St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-10-14
Foolish Clinging to Conven-
tional Miseries by Work.
ing Women.
The Sad Speetacles Our
Streets Present on Rainy
Days.
Mrs. Miller, Jennie June and
Others Discuss Rain
Attire.

Mrs. SelmeS, who has natural love OF
such diversions, is no longer alone in
her Indifference to the fatigue of a
jaunt to Como and back. But with all
the increasing tendency to athle tic
sports there has come no perceptible
change in feminine attire-that enemy
of wOman's muscle and curse of free
movement. If there is single pair
of divided skirts worn by any St.
Paul woman the secret is kept
closely concealed within the bosom of
the Wearer ard beneath the conven-
tiOnal petticoats on the outside. Women
have come so to consider restriction of
liberty an heritage their sex must suffer
and endure, that the idea of improving
their condition in small ways which lie
in their power to effect, seldom, if ever,
enters the minds of the majority. Even
the woman who waits on you In the
dining room, the one who serves you be-
hind store counters, the one who sits in
your Office and typewrites your cor
reSpondence. the one who jumps on and
off horse cars and paddles through mud
or sweeps through dust to report your
social gatheringS-th woman who
works in any capacity chOkeS herself
with the same high collar, girds herself
with the same tight cOrsets, loads her.
self with the same heavy skirts, perches
herself on the same high heels, and
pinches herself with
THE SAME TIGHT SHOES
that make life a trial to the wealthy
dame who has nothing to do but to eat,
drink and be merry as. circumstances
will allow. A female clerk in a Third
street store cOnfeSSeS that, Oftener than
a wise man could believe, she puts her
feet in pair of common sense shoes,
gets into her coat and hat, proceeds as
far as the front door, looks at the broad,
low expanse of feet beneath her, CRATES
her teeth, turns on her heel, goes back
up stairs, changes her boots for a pair
that is high-heeled, pointed-toed,
t-leather-tipped, torturous, and
then tOddles off to her work, satisfied
that her understanding looks nice if it
feels like the inferno. On a rainy day
every woman, outside of carriage, on
our streets is perambulating picture
of comfort sacrificed to conyentiOnality.
To wear MackintOSch coat is the most
they will attempt in the way of compro-
mise. A be-ribbOned hat neceSSitates
the tiresome task of holding an UNI
breIla, and the one hand left olsen
gagged struggles with long skirts
that, despite ones most de-
termined efforts, will get be-draggled
and flop in dismal, soZZling mass about
ones legs. 1t is surprising, viewed in
connection with the mortality rate, to
notice what a large number of women's
feet are unprotected by even the thin
hest kind of rubberOyershoe: and as for
rubber boots-ye, gods! Give us gum
boots, modification sets in and we die.
The female reformer, whose creed en-
bodies belief in the final triumph of
woman over man and in his everlasting
destruction knows no such discourage
ment-no spectacle of feminine serfdom
that throws cold water OH her enthu-
siasm, such as rainy day presents.
Could Annie JenneSs Miller once sue
coed in obtaining practical fOothOld
for her ideas of womaI'S wet-day attire,
the sex would go striding
UP TO MANS LEVEL
with ease and grace that must aStODish
the most hopeful. In the New York
World Mrs. Miller says of her method
of reform, 81 begin with boots, and l
stand up for and eSpOuSe big cork sole,
waterproof leather boots, not nearly so
ugly to look at as they are to talk about,
stockings that won't betray your conf
dence even if you should choose to walk
in pond, but nice, ladylike stockings
with refined feelings that wouldn't
''crock" for all the world. Then pair
of clOSe-ftting legletteS, coming just to
the tops of the shoes. A dress skirt
to wear with those ought to clear
the ground by at least six inches, and
it would totally vanquish car-stepS and
curbstones if it was eight inches from
the floor. 1t ought certainly to just
meet legletteS and boots in an interest
ing trio. The dress should be good,
dark, light weight wool which rain will
neither spot nor shrink, and over this
should go rainy-day cloak of Skinny al
Daca, pOngee or check silk, all of which |
resist water fairly well, and are not so
heavy and unpleasant generally as
Macintosh. "With this costume you
will
NEVER HAVE DAMP ANKLES
and you will be comparatively free
from the disagreeable necessity of SeiZ-
ing your skirts in your hand while you
are trying to crowd by three fat men |
whom the conductor allows to hide the |
handrails, and to hold books, parcels |
and umbrella in the other. For myself, |
i go through rain and snow almost as
conveniently as man in this very rig. |
On my head | wear cloth toque or cap,
and when 1t only rains little.1 close
my light-handled umbrella and off [ go
like Old Dame TrOt, perfectly at peace |
with all the world. Yes, and what is
more, don't ever begrudge the men
their fearfully and wonderfully made |
garments, and that is something lots of |
women cannot say on rainy, snowy, |
blOwy, muddy day."
Jennie June, who always knows
whereof she speaks when she opens |
her mouth or
TAKES UP HER PEN
on the subject of woman's rights, says: |
ga rain dress is large subject and we |
have nothing in common use that is at |
all suitable or appropriate for such an |
That is to say, we have |
nothing that is so idiotic as our bOnnets,
our 'arm-trapS'-called wraps-and the !
majority of our belongings. In two
words l would say that rain dress
should be made whole, of dark light
weight, resistant cloth, free from every
thing superfuous. With it should be |
worn Mackintosh coat, half-ftting. with
sleeves and pockets-not the senselesS |
waterproof cloak which flies open and
yet binds your hands and arms SO that
you gre helpless, but comfortable, !
affair which looks well. but is
perfectly appropriate. Shoes and
and skirts, and those arrange
mentS they call leglettes." concluded |
Mrs. Croly, ''are points which each per-
son ought to be able to decide for them
selves, or else perchance somebody will
tell such women not to go OUT
Fannie B. Merrill writes in the World
that Vida Croly, the
PRETTY RED-CHEEKED DAUGHTER
of Jennie June. listened in smiling
silence to her mothers little lecture,
and being asked if she approved, if they
were her sentiments, too, she answered
and softly as summer morn:
'.0h, yes, indeed; that is as nice as any
thing, am sure. But. thensyou know.1
always do just what mamma does-Wear
out my old ones in the rain"