Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-21

is a difference slight as to be wholly inner
ceptbe when the shoe is on This is merely an
example. Many similar on might be given
and sensible woEaus attention once called
to such follie she will never be guilty of them
again. l think, therefore, that the profession al
dress reformers, who seem anxious to save
the health OF our women would do quite as well
to save themselves and their breath and leave
| dress to be regulated by the good Judgment of
the sensible women OF our land Those who
are not sensible but foo fish will continue so in
! dress and everything else till the end Of time
4 reformers or no reformerS.''
MRS. SENATOR DIXON FAvoRs WISE REFORMS
woman dress certainly needs reforming in
some res poets, - said Mrs. Senator Nathan +
| Dixon of Rhode 1sland. Any one who has ever
| dragged her heavy skirts throu gh long walk on
| hot, dusty day will certainly agree with me-
| But necessary as we must admit these reforms to
be- what shall they be and who shall be the first
| to make them? I'VE, with our little systems -
cry out the professional dress reformers like the
birds and insects in the familiar poem of Cock
Robin. But do any of the reforms that thes q
people have proposed really overcome the difi
Guilty? The divided skirts or Ieglets' is nro
nounced most unsatisfactory by those who bave
tried 1t, yet this is the most distinctive reform
that has been proposed-almost the only one in
deed, except dispens ing with corsets and a few
other changes which would naturally suggest
themselves to any woman who was conscions of
having suffered injury or Inconvenience from
them.
Dress reform has never been actively agitated
for several years, yet how much or rather how
little progress has it made? When we set abont
answering this question the conviction is plainly
forced upon us that women not yet ready to
accept dress reform; that they do not feel the me-
cessity for it. Until they do, and until il sbaII
become the universally fashionable fad of The
hour the majority of women will most unques-
tionably give no attention whatever to dress re-
form. but will unite in suffering 1t in neglectIs
cruel shadow to freeze.
Dress reform is by no means a compare
lively new idea, originating with those who are
now most active in advocating it, There have
been dress reformers by the score with almost
innumerable systems of DIR IS reform in wears
were greatly superior in utility and SIMPLICITY
if not beauty, to those now proposed This was
NOTABLY the case with the style of dress pro
posed so many years ago by Mrs Boomer and
which derived from her its name of Bloomer cos
tune: This was by all odds the simplest most
sensible and most healthful of all the systems of
dress reform for women that has as vet been
proposed. At the time when Mrs Rloonar fret
designed it, travelled in it and lectured upon it.
1t attracted more attention and seemed more
likely of adoption than any of the STYLES nro
posed by the dress reformers of our day Rnt Il
co. could not De made the fashion, notwithstanding
the fact that many earnest, we'll directed efforts
were maze to secure that end and So
after occl plying large share of public atten,
ton for q considerable period it finally droDned
out of sight and was long since forgotten even
by those who took the greatest interest in it at
the time The came fate unquestionably awaits
the dress reform ideas of to-day -
MRS SENATOR DAVIS FOLLOWS A SYSTEM OF HER
OWN
Mrs. senator Cushman K. Davis of Minnesota
IS one OF the youngest, and in the opinion of
many, the most beautiful of senator's, wives
and, like sill beauty OF the most admirable tvne'
hers Is largely due to the robust health she en-,
Joys, 1t being her proud boast that she was
never SICK day ard never consulted a physi-
clan IN her life. When 1 asked her opinion
OF the dress reform loeas now so loudly ADO
Gated by prof essional reformers she IaughingIv
answered that had come to the wrong perso1
LOT dispassionate judgment.
You must know she said, THAT bav.
my own system of dress reform and Won know
tnst rlvai reformers seldom speak well of each
others ideas. eAoH
You would like to know in what nv reforms
cpnsIst Well first of all, will tell you frankly
tnat nave not discarded the corset-that mncb
ABUSED article OF feminine apparel against
winch the professional reforIlers Iaun Their
severest TRADES. 1 believe tina. there are rnanv
styles OF oasques with which it is absolnteIv
necessary that corset should be worn TO mnt-a
one al all presentable 1t should not be worn
tight think that any woman can wear a loose
corset without injury. OF course all women
wear 1t loose, according to their own story |
no ever knew woman who would admit ti,at |
she laced, or that she even wore her corset or |
her gown the least bib tlghts' such a woman
would De greater rarity than the Kohinoor
diamond, and one before whom the wild men of /
borneo, or the hog-faced man would have to |
pale their Intellectual fire. "
woman who is laced SO tightly that she
scareely drAw her breath, viii call upon |