Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1889-09-13

Egypr4<2 ed door plate. 1t has
/NSSSE been polished thirty
~ M S2%\ years or more, and
W <eS~eAA the gold letters are
not so distinct as they
MI used to be, yet any
one passing along the
AMELIA BLOO8IER. pleasant street can
read the name, Boomer
A few stone steps that ascend a little
grassy terrace, and two or three wooden
steps that rise to a vine covered vsranda,
lead to the gold ettersd dOOr-plate, which
most Hospitality beckOns strangers to enter
the wide hall every time the brown front
door is open. In the wide hall there are
two large portraits, one of Miss Susan b.
Anthony and the other Of Mrs, Elizabeth
Cady Stanton. From the hall a door opens
into lOw-ceiIed, spacious drawing room,
whe~s there are sunny windows that look
out pom the vlne-cOvered veranda and the
little grassy terrace. Books, photographs,
and valuable souvenirs OF the interesting
period when the door plate was new and
/ the name upon it famous are scattered
about upon tables and cabinets Beyond
che drawing room the half-dTawn portieres
afford a glimpse of library-such a cOZy,
/ hOme-iike room, with an open desk, an
easy chair or two, and q sewing basket,
placed IN close proximity to one another.
"A small, dainUiIy formed woman cor
daily greets the stranger, whom the
square, gOld-IetUered plate has beckoned
into the house. She has face that is
striking in its serene and gentle express
sion. Soft, wavy gray hair is parted above
a broad low brow, and a pair of earnest
eyes look through gOld-bowed spectacles
There Is nothing rugged or particularly
strong in the delicate features of the face,
which is beautiful with the touch of ad-
vancing years. And her dress?-Once
every one was interested in Mrs. Boomers
dress.
Nowadays Mrs Bloomer's dress differs
in no important detail from that Of any
other perfectly attired woman, and the
gown that she wears fits we'll; it is plated
and gathered and draped after the latest
fashions. No one would ever believe that
Mrs BlOOmer was years ago heralded,
much against her wishes, as the great
dress refOrmer. 1t was all an accident
that her name became associated with the
shOrt-skirted costumes, and the story of
the dress reform movement that took
place in the sos is most interesting, sespe-
cially at a time when the Jenness- Miller
models are being so generally adopted.
In January, 1S49, there was a temper
ance paper started 10y a society Of ladies at
Seneca Falls n. Y. The paper was called
the Lily, and Mrs. Amelia BloOmer be-
came its editor. After the third number
Mrs BlOOmer assumed entire control of
she began to be interested in the wOman's
rights question, which was then first dis
cussed. In 1858 there appeared in the
Seneca County Courier q long cOmmunica-
ton from some one who advocated a
change in wOman's dress, and the Turkish
costume was suggested as both sensible and
becoming. Now the editor of the Seneca
County County Courier had seen fit to
frequently and ironically review the
an = rio
BloOmer took advantage of ma
terial for banteriug editorial
In the next issue of the Lily Mrs. BlOomer
said that the Courier man had so far
abandoned his conservative views about
women that he actually recommended
trousers to them. She furthermore enum-
Grated various instances under which trous-
ers seemed absolutely indispensable to
women. The Courier, in replying to the
editorial in the Lily, was deeply panied to
see Mrs. BlOOmer treat matter of such
grave Importance with so much levity.
While the Courier was trying to thus
trample upon the Lily, Mrs. Elizabeth
Smith Miller, a daughter of the Hon.
Gerritt Smith and a sister of Mrs.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, went to visit in
Seneca Falls, and she wore a costume
which astOnished all the good people Of
the town. 1t consisted of full trousers, a
short skirt and an ordinary bodice. When
Mrs. BlOOmer first saw Mrs Miller go by,
attired in the strange garments, Sue
turned away from the window and laughed
little dreaming that her own name would
one day be inextricabIy connected with
the costume that so much amused her. In
a few days Mrs Elizabeth Cady Stanton
adopted the short skirt and trousers, and
Mrs. BlooneF, as one of the leaders of the
movement toward the advancement Of
women, was straightway persuaded to
~ T,-
another week Mrs. BlOOmer put off her
ordinary clothes and put OF the dress that
thenceforth bore her name.
In 1852 it was the fashion for women to
wear a great number of skirts. In order
to be stylish, dresses had to stand out and
form the largest possible circumference.
Hoop skirts were not yet worn, and women
were accustomed to put on two or three
quilted and as many starched skirts, the
latter having been carefully dried over
barrels. The weight of the skirts was eX-
tremeIy fatiguing, and the great mass of
women recO gnized the injurious effect of
s77cb fashion Mrs. Boomers first re-
form dress was of figured silk, and the
trousers, which were gathered at the
ankles. were of the same soft material.
Mrs. Stanton's new dress was of stouteE-
stuff. and consisted of full suit Of black
broadcloth with spring 9 bottom trousers.
OF course. the sub jecb of dress was men
toned in the Lily, which had a large cir
culation. The mails
Immediately brought -
hundreds of letters y IaF
from women who felt NJ(A
the burdens and re- NG @
straints of the pre- ~ E#5 81
vailing style of dress. AlSA VI ~
Many adopted the - EMYzSl
+ short skirts and trous- 1NM1Ll
/ ers but only to be Z MES
/ laughed out Of them; MI
and, although Mrs. VI
+ BIoomer wore the cos
! tune during the eight
J years that she was be III
/ fore the public, only 7EHTT
a small portion OF sWw1