Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-21
DRESS REFORM.
Some Expressions Of Opinion From Dis
tiuguished Women of the Land.
Opinions of he Wives of Secretary Window
Senators Payne, Dixon and Davis and
Attorney General Miller.

Copyright and all rights reserved by Godfrey
Williston Christine.
WASHINGTON. sept. ls.-There is no subject
frsught with deeper Interest to ladies than that
OF dress reform, which within two or three years
past has been so largely agitated by professional
Teiormers. With view 20 ascertaining how
far the movement has progressed and what in
fuence it has had upon prominent ladies whose
views are calculated to command respect, 1 re-
Gently solicited from some of the best-known
women in the public life of our national capital
tine following expressions of opinion.
GooFFREY WILLIsToN CHRISTINE.
MRS: SENATOR N MILLAN OPPOSES ANY CHANGE
i think that the ordinary modes of dress
quite good enough said Mrs. James Nc
MILAN, wife OF the junior senator from Michi-
gon- Their healthtulneSS or unhealthfu mess
uepehds largely upon the good sense and judg.
ment OF the weareT. II foolish women will per
slst IN so mls-uSing the corset. for example as
10 give them the appearance of an hour-gIass nv
COMPRISING their waists to such an extent that
their vital organs horribly contracted
and displaced, the corset viii necessarily be to
them an instrument or torture and powerful
factor OF III health. So nth every other article
OF dress. 1t must he used property and not
abused. Corsets have been greatly improved
thin the past few years. and are now much
softer and therefore much more comfortable
- The ideas OF the so-cslled dress reformers
would not necessarily make dress any more
heSthful. A dress with which no corset is worn
may be made so tight a. the waist as to be quite
as harmful the Steel or wha e bone case
against which the dress reformers declaim.
Women who wish TO appear small wasted would
still have their dresses so made as to give them
that appearance even if they adopted dress-re-
form ideas and dis pensed with the corset The
same principle would apply to all the other pro1
posed dress reforms. In view of these facts 7
cannot think that there would be any advan-
changes proposed. -
MRS. SECRETARY WINDOW THINKS DRESS REFORM
oDIoUs
When / asked Mrs. William Window wife of
the secretary OF the treasury, for her views on
dress reform her handsome matronly features
assumed an expression Of dis gust az think
the subject of dress reform has been made obi
Gus by the manner in which 1t has been advoca-
ted, - she said: I'm the matter OF dress every
woman should be q law unto herself. Every in
tehgent woman-even every intelligent young
Giri--should be able to decide for herself
what mode OF dress is best adapted
20 her health and circumstances
and should follow it, There is q homely old
proverb whlC says that what is sauce for the
goose should be sauce for the gander, but it
OF present methods may be necessary in many
cases, but every woman should have sufficient
good sense. taste and judgment without calling
In the aid OF any profess ional dress reformer.'
MRS. SENATOR PAYNE THINKS DRESS REFORM
AGITATION MAY DO GOOD.
Il am in favor of anything that can possibly
hsve any influence in promoting he alth, - said
Mrs. Henry B. Payne, wife of the iuuior sena-
tor from Ohio. 1.-The success and prosperity of
our country in the future-nay, its very ex-
istence-depends upon the healthfulness OF it's
women. l rejoice to that the attitude of
society toward the sports and pastimes in which
young LADY may engage with propriety has
entire y changed from what it was TWENTY-FIVE
years a.o. Then horseback riding and dancing
were the only exercises in which Young lady
was permitted TO engage. II she had ridden a
bycicle, rowed boat, played lawn tennis RIM
foot race, exercised upon rings, horizontal
bars or other gymnastic apparatus; if she had
swung Indian clubs, manipulated dumb-beiis,
played baseball foot race
on stills or thrown somersaults into the water
from bathing raft, society would have lifted