The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-08-14
II is PRACTICABLE.
Nav style of Clothing Proposed by
Dress Reformcrs.
yorrvG WOMEN DOMINIC The GARB
-, They all Seem to Like it.-.It is
AT ,tncn More Comfortable than the
cumbersome Clothing now Worn
n1,sJust as Pretty and Shows the
psouty orthc Figure as Well

cr,r7.uorA, Aug. lS.-"The dress re-
;,rmcrasadewill be ultimately narrowed
y two articles instead Of four" said q
'ronon here to-day who is one OF the
formers. "These two will be the
,i.bts and the dress. The days OF the
tonr,een articles in women's apparel,
in.t like the thirty-nine articles in the
,aiyioas creed, are numbered; and We
.,o on the threshold Of revival OF
classic simplicity in matters, OF clothing
II will be the dress Tor the woman, not
tbe woman for the dress"
mi. little speech but mildly reflects
,bo prominence and potency OF the new
moycmen.. Conspicuous retormers ar
rive at Chautauqua NEARLY every day,
.nd even DR.. J. NJ. Buckley, the little
riJ,.owake editor Of the Mthodia Chris
Nm idrocaie, is printing himself Tor u
JonbIe.leaded editorial fayoring the re-
form ,, ;,nror-
senator, came up from New York to get
The latest news on the subject; and
Mrs. Frank Parker, the leader, IS simply
deugcd with inquiries.
Previous movements toward better
dress have failed, the reformers say, be-
c,r.e they were not comprehensive
Sropcb The first movement aimed
only nj comfort and utility, the second
vas WI; guided by those interested in i'm
"royi1r the health OF women, both ig-
norinv or failing to provide for the eie-
mept Of beauty. The present Parker
Crusade" includes all these, and COM
rrebcnds even a study OF the principles
II DpIsarte. 1t means something more
Than the mere putting of OF corsets. 1t
means nothing less thanthatt the beauty
n the line from the arm-pit TO the
ankle must be appreciated and insisted
upon, and that perfect physical pro-
rortion is obscured, il not accom-
panied BY grace Of motion. The beauty
& Inc lines OF the female form must be
seen.
TO show how the leavcn OF the new
movement is working at Chautauqua 1t
is only necessary to say, and this on the
authority OF the dress reformers them
selves. that the young women here are
making sweeping changes in their war
drobe. and that the old style under
mcn,s may be had for a song. The
Younger element are quite enthusiastic
over the reform, for the spirit OF athletic
sports is fairly rampant here, and the
girls compete splendidly with the boys
in rowing racing, riding, fencing, club
swinging, bicycling, tennis playing,
shooting, bathing; in fact, in every
outdoor sport. The new style dress
frees the young women from many con-
yen,onal customs and gives them
greater play OF the muscles. Constric-
tons from corsets and collars and the
bondage OF bands are unknown under
the new dispensation. Hence it is that
the rCiormers are counting converts by
the hundred at ChautIuqua.
The Southern girls here are the most
enthusiastic on the subject. Whether
or not it is because the hot weather in
their section has taught them to vel
come any movement that discards SUI
perlluous stays and skirts, it Is certain
that the young women from Tennessee,
Georgia and the CNrolinas, spending
the summer here, look upon the aboli-
ton Of skirts with decidedly more favor
than did their fathers on the abolition
Of slavery.
Mrs Parker has slipped away for a
short rest, Before leaving, she said:
"Thc new crusade means something
more than an embroidered bathing
suit. MS Kate Field intimates. 1t means
something Intimately better than DIR.
Mary Walkers nnwOmanly trousers, or
Elizabeth Cady Stanton's ugly ruttled
boomers.
Neither has it any, sympathy with
Ella Wheeler Wilcox's nightgown,
which is a suggestion OF the bed cham
Der. Our climate is not suited to this
Mother Hubbard costume. Then, too,
inthe evolution OF dress, you must take
into consideration the preiudices Of
women. The dresses must be apart
from tile nightgown. Mrs. Wilcox's
i!ea ignores the principles OF beauty.
ltyou want beauty you must follow the
outlines OF the figure. The trouble with
Mrs. Jenness.NIiller's dress is that the
waist line, which is only one.third OF
The body, is lowered too much. She
would put on boys vest and boyish,
high, stiff collar.
The upper part Of such a figure
would look like sophomore in college
Snd tho lower part like peasant girl.
Mary SeymOur's idea Is too nondescript
10 notice. Such a skirt reaching down
10 point near the ankle, with a boys
Jacket, vest and tie, would be out Of the
Question, There's no unity in the cos
Tune The knickerhocker notion is en-
ureIy too radical departure, and is the
mere imitation OF boy.
The masculine figure is essentially
different from the feminine figure, and
What would suit man, from the point
q :, comfort, would not suit n woman. In
!ne 'aiior-made costume the figure OF
"a. .ne girI is cut in two in the middle. The
,nsSahslIar effect is ugly and stiff. We
believe we are on the track Of the right
system :! and shall adhere to our present
pan until we can discover better one"
Miss Grace Dodge, OF New York, was
seen here q day or two ago by the
reporter. and said that she had refused
absolutely to serve on the national dress
tpLOrm committee, While interested in
sv"SiOie dress for women, she did not
, WANT to be connected with the present
, movement because OF the prominence It