Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-02-05
DISCUSSED DRESS.
Mrs. Annie Jenness Miller Entertaias IN
Audience Of Ladies.

Mrs. Annie Jsnness Miller Entertaias a
Audisnce Of Ladies.
Mrs. Annie Jenness Miller. the "a.
nous advocate for Improvement in
women's dress, lectured in the Y. NJ
c. A. auditorium yesterday afternoon
to a small, but appreciative, intelli.
gent and well pleased audience.
The speaker was presented by Miss
Mary Davidson, and in opening hel
address Mrs. Miller emphasized the
fact that she was not dress reform.
er. 1t is difficult, she said, to sepa.
rate efforts in the line of dress i'm.
provement from the ideas in the mind
Of the public Of dress reform. The
best interests of the cause of i'm
proved dress are not advanced by toe
radical measures. The higher phys
ical development and dress improve
ment must go hand in hand to ap-
peal to the popular eye and achieve
success. The dress of the future
will undoubtedly keep pace with 9TH
er evolutions, and fttingly express
the higher developments Of the time.
There seems no reason who We should
go back 1000 years and adopt the
Greek dress. The Greek develop
ment was physical and mental. The
advent of the Christian era swung
the pendulum to the other extreme
the development of the spiritual.
There must be the harmonious de-
velopment Of the physical, mental
and spiritual. The only unalterable
Jenness Miller principles are no
bands about the waist, and such ad-
justment as gives perfect ease to
arms and body in moving-no con-
spicuous change from conventional
fashions. When fashion offers such
things as the hustle or crinoline, re-
ject them. Absurd styles do not
come back for any length of time.
Fashion must conform to higher
ideals. We are just on the thresh-
hold of an era of higher evolution;
an era Of dress conforming to physi-
oloeica law and the principles Of
classic art. The clothing must be
to gain freedom of move
ment. simplicity in shape, and regu-
larity and equal distribution of
weight and warmth.
Changes in Costume.
The speaker changed her costume
a number of times showing what she
was pleased to denominate as an ar
tistic dress, a girls dress, a rainy
day dress, q bicycle costume, and an
evening dress. She explained the
different garments, showing how
they we're better suited to the re-
of the case than those
worn, while remaining ar
tistic at least to certain extent,
though conformity to fashions die
tates might in a measure detract
from the artistic, as for instance in
the cutting of rich fabrics into small
pieces. Petticoats were considered
as relics of barbarism, aud con-
trasted with the Jenness Miller di-
vided skirt to the advantage of the
latter. 81"
In ans~er to questions, Mrs. Mil
Ter ststed that her dresses were
made N one piece, waist and skirt
being sewed together. That she did
uOt 6Ilucu uST ShlTtS WIFI uOn6lI,
crinoline or other heavy materials,
but when the style required more
than the dress lining. light weight
fabric chamois was used. The dress
must be loose enough for perfect
breathing. Improved dress means
phys culture; that the muscles
may be developed to hold the body
erect and elegant; that they may
have that elasticity and firmness
necessary to give the body elegant
poise.
While women demand equal rights
let them demonstrate equal COM
mon sense in dress. Let the right
and wrong of dress, and whether
with true womanly mod
esty, be decided not by convention
alitv and custom, but as a matter of
Physical Exercise.
Mrs. Miller is a strong advocate of
for women, and favors
riding, though in man
fashion. She made many other sug-
gestions tending as do these to phys
ical development. She is an observer
of the eternal fi'Iess of things, and
is herself a most striking personality
of the beauty and force Of her own