The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-06-17
THE COMING TROUSERS.
The Opportunity This Year. WIN AffoEt
Women VINO Want n Revolution.


The Opportunity This Year. VIII Ahord
Women Who Want n Revolution.
Nas York Tribune
Justly or unjustly women have long
been the victims of suspicion on the
part Of men Of having secret desire to
adopt the masculine trousers as q part
of their costume. Perhaps the suspicion
has been unjust; certainly one thing in
favor Of this view Of 1t is that they have
never adopted trousers, distinguishing
characteristic of the sex being that 1t
usually does what it has desire to do.
On the other hand, woman has taken up
every other article OF mans dress except
trousers and made it more or less her
own, SO may it be only natural that she
should long for trousers as we'll? Be-
sides, there are few men who have not
heard vague, underlined rumors
that more than one woman,
in the utmost privacy OF her
chamber, while the masculine portion
Of the household has been absent down
town, has made more or less successful
experiments with the trousers Of her
brother or her husband. These turtive
trials, when conducted with intelligence
and right understanding Of the nature
and limitations OF trousers, have usual
" we believe, been satisfactory to the
woman making them. We say when
conducted with intelligence, having in
mind tho case OF lady prominently
identified with the obtaining OF the
rights OF her sex who once came out IN
o newspaper article strongly attacking
trousers on the ground, mainly, that
they were highly uncomfortable. An
investigation set on foot by crafty and
ungallant man revealed the fact that
the lady, while experimenting with q
pair OF trousers belonging to her pastor,
surreptitiously furnished her by the
good mans wife, became confused in re-
gard to their lines OF construction and
put them on wrong side before, her
| savage newspaper article following as 9
matter Of course.
But We are drifting wild Of what We
started to say. The Tribune has already
mentioned the fact that business women,
typewriters salesgirls, cashiers, and 80
forth, will begin wearing trousers on
the first OF next June. This has been
settled by tho executive board OF the
Women's National Council, and it is
said that many OF the young ladies have
even now begun to select materials and
speculate as to patterns. An idea IN
stantly occurs to any ono who has
studied the subject 1t is this: We
have Just shown that all women in their
secret hears Except the unfortunate
lady spoken Of in the preceding para
graph, who was the victim OF miscon-
ceptfon and who could no doubt be set
right that all women, We repeat, IN
secret cherish high regard for
trousers. This being so, and it being
settled that business women Will cor
tainly adopt trousers in less than a
year, will it not follow that all women
will shortly be wearing trousers? It
seems to us clear. The business women
Of the country are, We take it, the brain:
lest, prettiest and most progressive OF
their sex, and 1t would be only natural
that the other women should follow
them in the matter of dress. In the
case of men We find no particular dis
tinction between the dress OF the bust
ness man and, let us say, that OF the
clergyman, the college professor or the
newspaper man. All wear trousers
we suspect that by o year from the first
Of August, or by October l, 1892, at the
outside, trousers will be universally
worn by the women OF this country.
When we spoke the other day OF the
impending change in business women's
dress, we were somewhat bewildered
bv the suddenness OF it, and perhaps did
not grow so enthusiastic over it as we
should have done. Further reflection
on the subject has made us think bet
ter Of it, and we trust that we are now
as heartily in favor of the change as it
is possible to be. Indeed, so fayorably
are we impressed with the idea that did
the change rest with us, we should be
inclined to decree that 1t take place imT
mediately instead Of being delayed q
twelemonth. But the year will at least
give the unfortunate lady OF whom we
have spoken an opportunity to place
herself right, after which, we doubt
not, she will withdraw her mis-
taken opposition and also come out in
favor Of trousers.