St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-02-08
ANENT NATIONAL DRESS.
an Imitation of MascuIino Modes
No: Desir.sbIe for Woman.

an Imitation of 3IascuIino Modes
No: Desirable for Women.
Somewhere in the depths of the WON
ems movement there is q project for
the adoption OF a different style OF
dress for ladies from that now con-
monty worn. Il gossip can be trusted,
the innOvators are engaged at the
present moment in coutriving 'sonae-
thing in the nature Of a dual gar
rlent." other than the divided skirt,
which, during ali the years Ii has been
before the world-in the minds eye
chiefiy-dOes not appear to have won
even that limited amount OF approval
known as success d'estime. As I am
anxious 10 help the ladies in rationale
ing their dress (Which has gOt a little
on tce plumb of perfect proprietyl,
perhaps they viii allow ne 10 present
them with a Few elementary pTin-
cipIes upon which alone. as it seems TO
me. they can hope TO build securely.
do not claim any inherent fitness
I'm this or that cut of garment for one
sex or the ether. Tell me what, for
any reason, the ingrained custom or
experience of q race has been, and I
viii tell You how it must feel about
dress. Trousers or petucoats-it mat
tiers not which sex adopts which. The
essential thing is that the dress for
both sexes should not be cut to the
same pattern. Hence it is thar III the
Orient. where women show some pref
erence for the lrouser-shapete. g, the
Turkish trousers OF the princess in pan
tomime) the male garb tends to run
into the petticoat
u fro -ha I1TiE- v--1n cGy-1-a "a
what they are pleased. to call rational
dress work from their heads and not
from their hearts. They are actuated
by some vague hope Of placing the
sexes upon an equal footing, OF Civ
ing women a better chance in the
battle Of life, in which she IS said TO
be handicapped by her petdcoats.
They also argue. perhaps, that in such
y climate as ours trousers may be
2 cleaner article of outdoor wear than
e skirt. They may insist further that
But why enumeTate the scores OF
reasons why women should act as men,
or men as women? are they not all set
forth in the advanced feminine Htera-
ture OF the period?
Plausible as some of the reasons may
be. they do ROY for a moment weigh in
the balance with that little principle
of mire-Uhe sexual idea and its assO-
Citations. For coed or evil Europe is
committed TO trousers as the character
istic male garment. the symbol and
badge OF manhood and 10 the petticOat
as all that is sweetiy and seductiyeIy
feminine. The positions may have been
reversed. They may still be reversed:
for if women insist upon wearing the
male garment par excellence, men in
j.
tico8t.
Now. do the ladies' of the Rational
Dress society realize what a potent
charm and attraction they are asking
their sex. to reEOunce in the familiar
petucOat, ana what sentimental diff
culties and drawbacks would be ere
ated by an adoption OF the proposed
dual garment in its place? 1 cannot
think they do realize these things.
otherwise this mischievOUs agitation
in favor OF mems clothes for women
would never have been heard of
That the race would run any risk
OF being extinct through The carrying
out of the scheme. / do not say. II
the only woman there was to love in
sisted upon Wearing LTOusers-well. we
should have TO love her and make the
best of il; and in due time a new set
of associations would grow uD around
this garmcnt-lo longer then '-unmen-
tiCnabie' but q source Of inspiration
emulation. ana high resolve: and wom-
an. TO do them justice. with TIE aes-
thetic sense or their sex would. no
doubt. slash 1t. and fIiu it. and puff
ii. and em5rCider it. and make it a
very present2bla garment indeed. as
unlike the original pattern as il could
well be. But The change would mean
revolution in sentiment and poetry
which it would take twenty years to
effect, and meanwhile a whole ganer-
alton of women would be jeopardizing
their chances OF the higher love.
Twenty years do L say? PerhaDs
fifty.
What then, is rational dress? I
should say that rational dress was
that which without exposing or reveal
ing too much of the female figure.
suggested il to the best advantage.
Stays there must be because these now
participate TO great extent in the
poetic associations of the pettfcoat.
The pointed shoe has almost estab-
ished itself. [ am not sure that the
French heel. bad as it is on every com
nonsense ground. is not getting to be
unassaiable by dint of it's association
with pretty feet ana welI-turned an
kles. There are many features of fash
iona5le dress which. in the cold light
OF reason, are not TO be defended. but
which hold their own by associatio
Even the bishop sleeve viii have its
chance of catching on" if it stays
long enough