Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-05-08
DIDN'T LlKE Rla sLEevEs



Dodhain leaps into popularity, or at least
INTO notoriety, with q mighty bound,
sprlnging forward MS II ON balloon. and
all by aid of big sleeves. IL appears, and
tho press Of the land begins 10 ring with
the news, that long, long ngo Dodhain set
her face nightly against tho iniquity of
pulled sleeves and the win temptations
thoreof, and with Puritan forSor and
promptness passed o law prohibiting them
a municipal statute OF Dcdhnm of the year
OF grace 1889 reads, we are informed:
And DO IL further enacted that here
after no person whatsoever shall mako
garment for women or any other sex with
sleeves moro than half an ell wide in tho
widest part, and so proportionate for big
gor or smaller persons. And for present
reformation OF immodornto great sleeves
ana some other superflulties which may
easily be rodresscd without much prejudice
or spoil of garments It is ordered" etc.
Hall an ell" Is not phrase used by
Felix or Douoet or any OF tho rulers of
sleeves Of this era. An ell is said by anti.
quarians and others to be, In old English
measurement, about 40 inches This would
be yard and nine inches To determine
the length OF an ell most women would
swiftly and cautiously measure the dis.
lance from the ends OF their noses to the
extremity OF their dexter thumbs, stretched
AS far as possible on u bias line away from
their right shoulders They would then
ndd to this exact yard tho nine inches
which arc well known TO exist between the
middle finger of woman who Is busy
sowing back and across over her hand to n
spot on the line OF hor wrist, which she
discerns by intuition, as the precise limit
Of the quarter yard. Women always drop
their scissors from their laps and often
times lose their thimbles while making
this measurement AS IL is very complex
and delightfully."- exciting.
The ell width which was forbidden by
tho old Dedham statute was undoubtedly
this English standard oil of 40 inches The
emmy Scotch, being thriftier merchants,
used legally TO soil 81 inches of cloth for
an ell. To be sure, they had to buy 1t by
the same length, but that was matter Of
no consequence, Besides Flemish and
Dutch merchants, being thriftior still,
counted only ca inches an ell
1t is very affecting TO read In the old
Dedham statute that 1t was not tho wear
ers Of big sleeves, but tho people who made
garments FOR women or any othor sox"
with "immodcrato great sleeves" who
NNlu W nu hlAtuhNEh III illt Ngt's VI INC law.
Every woman and most men know that It
is the drossmakors and tho tailors who lead
womunkind into these oxtravagances
What Boston wOmnn-yea, verify, what
Dedham woman of today or OF 1889
would OF her own FREQ will, unstimulated
by dressmakers' mandate, so spread her
shoulder cloth TO tho brcezes as II about
to mount and fly away with wings bigger
than dozen doyes to a region where fash
ions arc probably unknown "Angcls'
sleeves" is Of course but II flguratiye ex-
preston for those trailing shoulder gar
ncnts which went out Of even their limit
oil vogue some time ngo, They wore the
object of much unangelio ohjurRntion, by
tho way, during their brief earthly career
The "lminoderatc slocyes" OF 1895 arc
big enough, in all conscience, but nobody
expects any legislation against them
Dedham is herewith warned against trying
to revive her ancient statute and put It
into practical working use, Tho "old"
woman Of $50 years ago may have moelly
bowed TO tho decree OF "tyrant man" and
furlcd her sleeves ri his bidding, but tho
rev" woman Of the present is firm for
her innlienablo rights" to be as fashion
able us sho pleases, or can, and from Ded-
ham TO Brooklino, from Dorchester TO Mel
rose and all over Boston there would arise
cry Of protest II any man legislator
should try to mako law against big
sleeves. Boston Transcript