The Lambertville record., 1889-03-20
TIE aATIoNAL Dress SOCIETY.
An Account OF One OF Its Very Interesting
Sessions In London.

An Account OF One OF Its Very Interesting
Sessions In London.
Before meeting of the Rational Dress So
ciety In London, Viscountess Harberton
urged upon members the desirability Of
adopting the divided skirt as distinctive
costume. She would say that q woman
dressed according to the present fashion took
up at least the space Of three men.
Hon. Mrs. Beaufoy Heneage desired to ask,
why not the time, alsof Lady Harberton re-
piled that Mrs. Heneage's interruption was
outside of the present discussion. Continu-
ing, she complained that when q woman
travelled with bag and a rug it was impos-
sible to enter railway carriage elegantly.
Lady Glencora Abernethy = Then why
travel with bag and rugl
Mrs. Gwilliam Civilian would be glad to
be informed why 10 should be considered
inelegant to show half an inch of lace
petticoat
Lady Harberton thought that the good
sense, she would not say delicacy, Of mem
bers ought to furnish them with the answers
to such questions, IL not point out to them
the logical continuation Of the inquiry. The
calculation of inches and half inches was
obviously no proper occupation for this
society.
Mrs Gwilliam Civilian was greatly obliged
to Lady Harberton.
Lady Harberton trusted Mrs. Civilian
Civilian would would not mention it. Con-
tinuing, she remarked that ladies travelling
In sleeping cars could not dress quickly on an
emergency. Here the Marchioness Landraie
asked for FIVE minutes of Lady Harbertons
time. This was refused The marchioness
then stated that she had had the advantage
OF strict bringing up among. circles to
which the resolution of social questions was
perhaps familiar, and desired to say that, ac-
cording to the best sense Of these circles,
ladies did not travel In sleeping cars. Lady
Harberton begged to ask how the marchioness
had come on from Edinburgh last week.
Lady Landraie replied that the journey
referred to had been taken under exceptional
circumstances. A report had reached her
that her son, Lord Glen Innes, was about to
marry an actress. She might observe that
she had not gone to bed, but had sat up In
chair all night
The matter then dropped.
A resolution that women ought not to dress
quickly on any emergency was offered by
Mrs Carnaby Brown, andruled out of order
by the chair.
Continuing, Lady Harberton said that fash
ion had ordered that woman must wear but
"Oh, ohifl or that of Noah's Ark figure.
Mrs. Civilian Civilian again displayed
some agitation. She would beg to be In
formed to which Of Lady Harberton's types
she was to consider herself compared.
Lady Harberton begged to say Venus.
Mrs. Civilian Civilian resumed her seat.
Dress reform, said Lady Harberton, should
be not half but whole measure. IA voice:
SIS not tho divided skirt half measuref'1
Lady Herberton would not notice verbal
pleasantries They might be meant as pleas
antries, but their effect, especially upon the
representatives of newspapers present, was
not elevating In tone She would say that
for obvious reasons tho Noahs Ark figure
had been selected as tho model on which to
clothe the female form.
Several ladies roso and would be glad to be
informed what were the obvious reasons
Lady Harberton replied, the dressnakers
Hon Miss Revers begged permission to say
that the most sensible woman she had ever
known had been dressmaker.
Lady Haberton That does not prove that
your Judgment is sound.
WI HsTs absslsd tbsFa Teg song fad1 %
Harberton consented to withdraw the en-
preston. Hon. Miss Revers' request that
Lady Harberton should order basque Of the
dressmaker referred to, was considered by
the chair to be unnecessary.
Lady Harberton must insist that she for
one had no desire to be mistaken for tho wife
Of either Shem, Ham on Japheth. Ca voice
from tho platform "You are not SO old as
all that, my dear.''l
Lady Harberton would be glad to know
who was the speaker. Unless the speaker ac-
knowledged herself the chair would order the
platform cleared.
The speaker not acknowledging herself, the
chair did order the platform cleared. The
officers, however, were unable to carry out
the chairs orders, and Lady Harberton en-
deayored to continue Fashion, she said,
demanded small waist Of women. LMrs
Civilian: "Mine Is naturalF'l and she ac-
cordingly contrived it. No woman ever had
q small waist naturally; in no aspect OF ma
ture did two thick limbs ever spring out of a
circumference smaller than themselves.
Many ladies' here demanded to have the
speakers words taken down.
Lady Harberton was endeavoring torepeat
them when the meeting broke up in some
disorder. Philadelphia Times.