Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-10-10
REFORMING woMeNs DRESS.



American. said 10 He Borrowers Of rnsh-
fon and Not Orfsinators.
When the Syrian deteQafe to the Chicauo
women's congress- fonnd that her oId tIms
costume excited general adrniration tber~
she expressed surr,riss.. - Wing that EurrS.
pean fashions were driving that dress o,,s
Of her native country. Her gown. reaching
only to her ankles. is the basis of ali the
costumes devised nv the drr~x rpfornss,s
vet the women ~ svr;a tbeyrs~Iva~ 49, 49,
ing ii up TO adopt he Fashions a. Psris ana
London. against which thee rsformers IN
Weigh 70 sharply.
This Is a very discouraeino fact far tl,~
advocates Of the ne,v feminine dress Nor
than generation AGO there was : simslar
movement. and 1t resulted n the sdontion
az fhe hloomer costume ~ ao,,,. 81 m.
most earnest and self sacrifcino n thu -
formers. ret instead of establishinu 4 new
fashion they have lived to eee ne steadr
extension OF the old throughout the world.
with the single execution ~ China The
European feminine costume. with which
they and their succereors are 80 discoutent-
ed. isdrivinQ out and supersedin0 the r,ecuI-
lar national costumes for women IL nearly
every country OF Europe. Asia and Africs.
The former distinction in dress between dif-
ferent nationalties is rapidly passing away.
The Japanese court has adouted long
dresses, corsets and all the abominations ~
the Partisan feminine array as they are de-
scribed by the reformers. These have en-
tered the harems Of the east and are ,woru
by the educated and Christianixed women
Of the South Sea islapds A the African
women become civilized they put chem an
as an Indication that they have Advanced IL
the scale Of cultivation. These fashion. r.,
along with the spread of Christianity. ana
they accompany the march Of Eurunean
civilization, whether by the path OF war. OF
commerce or OF improved means OF cum
municatson. The present tendency il to-
ward the obliteration Of distinctive dress
for different peoples and the establishment
of single standard Of costume for all man
kind.
The tide Of dress reform, then, has set in
direction exactly opposite to that taken
by the reformers represented in the WON.
ems congress. Instead of having been abel
ished, the corset is more dominant than
ever The long robe il displacin2 the short
tunic, instead of being displaced by 1t. The
very dress to which they object 20 strenu-
ously is becoming the universal dress Of
women. They are getting no followers.
and they themselves will probably discard
; tne1r singular garments after the proceed
! ings Of the congress are over, since never
before was the distaste for anything like
oddity of dress so strong and prevalent as
it is now The distinctive class costumes
of the past have been abandoned. All
| women dress alike, SO far as the fasbiouipQ
| of the garments goes The fashion for the
queen il the fashion for every other wou,-
| an, because it IL the queens fashion. The
! papers devoted to fashions are as good for
one country as for another, so uniform is
| the dress Of civilization and so universal is
| its progress
| Hence any attempt to bring about dress
| reform encounters stronger obstacles now
than existed a generation ago The rule
Of fashion is more despotic than ever.
and it is less disputed than ever. The
standard is fixed more arbitrarily, and it is
accepted more generally in the world.
Starting in European capital, the fashion
spreads rapidly to every corner of the giot,e
until it governs the dress of woman wher-
ever European civilization has pushed Its
way.
| These dress reformers, too, are confined
almost wholly to this country. At ieas,
| the movement was initiated here. Yet we
have always been the borrowers of fashion
not the creators of it. 1t does not go from
! us, but comes to us as q tyrannical master
n a mr. 70