The herald., 1895-06-09

hich consisted largely Of men, all anxi-
Gus to see the splendid exhibit OF un-
draped beauty. Then, when the interes t
in slllen-clad limbs began to pail, one
or TWO variety theatel managers of the
lower order gave plays III which cancan
dancing was prominent feature. 1t was
in one ot these pieces that Denman
Thompson maize his first appearance IN
New York, and so Objectionable was the
play, The Female Bathers considered
that the house in which it was given soon
found itself under the ban OF the police.
The theaters which were devoted in
those days to such exhibitions were the
Columbia opera house in Greenwich
street, the Partisan varieties in Sixteenth
street, and Egyptian hall in Thirty fourth
street. In these playhouses the principal
attraction was display OF legs. for the
most part of ample proportions, attired
in underc lothes and stockings of the
fashion of the day At critical moment
in the performance u strong lime ligh
was thrown on the stage and the women
lifted their skirts well above their knees
and performed a clumsy cancan, which
was at best vulgar ana inartistic imita-
tion of the real Partisan arucle, to be
seen now and then at the French and
Arion balls.
From the time OF the Black Crook the
struggle for the emancipation OF woman 5
legs from the thraldom of skirts has
been gong on, but it was not uutil about
a year ago that old fashioned prejudic ice
was overcome to such an extent that to-
day on the stages OF reputable theaters
and even on the public highways the
public is treated to exhibitions of femi-
nine curves which would have been i'm
posi- Bile a decade ago. The stage and the
bicycle are responsible for this, and now
that women of social position are not
afraid to show themselves in Central
park with their lower lin bs encased in
close-htting knickerbockers and stock
ings. some OF the philosophers of the
town are beginning to wonder how much
further the custom will be carried.
1t should be remem bered that the
period between the old-time cancan dis
plays and the new-fangled kirt-dancing
was bridged over by Lolita. who, for
some unaccountable reason, had so won
the confidence and fancy of the public that
she was allowed to hop about on chairs and
tables in such way as to display about
an inch and half of the white rutiies
which are attached to all respectable un-
derclothes. Silk stights the public have
been accustomed to, but if any other act
ress mad attempted to show as much as
Lotta did she would have been frowned
down py the respectable IN members OF her
own sex. But Lotta would never have
dared to do what Nine. Rejane did this
winter in Ma Cousine. or what Papinta
and Cissy Fitzgerald are doing every
night. Nor, to Jell The truth, would the
eXhl DltlonS gwen by them he permitted
if it were not for the fact that the SKIRT
and serpentine dayces and the living
pictures had paved the way.
Miss George Parker who has been q
Nopular entertainer in the vaudeville the
aters for great many years, spoke unre-
Eervedly concerning the new order OF
things few days ago:
''It is entirely matter OF custom, -
said Miss Parker, "ano | can tell YOU
that the customs OF today. so far as the
J. 90 ers are concerned! are very
different from what they were when /