Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-01-26

and necessarily the organizers of the
movement have appealed to the
Princess of Wales for support. She ha.
not yet granted their petition formally,
but it is understood that she is strongly
opposed to the threatened fashion
and there is probably good reason fol
believing that such is the case The
vast majority of women of all sorts and
conditions must be of that mind, for the
new fashion is both unbecoming and
inconvenient, and the present feminine
costume is of great beauty and remark
ably comfortable.
Even if the crinoline started with a
| moderate extension of the circumfer-
ence of the petticoat, past experience
indicates that the tyranny of fashion
would carry it to an extreme before it
was abandoned. The hoop skirts OF
thirty or forty years ago began with
constructions of hair, which pulled out
the petticoat to a comparatively slight
extent, but they were succeeded by
patened devices of steel hoops which
rendered their size prodigious. Dur
ing their reign a manufacturing concern
in this city made a great fortune by
producing the elliptic skirt, as it was
called, and every household was en-
barrassed by the necessity of getting
rid of the huge constructions when
they had become damaged or had been
discarded. A man accompanied by a
woman dropped into physical insignifi-
cance alongside of her vast proportions
as increased by the hoop skirt. A
score of women would fill a large-sized
room. Two of them would fill car
riage, and their entry into it required
much dexterity.
The remembrance of this past ex-
travagance is confined to the older peo-
pie of this generation. Men who have
not passed what is called middle age
hence we infer that the violent English
rebellion against the revival of crinoline
has started with women who have come
down from period whose distance
makes them no longer youthful. Re-
calling the hoop skirt as it was in the
long-past days of its dominance, they
tremble at the thought of its reappear-
ance, for it must have made the chains
of fashion peculiarly CALLING for them.
We observe that some English hus-
bands are threatening violent retalia-
tory measures if their wives adopt such
a fashion again, no matter how arbi-
trary its authority. They make mis-
take. 1t is useless for men to under
take to interfere in the business. If
there is to be rebellion, it must be
conducted by women solely; and it is
very doubtful whether it will be sue
cessful under any circumstances. If
the mandate that crinoline shall be |
worn is promulgated, even the rebel |
lious may yield rather than submit to |
reflections on the singularity of their |
1ress, for with crinoline prevalent the |
;lose-clinging draperies of the present |
would provoke ridicule. The English
demonstration however, may have a
deterrent influence on the Partisan
,yrants of fashion, the more especially
# l. has the sympathy and countenance
If the Princess of Wales; but if the
ashton is once really introduced, no
natter to what extremes it may go, it
S likely to be followed by women gen
orally. The great hope is in the man
fest superiority of the present draper
es both esthetically and reasonably.
The dress reform movement started
n England is chiefly interesting and
as an Indication of the grow
ng spirit of independence among wom-
N which distinguishes this period.
They are making bold to assault even
he citadel of fashion, and though they
nay be beaten in the first encounter,
hey are bound to triumph in the end.
Probably it may be assumed that now
hey will be successful SO far, at least,
S to restrain the crinoline within sem
ible limits. It may be the beginning
# the great dress reform which will be
dvocated and exemplifed by self |
women at the Chicago Fair.
N. Y. Sun.