The Indiana State sentinel., 1894-11-07

coat and vest in the g:are of the sun and
sleeves and ice water on reaching the
c0o,ness and seclusion Of Office or home
The neg.igee dress is now proper every
where-a light, unstarched shirt, the
shadow of a coat. and no vest. are semi-
nently correct. and this change is one Of
the most sensible and healthful that
could be imagined.
The question Of the use of bloomer cos
tune or something similar for women BIZ
cycIers is one that will be decided by con-
veaience sooner or later. 1t seems GER
tain that the bicycle has come to stay. 1t
affords pleasant exercise and ii is a real
convenience to hundreds Of people who
are not close to street car lines and can
n5t afford to keep a horse. If women
find that they can ride more easily, rap
idly or comfortably in boomers or some
other form Of divided dress, the adoption
of that form of dress is as certain as the
permanence of bicycling. There appears
to be nothing intrinsically immodest
about it, and surely nothing more i'm
modest than the knee breeches and sweat
ers that have been adopted by so large
a number Of the male riders. There is no
canon Of law or common sense that gives
men a monopoly Of ease and convenience.
AT the present time such a change in
womans dress would be regarded as inn
modest by many, but the reason is mere
ly the novelty of the thing-the radical
change of custom. But utility and con-
venience are greater than custom. A
woman who would insist on bathing at a
bathing resort in ordinary street or house
costume would be properly considered as
verging on idiocy, and so she would if
she appeared on the street in a bathing
dress Nevertheless there can be no rea-
son why a bathing dress should not be
worn at one place as well as another, pro-
vided it conduces as much to comfort,
usefulness or health.
Men and women are in fact the veriest
slaves of fashion, and this is most true
of those who Intentionally avoid the ex-
tremes of fashion. The most universally
recognized rule Of good society-probably
the best test of good breeding-is the
avoidance of conspicuity. Nothing is more
quickly accepted as a proof Of innate
vulgarity than the attempt to attract at
tention by oddity or the adoption of ex
tremes in dress. And yet it results neces-
sarlly that in adhering to this rule you
must follow the herd. You must do as
others do. If you do not do as others
do YOU make yourself conspicuous in mere
matters of custom. And it frequently
applies to more serious matters. Even a
person who makes himself conspicuous
in an effort to enforce a liquor law finds
himself denounced as a sneak, sniveler,
crank. hypocrite, and what not. 1t
is a rule of custom that sometimes pre-
vents the introduction of Objectionable
changes. and sometimes prevents the in
PRODUCTION of good ones. In the long run
it is probably productive of good, and yet
there are times when it presents for
midable barrier to the dictates of common
sense But it can never present per-
manent one. Common sense will win its
way eventually, and if experience shall
emphasize the call for a special bicycle
dress a satisfactory dress will be found
and adopted. And when that occurs all
questions as to its immodesty will vanish
in a very short time.