The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-05-27
SOME OLD LAWS.
If Enforced They Would Make Radi-
cal Change in Fashions.

Cal SQbDBS III p6bQiOub.
From the New York Evening Sun.
She was an erudite student of the law.
She had just become a member of the
Woman's Legal Educational Society, and,
as became a new and ardent seeker after
knowledge, she was reading up on all sides
of the question. AS il was, all the other
women at the cooperative luncheon table
stood a little in awe of her wisdom. To be
sure. If she had been a dressmaker or mill
liner, they would have thought she talked
shop altogether too much. They were talk
ing about dress the other day-women do
talk about dress sometimes, you know, when
the possible senatress broke in with her
legal knowledge. To be senator seems to
be the goal OF men lawyers, so it's quite
natural to suppose women lawyers take up
the same ambitions with the study.
"What jolly time there would be-" said
the feminine legal luminary, 'if some OF
the laws on our statute books concerning
dress were to be enforced Why, even the
dress reformers wouldnt be in it with them.
This morning I've been reading up some of
the laws that were passed about a century
or more ago, and which have never been
repealed. I've just jotted down some speci-
mems in my note book. Here's oae. for in
stance. that has never been repealed. II
only some needy charitable society would
take the trouble to have it put into execu-
tlon-say, at the Patriarchs' ball or during
the coming opera season-tbere would be a
nice addition to the moneys to be divided
at the end of the year. guess that's right,
isn't it, The money for fines goes in with
the excise money that is divided among the
charitable institutions, doesn't it, Well, il
ought to if it does not, 30 it's just the same
thing.
"But here's the law, passed in 1872: III
any white female of 10 years or upward
shall appear ia any public street, lane, high
WAY, church, court house, tavern, ball
room, theater, or any other place with naked
shoulders Il. g., low-necked dressesl, being
able to purchase necessary clothing, she
shall forfeit and pay a fine of not less than
500 nor more than $780,
Here's another that would be rough on
the dressmakers, considering the models Of
styles they're showing:
=" The court taking into consideration the
great superfiuous and unnecessary expense
occasioned by reason of some new and i'm
modest fashions, as also the ordinary wear
ing OF silver, gold and silk laces. girdles, and
hat bands, etc. hath therefore ordered that
no person, either man or woman, shall
hereafter make or buy any apparel, either
wooden, silk, or linen, with any lace on it,
silver, gold, silk, or thread, under the PEN
atty Of the forfeiture of such clothes
"And here is another passed in Messa-
cuubeUIS III lOo~' jig VI OuO thuhOuo O4uo-
laws, In fact, which has never been repealed
so far as kno wn, prohibiting the making Of
garments with short sleeves, whereby the
nakedness Of the arm may be disco vered in
the wearing thereof; and such as have gar
ments already made with short sleeves shall
not hereafter wear the same, unless they
cover their arms to the waist with linen or
otherwise; aud hereafter no person shall
make any garment for women or any Of
their sex with sleeves more than half an ell
in the widest part thereof, and so proper
tionate for bigger or smaller persons
Just imagine the lot of men up at AL
bany at present debating what size sleeves
the woman should wear! What would hap
pen anyway
The other women thought it was simply
awful to think Of. and IL was dreadful to