The morning times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1897, 1895-11-18
FOR THE WOMEN WHO WORK
One Hundred Asked to Band Them
selves for Practical Dressing.
Suggested Movement looking to the
Abolition Days IT the Desk
In Damp Skirts.

The wet autumn days are here, and here
again, too, are damp, bedraggled skirts,
unsightiy, uncomfortable, and endangering
the average woman's health.
Women are not all lilies of the field"
for many, especially here in Washington,
have TO toll and spin," and they take
pride and pleasure in their work, hnnurably
preferrlng 1t to becoming a burden to
others.
The new woman is true woman and
does not sit idly bemoaning her fate; she
is self supporting and coura geuus. Is
1t not time for her to assert her independ-
eDce and call a halt to the whims and
foIlies of fashion?
There is much talk of dress reform"
but nothing comes OF it, for it is a shrewd
plan of certain well-furmed women to
make money while attracting attention
on the lecture platform to their physical
perfection while advocating loose and
shapeless garb in which the average woman
will look like fright.
Viewing the question without bias
without going TO extremes, one arrives at
the conclusion that it is necessary for
the new woman TO act on this question
promptly.
The hour, perhaps. has not vet come
for boomers, but health and comfort, so
absolutely necessary to happiness, de-
mand that fashion and preju dice give
way 10 the absolute need of fitting cos
tune for the practical business woman, a
costume that will not be five yards round
weighted with haircloth, and requiring
the constant use of one han dto hold it up
in rainy weather in futile effort TO
keep il from being wet and bedraggled.
All women VIII never beast fine forms
and fair faces, but those who have the
greater boon, good health, need never
fear TO suffer greatly by comparison, or
to lose their feminine attractiveness If
they are blessed with common sense. In
this city, in tue departments alone, there
are thousands of women who are obliged
TO go out in all kinds of weather, who
know the discomfort aud danger of re-
manning all day with wet garments about
their ankles only TOO well.
Many OF these are anxious TO inaugural
their emancipation from the folly of fash
ions dictates, IL others would join them
in adopting sensible business costume.
At this time no better dress has been
made for every day wear than the
medium length bicycle skirt, with leg
gins, and there is movement that sug-
gests its adoption for business women at
once, for fall and winter use. No woman
of refinement is willing to make herself
unduly conspicuous by her attire, so The
Times presents the matter to its readers
Let each woman in favor of adopting a
olnmon sense costume-skirt not longer
titan to the shoe-tup-shorter at wearers
discretion-and leggins, viii forward her
name TO this paper.
When one hundred names shall have been
received, each one having pledged herself
10 adopt this rational form of dress will
appear in II simultaneously.
The cyclist knows how comfortable and
warm the leegins are, and how readily they
can be removed and dried when wet with
rain or snow.
How many are brave enough to be
sensible?
All who value comfort, cleanliness, and
health more than The dictates of folly and
fashion let them send in their names.