The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-10-05

force them to brave the elements were
heartily in sympathy with anything which
might cause the clinging skirt to grow
smaller by degrees and beautifully less.
"All l have to say is go ahead. dear
girls. and may you be successful" said
DR.. Amy 6. Bowen. when asked for her
views on the subject. sit is no use my re-
peating all the old arguments in favor of
style of dress that you won't step on your
self with as you go upstairs and other
people step on behind you as you go down
stairs. The arguments against the drag
ging, unhealthful skirts that we wear now
have been used SO often that it is weari-
some TO repeat them.
"Those college girls do not know how
much better they could think IL they were
not hampered by style of dress that
gives them colds and sore throats and un-
fits them for fair competition. They will
be more than a match for the boys in the
race for learning when they cease to handi-
cap themselves"
The Women's Club of San Francisco is
an organization composed of few busy
professional women. Miss Solomons, The
president, expressed hearty sympathy
| with the new movement of the Berkeley
| girls, although she was a little dubious
| about its success. 81 remem Der one or
| two other instances of the kind, and they
do not seem TO have come to much. Ii
| any one can make this thing "a success col
| lege girls can. They are free as yet
| and have not to truckle to public
| opinion as the professional woman must.
| Of all people she must be particular in her
| dress, department and other little matters
in fact, she is obliged to defer to public
| opinion in order to win those opposed to
her usurping a mans place.
81 was reading a magazine article the
other day." continued Miss Solomons,
shat claimed how ridiculous it is to lay
down the law about what men must wear
| and what women must wear. Dress is all
matter Of time and place, and yet some
people talk as if 1t were one Of the irrevo-
| cable laws Of the universe. Men have, as
| we know, worn skirts for generations
! look at the Highlanders and the ancie MT
Greek soldiers. Women were the first
| people to Invent trousers and they wore
| them for centuries 10 the Orient before the
Greeks began to adopt them. One of the
early Christian fathers condemns the men
for adopting this effeminate style of gar
ment-thEk ofit-trousers and yet there
are people to-day who talk as il men were
born into the world wearing trousers and
| had patent on it.
1.-THE truth of the matter Is that any par
ticular style of dress is just an accident of
time and place. There are some of the
| 'clngers' who spend their time in smooth
ing the wrinkles in their husbands brows
who have not the least objection to having
their toilets and their compIexions de-
scribed at great length. and yet ii busy
woman makes a modification in the Sc,
form of dress for the sake of comfort they
call it conspicuous Professional women
would show want of sense and of cou.
sideration for their fellow workers if they
did not defer to public opinion in all ex.
ternal matters. however radical they may
| be at heart"
''Do you consider that any woman are
free to have the courage Of their opin-
ions?" was asked.
| Certainly" replied Miss Solomons. en-.
thusiasticslly. s'The cause of rational
dress depends on the married women with
social prestige and on the college girls
| They are numerous all over the country
many Of them are wealthy and have the
right kind of social and intellectual stand.
ing. College women are by no means al
In favor of universal suffrage and tha