Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-08-30

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 /
Anthony and tue other Of Mrs. Elizabeth
Cady Stanton. From the hall a door opens
into low-ceiled, spacious drawing room
where there are sunny windows that look
out upon the vme- 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 altered
about nron tables and cabinets. Beyond
The drawing room the half drawn portieres
afford a glimpse of II library-such a cozy,
easy chair or two, and a sewing basket.
placed in close proximity to one another
A small. daintily formed woman cor
daily greets the stranger whom the
square, gold lettered 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
broad. low brow, and pair of earnest
eyes look through gold bowed spectaces,
There is nothing rugged or particularly
strong i'll the delicate features Of the face,
which is ieautiful with the touch of adj
vancng years. And her dress?-once
every one was interested in Mrs. Boomers
dress
Nowadays Mrs, Boomers dress differs
i'll no important detail from that of any
other perfectly attired woman, and the
gown that she wears fits well it is plated
and gathered and draped after the latest
fashions. No one would ever believe that
Mrs. Bloomer WAS years ago heralued,
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, .espe-
cially at time when the Jenness- Miller
models are being SO generally adopted
In January, 1S+9, there was a temper
ance paper started by society of ladies at
Seneca Falls, N. Y. The paper was called
the Lily. and Mrs. Amelia Bloemer be-
came its editor. After the third number
Mrs. Bloomer assumed entire control of
the paper editorially and financially and
she began to be interested in the 'voman's
rights question, which was then first dis
cussed. In 1868 there appeared in the
Seneca County Courier long comnunca-
ton from some one who advocated
change in woman's dress, and the Turkish
costume was suggested as both sens BILE and
becoming. Now the editor of the Seneca
frequently and ironically review the
woman's rights question, so Mrs
Bloomer took advantage of ma
terial for bantering editorial.
In the next issue of the Lily Mrs. Blooner
said that the Courier man had so FIR
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
soc 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,
short skirt, and an ordinary bodice. When
Mrs Bloomer first saw Mrs. Miller go by,
attired in the strange garments, she
turned away from the window and laughed,
little dreaming that her own name would
one day be inextricably connected with
the costume that so much amused her. In
few days Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton
adopted the short skirt and trousers, and
Mrs. Bloomer, as one of the leaders of the
movement toward the advancement of
women, was straightway persuaded to
have one of the new costumes made. In
another week Mrs. Bloomer put off her
ordinary clothes and put on the dress that
thancaforth hOra har name
In 1862 it was the fashion for women to
wear 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 OK
tremely fatiguing, and the great mass of
women recognized the injurious effect of
such a 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 stouter
stuff, and consisted of a full suit of black
broadcloth with spring bottom trousers.
OF course, the ject OF dress was mem
toned in the Lily, which had large cir
culation. The mails
Immediately brought ~
hundreds of letters ~ FsS
from women who felt (I>A ~