The herald., 1895-09-15


bloomer girls naturally did not dare tC
show themselves in their new costume
| while the negro bloomerite was abroad
ana they did not wear them after the
negress had retired from the ring. Al
last accounts the negro bloomerite was the
abroad in Birmingham.
A close study of the southern news
papers fails to show that the bloomer
craze has gained any decided hold south
OF Mason and Dixons line. Indeed the
bicycle is stlll new thing, and the
women who ride are as fearful of oriti-
cism as n woman in tight knicker bockers
would be in some northern places. In a
few cities largely frequented by northern
visitors, like Asheville, N. c., bloomers
are very much in evidence. But they
are exotics; they are imported with the
| OF Virginia the real southern women do
not ride the bicycle much. The climate
| is against the exercise. Those who do
ride stick to skirts. One newspaper was
engaged in an effort recently to have the
women cut their skirts so as to leave the
| ankles free. But the women did not care
| to revolutionize things. A Tennessee
! paper so late as last week was wondering
| II any woman would have the temerity
| to Introduce boomers in that region. If
| any did, it said, they would surely bring
on themselves such notoriety as must be
| o<NNeCoih6iJ pledSaub W IDOueSt, WO OTna
| ~ woman. The editor is aginst them.
Some few women in New Orleans wear
pioomers, but in almost every southern
newspaper the appearance of pair of
bloomers is treated almost as would be
the coming ashore of the sea serpent.
1t is in the north and west, especially
the great. breezy. woolly west, that the
bloomer t1ourishes and the bluomer ques.
ii On RACES
Bloomers have threatened the institu-
tion of the family. as well as cementing
hearts together. A number OF stories
have been related of fond hearts severed
py the owner of one taking to boomers.
Then, again, perhaps as many matches
have been maze on wheels as IN kheaven.
Gut IN Urbana, ILL.,, few days ago, a
couple of bicyclists rode up to the court
house and rnads for the marriage license
office. They were Charles Cruzen of Pax
ton and Miss Josie A. Neff of Ludlow.
They looked so much alike as they turned
their wheels along that everybody took
them Tor two young men, and the license
clerk got quite shock when the young
woman identified herself.
The case of the Patterson, NJ, husband
who applied for an injunction to prevent
his wife from wearing bloomers is fresh,
and doubtless vivid lin the mind of the
reader. But this man had cause to kick.
aYe4t h ths he s wife tHSa Nors will ad
In Eaton. O.. a family was broken up
because of daughters bloomers. Father
| favored the boomers but mother didn't.
From words the couple came, in the
course of a few days, to blowas. Mrs.
Quill tore out handfuls OF Mr.. Quill
white whiskeIs, and that caused terrible
rupture of marital relations. This is only
a sample case in its general features OF
dozens reported in the press all over the
country where the bloomer craze is cpl
demio.
D,,+ Ill H.
ure OF the subject is the doings OF the
bloomeI girl herself. 1t should be UNDER
stood that this general classification,
which many wearers of blomers may OBJ
ject to, is based SO ely on the bloomers,
not on the wearers. Every bloomer girl
can't be held Responsible for what every
girl in bloomers does. But some bloomer
girls do such things as even the Bowery
never saw nor the Bowery folk never
dreamed of.
Bloomers Eoffer a golden opportunity
for the girl who wants to break loose
from conventionalities of all kinds. And
the philosopher will concede that often
1t is the most modest girl who does the
most startling things, whep fashion ap-
proves. Perhaps bloomer balls are the
most conspicuous phase of the bloomer
girls activity. There have been several
such functions herea bouts, but in the west
there is perfect epidemic of them. Chi
Francisco followed suit and for some sin
guar reason the Pacific coast caught onto
the craze as though it was a bonanza
fever. The staidest of the towns held
bloomer balls. Even Berkeley had one.
And they were fairly well attended, too.
San Francisco organized che first bloomer
club on the continent. and perhaps is
little ahead of New York in bloomers.
But bloomer balls incited further opposi-
tion from the -bloomerites, and sew
eral Gle, gymen on the coast who had ap-
proved of bicycling emphatically disap-
proved of bloome ers.
:l''rhe danger of the bloomer craze"
SAID DR.. Wood Case of San Francisco.
''lies in the fact that if the public allows
little latitude in dress there are those
in every community who are disposed to
make it disgraceful."
This really sums up the spirit of a
great deal of opposition to bloomers. 1t
is not bloomers that are objected to. but
the developments that must inevitably
follow, with certain women at any rate.
and with consequent unpleasant general
public effect.-New York Sun. ------,-AN