New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-12-15
s17.46O. 900 s17700,oO0 sI9'VUO'l
AuELL1 BLOOMER PROTESTS.
SHE DID NOT INVENT THE BLooMER COSTUME
r,rnrn 4 LETTER in The Chicago Tribune.

SHE DID NOT INVENT THE BLooMEE Co>I ME-
From letter in The Chicago Tribune
In January or February. 1851. an article appearel
cditoriaily I'm The seneca County Courier, seneca
Falls y Y. on Female Attire IN Whlch ~,
writer showed up the inconvenience, nnhealtniuness
and discomfort Of wOnIans dress ana auNoca tu
chang To Turkish pantaoons and SflH icacnnS d
a. lhs time publishing monthly paper Scm in the
same place devoted 10 the Interests 3I w .nrn,
subjects. ~ the editor Of The Courier Wa op
roscd the womans nsh'S question; rms ar,,
OF his gave ne an opportunity 10 Sco.r ' Un roa Un
having gone far ahead of lis TO advocate our wal
ing pantaloons, and in my next Issue no . nlr
article of length. lie took up The subject aean
and exprsIea surprise ha t s6o III h ia mo oG io
than before, fully indOIsins and approving bis views
On the subject OF women e9 ,n - Tho 1nr-
and Courier interested in and excited over the
Hon Gcnit smith, Of Petcrboro. " T., appeared on ne
streets Of cur village dressed In short shi ana llll
| some Two three months at Ecme and a5r Just
how She came to adopt it. have i1so,ncH , ever
prOyal Of hey father and husband. during her
tie paper. Of thai city described her appearance
| the streets In the short costume
Having had part in the discussion Of the dei, Ques
| lion il seemed proper that ! should practise ]
preached and " The Courier man aivi,cd-and a
| few days later /. too donncd the new costume and r.
the next issue Of my paper announced that fact To
readers At the outset had no idea Of fully adopting
The IL, thought Of setting fa>h!on-no thought
|
the civilized world and give The ,lyic my name and
| the credit due Ar~. Miller This all the work OF
| ilngly caused The New-Yori Tnnune contained the
lr,t notice saw Of my action. other papers caught
| il up and handed about. My exchanges all had
something 10 sav. some praised and some blamed
| some commended snd some rdicued and condemned
the headings OF many article. item and squb AMI
! finally some one-I don't know 10 whom sn indebted
the name has continued to clag to the short dIr,, m
splie OF my repeatedly dNclanlnS all right to II anl
/ lIsl 10 wear such Dire, in public.
rs soon a, i became known that wa, wearing the
! dreds from women all over The country. maknc In.
CURES about the dress and asking for paiic.ns-snow.
the burden o. long heavy skr'. II c ,aI~T on 81.
thongh half Of the letters in the mails Tor me-
thousands. aud the good woman, rgni, doctsiru was
thus scattered from Canada Florida and from Maine
10 Ca fOrnia. had gotten myself INTO pCsfion
from which could rot iccedc u had desired to do So
therefore continued to wear tae STYLE Oh al occasons
platform, al fashionable parties and in my business
office. found the dress comfortable
needs OF my busy life | wa, pleased With f. amy ,n9
had desire 10 av it aside and 50 would moi To-, tbe
six or EIGHT wears. or 80 long ! remained in active
e aud untl tho paper, had ceased writing saubs at
my expense, ] wore no other costume. DlIing ms
time was to cNtont in the lecture fed VISITING
and locturing In all the principal cities Of the North
On temperance and woman suffrage. but AT no ,imc
on any OCCASION even abiding ~ my style Of costume
felt As much az eaNe In il a. though | had been
allafU IN Inc ia~AlOIdbh urdggl shirts. IA all my
travels ! met with nothing disaSrecabc or unpleasant
bur universally treated with respect and a,'cn
ton 10y bOtl press and people wherever / o,nnercJ
Indeed received naticrDg notices from fhn ma ~
my lectures II the dress drew the crowds tl,t cane
10 hear il we'll. They heard The rnns.s~a
brought them. aud il has borne abundant fruit 7'
NV paper had many contributions On the ~1bicct NJ
dr>s, that question was for some tim, kent Ictore
my reader, Mr.. stanton was a frequent co1tr.hutnr
and ably defended the style. Slo continued IN rear
II at home anu abload on the lecture Platform and in
the social parlor. Tor two three years ami then ,br
pressure brought 10 bear upon her 10y her father and
other i1nnds great that She finally Welded
- their wishes and returned Ia long skirts. Al Icos,
ms was the understood cause Of her change Eliza
lcth Miller worr III" STYLE for many wears. bnt I
thnk abandoned IL several wears ago.
Lucy stone. of The NOmln'S Journal adonto1
ana wore the style for many years on all occasions
o long skirts. We al fel' that the dress wa, dra'r
ng attention from what thought Of far gr,a,cr I'M
pOrtauce-thc question Of woman rights better cli
caion. 10 a wider II Id OF cmploymc4t ~ better 70
protection Of her rights IN the minds 81 tho peou,
the short dress and woman, night, ius.par,i,Iv
connected. with ~ Tie dress wa, but an Incident
anf "" were not willing 10 sacrifice greater QUESTIONS
fh advancing var s.I fd.ius hrai.b h.o
riHed entirely from The platform. aud rested r,,.
ren- eNcepi an occasional oHoft hav" not worn The
short drr., for thirty years. and II dos seem a. u,,i
In that Time the interest concerning n must I,Sc
diod out. ! never W for dIres reforinsr iL,,
Anna Jcnness Miller. Of The present day. Mrs Miller
krt and trousers the true style for woman's costin,
bnt thai The time for 10, adoption has not yc, am,
come. Women are not yet sufficiently free and indie
uendent strike health and fraedntn
] have reached and passed my allotted three scor.
and ten years. ard my work on earth Is nearly done
would that future writers would seek 10 learn The
truth concerning me and my nwblic ca l,t INV
memory r"-i IN pcscc.