Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1895-01-08

LApre BICYCLE COSTUME AND THE
SPREAD OF CIVILIZATION

Wemrp ans Eaueation sac Nay ny asr
enc .,seri-s'a oup--Ath,sis ..ad our.u.--
riau --aootoh Eauaisu win Dpsres.-xks
ret1ioo~t p Dosmsd.
IN Chicago a young woman rleasd
herself ont n hor hcgoio dress and
eent out % ride an her wheel 10 one Of
tho oity partt sho vas wearing bloom.
sEs O. aomeshlna o. lhas sort, and man
who apparently had been hrouehe up h
the baokwooda and had noyor seen any
thing liko q hoforo thoueht The show
gTas funny and iourhed a5 ia
The young woman was nos an imita.
tion reformer She was one 81 the dead
in earnest kind and not llkoly to 10
laughed a. with impunily. sho had the
sooflor arrested. and be was fined $500
- pretty large amount to pay for suoh
-, extrefreiy iimitei omopns Of ION ~
ho rpst have got In return for IL Such
ari episode IS likoly 70 have its eject in
Tie spread Of civilization IN The west.
ead among the accomplishments Of real
civilization Il n kind Of bioyclo costume
for ladies' that will enable them TO rfdo
tho wheel without danger from accident
IRON ontangling skirts and without the
least inmodeaig. A $500 nno Will help
along that civilization even IN Chicago.
although q seems 20 have got alonr
pretty well elsewhere without ths uso
Of any such rigorous mothoda
lt n obvious enough thet . distinct
costume IN which the alrirt Wiil BE- prho.
tioally done away with will be soonor
o. later in universal uso By women who
ride bicycles There has never been any
dinerence Of opinion as TO the desirabil-
ity Of e. The shirt Is not merely inoon-
veni8nt but it has bcon tho cause Of
many accidents, and it is by no noan5
modest garment--nt al events the
naodagiy q its behavior cannot always
Be depended upon--Whon worn IN b.
cycle riding. There II hardly any one
Of the various distinct bicycle costumes
that Is not IN al respects more modest
In uao than tho loose skirt. and as every.
body can understand ali ara much safer,
for there is nothing 70 become ontan.
gled In the machine and By disabling it
IN soma partichlar throw the rider.
Only the ignorant win laugh at these
costumoA They may appear funny 10
those who do not keep up with what Is
going on IN the world TO suoh any
change from long established custom
seoms funny. People not long ago
Thought Il funny 20 SEQ lady ride b.
cycle a. all. but now the aight is 40
common as 70 attract little more atten-
tion than II the lady woro merely
walking along the pavement Il will
not bo long before tho bicycle costume
which does without the skirt will be
suoh q common, every hour sight on onr
streets--ovon IA tho baciwcods cities Of
tho weat--thnt thcy will attract no nm
usual attention IN fact it Is not im-
probable that tho lady who wears tho
skirt when she rides will
attract moro attention than tho one who
doesn't, but who instead wears some
thiug moro appEorriato and sensihlo
10 sonae places considerable progress
has been made IN this kind of reform,
and having once gained q start Is will
advance rapidly. Bicycle riding Is
becoming more and moro popular With
women az with men, and there Is no
reason why women should Be hnmpored
IN tho exercise by being compelled to
wear dress that e neither suitable
nor safe for the purpose There Is no
law TO prevent q change 90 something
appropEiets. and ne woman AZ 70 be &
pioneer ip any dress reform movement
Il going 60 b laughed down. And men
are not going 70 do very much laughing
Of that kind II they arc y be asked 70
pay $500 fox IL each time
Il is encouraging to sea that Justice
can bo dealt out IN this way in Chicago
Il establishes both tho moral and legal /
right Of the dress roformor1 20 puah
forward with their work Thoy need
have no further fear q being laughed
- UHfI~N.I.Et. d..