy to en-
plOy. Ii man has a handkerchief or
penknife, or pencil. or toothpick,
or pocket-book-a few letters just
received. and pair of spcctacles, II
he is middle-aged-he puts them in his
pocket In fact he does not know
what else TO do with them. His clothes
are SO made that they will carry all
these things and many more. He us
ually has two watch pockets, ut least,
and special pocket for spectacles, If
he wears them. On the top of the left
hand sleeve of some Of the listers is n
pocket made especially for theater or
other tickets; and either that may be
used, or another is sometimes, for small
change only.
Now, there is no one of these various
articles mentioned that girl or wo-
man does not as often possess as does
the boy or the man, besides having
some articles. possibly, that are par
ticularly her own: But when she trav-
els abroad what does she do with themp
In q mans complete suit of clothes
when he is dressed, and has his over
coat on, there are frequently not fewer
than sixteen pockets by actual count
In a garment which he does not wear
in the daytime, in which pocket was
net once considered essential, his handy
device now appears. And it is emil
nently useful there. and illustrates well
current proverb on hardness in gen.
eral.
We have said it is q mystery. to the
masculine mind ut least, what it is that
q girl or woman does with all the lit
tie utensils and accompaniment which
are equally necessary to both sexes.
TO get rid of q watch-pocket she
sometimes makes her belt pinch the
watch on; and the single pocket which
we have admitted she may have. is
probably devoted to her handkerchief.
We say this tentatively, however, not
knowing certainly, and wishing to
avoid dangerous ground. Whatever it
is used for, it is very small-almost ex-
traordinary, in fact-and, when we
have attached to it the handkerchief,
it will be more than full. and probably
the handkerchief will visibly obtrude
and run over.
There is one curious thing we do
know about this pocket matter, that we
naver can. and never shall try to &C.
count for. The pocket-book, so named
because it was either made expressly
to carry in the pocket or the pocket
was first made expressly TO carry it.
women and girls do not carry there. 1t
makes no difference whether q wo-
mans pocket-b book contains ten cents
or 81, 900. she will not be on any ac-
count. induced to put it in her pocket
the only place she will carry it is in
her hands.