St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-07-07
STUDIES IN HOSIERY.
Origin Of the Neat Limb Cow
ering in the Worlds
Hosiery.
Effects Resulting From Care
less Manipulation Of the
Dress.
The Various Kinds of Hosiery
and the Limbs They
Cover.
Stockings for Men and Ho-
siery for Women in the
Past.


the windows of the hosiery establish
mentS show to more or less advantage
in conjunction with shappely or un-
shapely ankles and well-ftting or ill
fitting shoes. To be bien chaussee. as
the French say, is no inconsiderable
part of wOman's attractiveness on the
street, and it may be added that atten-
ton to such matters is about as sure an
indication of habitual neatness in the
wearer as any test that could be de-
vised by a critical WoOer in estimating
the faults and failings of future wife.
Seediness always commences at the eX-
tremities, and slatternly habits betray
themselves in the same direction.
A Chronicle reporter, while musing
on these matters, CHANGED to meet one of
those cheerful peripatetic philosophers
who, having long retired from active
duty in the world, plays the part of an
active and interested observer, 'snap-
per up of uncOnsidered trifies." as the
immortal bard hath put it. In FIVE min
utes he had surrendered at discretion to
the old gentleman, while the latter bab-
bled of stockings and hose lore till it
seems that volumes might be filled with
his revelations.
He began by pointing out, with CO.
pious passing illustrations, that no two
women managed their skirts alike in
passing over muddy crossing. There
isl said he, 1.-The neat and graceful
way. The skirt is lightly seized few
inches below the hip and drawn back,
while raised just sufficiently to enable
the back of the skirt to clear the ground.
The petticoat is not disturbed, and if
anything at all is revealed it is merely
the Zip of the shoe, with perhaps an
inch of neatly-stockinged ankle. But
look at yOnder case-the dress is
snatched up in front a foot or more,
petticoat and all. venture to say that
Big Bertha would meet with fOrmida-
BILE rival there. and you will notice how
the ankles bulge over the top of the
shoe, a peculiarly ungraceful sight.
Other women will walk whole block
with their dresses raised foot or more
behind, in blissful ignorance of the
fact that they are indeed the cynosure
of all eyes and the theme of unalloyed
mirth to the corner lOungerS."
1t was inferrable from the old gentle
mans remarks that he had at one time
been IN the hosiery business and had
made the subject special study. He
was manifeStly cynical on the supposed
aversion of young ladies to display in
such matters, and sententiously re-
marked that if such aversion existed he
would like some explanation of the fear
hosiers' windows. "There are" he
said, "pink, yellow, sage green, blue,
lavender, garnet. and with the calf of
the limb picked out with broad stripes
or in different color from the foot.
And all this in anticipation of muddy
day, you know" The old gentleman'S
eyes twlnkled merrily.
The truth is that the best of women
are little vain of the shape of their
ankles and limbs, and every pair of
stockings made is constructed with a
view to hide defects and enhance the
curve of beauty where it exists. Take
a well-formed limb and regular scale
of proportions will be found. Say 1913
inches in circumference at the ankle,
the calf will be 1879, the garter point
Az. and so on. A large calf is by no
means an element in a beautiful limb,
as you will see by examination of the
old statues.
The old gentleman then furnished
some pointers OH the stocking in his
tory, reminding the interviewer that
socks for men are quite modern de-
parture, and that the veterans of 1919
wore stockings, every man of them.
at is decidedly interesting" he said.
eff pot entirely instructive, to- look into
the history of stockings. So far as
civilization and civilized usages
must be considered, the anterior
history of this country is that of
~ l., @In KILL -
its cOlOnistS. And so it becomes mat
that while the Scotch HighlanderS from
the days of Agricola to the battle of
KilIiecrankie looked with scOrn upon
garments of any sort, at least in the
heat of battle, the Southern or Belgic
Britons were clad like the Gauls, in
cloth of fine wool, which included
covering for their limbs also. But the
days of distinctive hose for the High
lander and South Briton were days of
slow development"
In the time of the Anglo-SaXOns
drawers reaching halfway down the
thigh and stockings meeting them were
alluded to by Saxon writer's under the
danes of brech and hose. In France
the femoralia or drawers of Charlie
magne were of linen. The Monk of st.
Gall speaks of ''tibialia vel coXalia"
stockings or drawers) of linen of one
color, but Ornamented with precious
workmanship. 1t is evident from the
context that the writer meant long
drawers, or hose and drawers in one,
like the brac@e of Caesars GaulS.
Skin hose and leather hose are also
mentioned by Saxon writer's, and may
mean species of buskin. or short-boot
now and then met with, or literally,
leathern stockings. Over these stock
ings were worn bands of cloth, linen or
leather, commencing at the ankle and
terminating little below the knee,
either in cross rolls or crossing each
other sandal-wiSe. as they are worn to
this day by the people of the AbruZzi
and the Apprentices. and in some parts
of Russia and Spain. In some of the
ancient Saxon Illuminated manuscripts
a sort of half-stOcking or sock, mostly
like the Saxon socca, is worn over the
hose instead of the bandages. 1t is
generally bordered at the top. and re-
minds one of the Scotch stocking,
which. probably. from the red cross
gathering initiated upon it, is relic of
ancient Saxon or Danish dress. Saxon
laborers are generally represented bare
legged, but seldom barefOoted.
In the days of the Norman and Plan
tagenet kings the costume for the
neither eXtIemities consisted of drawers
with long stockings, or pantaloons with
feet to them, called by the Normans
"chausses." The Saxon word hose Oc-
ours in wardrobe roll of King Johns
time. Cloth stockings, embroidered
with gold, are among the articles of
dress ordered by Henry III. for his sis
ter Isabel. In the reign of Edward L.
the hose were richly fretted with gold
and variously colored silks.
The reign of Edward Ill, which gave
birth to the fanciful conceit of the
Order of the Garter, has naturally set
the authorities to work on the matter of
appendages with which carriers are as
ISOLATED. 1t is worth while to mention
that such high authorities as Sir Elias
Ashmole, Sir Walter Scott and Sir SAM
uel Meyrick attach not the slightest i'm
portance to the story of the Countess of
Salisbury and the kings apt remark,
"Honi sot qui NAL y pense," as he
picked the garter up. 1t Is to be re-
membered, too, that in this reign and
for long centuries afterward hose, and