The sun., 1891-03-11
Tights and Legislation.

Tights and Legislation.
Senator HALE OF Minnesota has intro
duced a bill into the Legislature Of that
fiourishing State making It misdemeanor
for "any female person" on the stage to
"expose her neither limb or limbs dressed in
tights, 80 called. or In any manner whatever
30 that the shape and form of her neither
limb or limbs are plainly visible"
We suppose that Mr., HALR means that
women must not show their legs even II
they are clothed in tights. Women must
wear on the theatre stage IN Minnesota the
long dresses which convention prescribes
for their use on ordinary occasions. Men
actors may wear knee breeches on the stage
when the necessities Of their parts 80 re-
quire, but the women Of the theatre must
don the usual costume OF their sex.
Probably the women OF the stage would
not organize to resist such an interference
with their rights, for it ls said that because
Of the draughts Of air behind the scenes the
wearers Of tights are always in danger Of
taking cold. Miss LYDIA THOMPSON, q
veteran In the business. declared not long
ago that no woman could wear tights and
keep her tonsils. These garments. It
seems, are Of very fine and thin silk.
and In tho case of women they are
drawn on SO closely to the bare legs that
they afford no protection against the cruelty
OF stage draughts They are also held in
place by a strap or some other contrivance
which squeezes In the waist to such degree
that the circulation in the legs Is almost
stopped. A novice in the wearing Of
tights, she says, suffers what amounts
to positive torture; and even the old
hands only put them on as a con-
cession to public taste and demand. They
would much prefer to appear In long gowns
like tho rest Of their sisters II the require
ments OF their part and their desire to
please the spectators were not more power
full with them than the desire to be comfort
able themselves. They put their health in
peril In order that, they may the better
crafty their audiences.
On mere sanitary and altruistic grounds
therefore. the wearing OF tights by women
OF the stage might be discouraged with
some show of reason. II physicians agreed
that such an exposure Of their legs involved
danger to the health OF the wesrers OF tights,
1t might be profitable to consider whether
they should be allowed to mako tho sacrifice
for the public pleasure and for the gratifica-
ton OF their own craving for admira-
ton. 1t seems that doctors have urged
that the tights should be composed Of wool,
or made thicker. or that some underoar-
ment should be worn to protect the legs.
but tho women object that these sanitary
precautions are inconsistent with tho per-
fection OF fit which makes tights attractive
to the eye Of taste. They say that these
cause the legs to look clumsy and shapeless,
aud that they give to the wearers dowdyish
appearance. which, Of course. they would
avoid. even at the expense OF danger
to their health. Hence at this time. when the
interference Of Government Is pushed to such
great extremes. there is an opportunity to
institute new reform for tho interest OF
idle and meddlesome people. They might
induce the Legislature to forbid tights a. In
furious ON sanitary grounds
But on moral grounds what occasion Ia
there for passing such law as that intro
duced by Senator HALE into tho Minnesota
Legislature? II there Is reason for It. 90
also Is there reason for the protest Of men,
bers Of the Wyoming Legislature against
putting on the seal Of the commonwealth
tho representation Of figure Of Liberty
partially undraped. Mr.. ANTHONY CoMsToCK
should be sent about to shatter or defaoe all
the nude figures Of plastic and pictorial art
The world should be loft In doubt, the mys-
terry should remain insoluble whether women
have legs or are otherwise supported.