Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-11-04
erroRMlNe womss;s DRESS.



Americans said 10 BE borrowers OF Fish
Ion AMI Not Originsters.
When the Syrian delegate to the Chicago
women's congress- found that her OLD time
costume excited general admiration there,
sbe expressed surprise, saying that Euro
mean fashions were driving that dress out
81 her native country. Her gown, reaching
only to her ankles, Is the basis OF all the
costumes devised by the dress reformers,
vet the women OF Syria themselves are CIV
ing ID up 10 adopt the fashions OF Paris and
London, against which these reformers In
Weigh so sharply.
This Is n very discouraging fact for the
advocates OF the new feminine dress. More
than generation ago there was similar
movement, and 1t resulted in the adoption
OF the bloomer costume by some OF the
most earnest and self sacrificing Of the re
formers. vet instead OF establishing new
fashion they have lived to see the steady
extension OF the old Throughout the world,
with the single exception OF China. The
European feminine costume, with which
they and their successors are so discomfort
ed, Is driving out and supervising the pecul-
lar national costumes for women In nearly
every country Of Europe, Asia and Africa
The former distinction IN dress between diff
ferent nationalties Is rapidly passing away.
The Japanese court has adopted long
dresses, corsets and all the denominations OF
the Partisan feminine array as they are dc
scribed by the reformers. These have en-
tered the hareDns of the east and are worn
by the educated and Christianized women
of the South Sea islands As the African
women become civilized they put them ON
as an indication that they have advanced In
the scale Of cultivation. These fashions 20
along with the spread of Christianity. and
they accompany the march Of European
civilization, whether by the path OF war, Of
commerce or of improved means Of cum
munication. The present tendency Is to-
ward the obliteration OF n distinctive dress
for different peoples and the establishment
of a 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 abol-
ished, the corset Is more dominant than
ever. The long robe In displacing the short
tunic, instead of being displaced by IL. The
very dress to which they object 30 strenu-
ously is becoming the universal dress OF
women. They are getting no followers,
and they themselves will probably discard
their 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
1t Is now. The distinctive class costumes
Of the past have been abandoned. All
women dress alike, SO far AS the fashioning
of the garments goes. The fashion for the
queen Is the fashion for every other won.
an. because 1t Is the queens fashion. The
papers devoted to fashions are as good for
one country as for another, 30 uniform is
the dress OF civilization and so universal il
its progress.
Hence any attempt to bring about dress
reform encounters stronger obstacles now
than existed generation ago The rule
of fashion Is more despotic than ever
and IL Is less disputed than ever The
standard is fixed more arbitrarily, and it i:
accepted more generally in the world
Starting In European capital, the fashion
spreads rapidly to every corner of the glob,
until 1t governs the dress of woman wher
ever European civilization has pushed It's
way.
These dress reformers, too, are confined
almost wholly to this country. AT lcas,
the movement was initiated here Yet ",
not the creators OF IL. IL does not 20 from
us, but comes to us As n tyrannical master
Nor Is there any people in the world NOR,
ayerse TO eccentricity Of dress than Amer
leans, more afraid Of provoking ridicule by
any peculiarity of costume and less toler
ant of oddity. II these Chicago reformers
/ who wore divided skirts and the modified
Syrian dress at the women's congress
should walk together in the streets of ans
great town of the Union in those costumes
they would be followed by a hooting crowd
The only reforms In the feminine dress
which are possible viii be made by the reg
ular authorities In the domain Of fashion
Already many reforms have come from that
source during the last generation. Thin
shoes have been superseded by thick ones
tight shoes by those those that are comfort
able, and dress generally Is made more suit
able to the weather and the occasion. Tn,
greater amount of physical exercise taket
by women requires that their garment,
shall permit of more freedom of movement
II, then, this dress reform now proposed
becomes requisite OF civilization, and IL Il
Is desired or demanded by women general
~, 1t will come as a command OF fashion
issued with the authority which secure.
worldwide obedience At present its yer,
adoption by few eccentric individual,
will prevent its acceptance by all othel
women.-New York Sun.