The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-01-10
Pa d His Lawyers.
WOMAN'S WHEELING DRESS.
Bloomers and Knickerbockers Mrs. Hop
Rims Condemns

Mas. Mary Sargent Hopkins, OF Boston,
who is well known all over the country
as an advocate of cycling for women, is
in the city. Mrs. Hopkins particular
mission In life is to get women to take
outdoor exercise, that she believes. VIII
bring them to the height of health and
happiness. But she has not been preach
ing the doctrine of the wheel so much
lately. As she says. IL Is like carrying
Goals to Newcastle to talk about wheel
But it is because Of this very popu-
larty that she has worked so hard to
bring about that Mrs. Hopkins has had
for the New York Times all about it
Yesterday. and incidentally related how
her burden OF grief was lightened. 81.
Now. If -there Is one thing / hate,
she SAID. lit is a masculine woman. II
has made my heart sore to see the
WOUeH who have been putting or knfck-
erbockerS, riding the diamond frame
wheel-the wheel with a high cross-bar-
and racing and scorching with the men;
1T has made wheeling Just another
way for q woman 10 make a fool of her
SELF bring cycling into disrepute. and
make herself the laughing stock Of the
people
she has made a halfway sort OF
creature of herself She can't be
man, and she is a disgrace as woman.
If IA woman wants to dress like a Turk.
that no one will know who she is"
1t was with feelings like this and 9
terrible fear that knckerbockers mgls
be getting up to par i'm the popular est
nation tnat Mrs. HOPKINS called at
New York cycle emporium. The yOung
man i'm attendance was most gracious
and ready 10 give information. Every
woman. ne announced with authority
was riding the diamond-frame wheel.
Necessarily. as such Al wheel must be
i1dden cavalier fashion. nothing but
knickerDockers suited the athletic wheel
woman for her daily run. 'Why. all
the women in our club wear them he
announced. finally.
TO all this Mrs. Hopkins listened with
evident seif-restraint, but when a picture
OF boyish- looking individual was point
the woman cycfist, present and 10 come.
II was too much. With a po!nt-blank de-
NAL that an individual in such masculine
sarb could be woman, Mrs. Hopkins
anroul ced herself.
The young man knew all about Mrs.
Hopkins and WAS delighted to meet her
Now, she said, when proper sdluta-
lions had been exchanged, II want 10
know If you really meant what YOU said
Would you be willing TO see your mother
YOUR sister, or any one you care for on
a wheel In a costume like that"
"Wel, I'll tell you the truth" he said
Il think that when woman takes off
her skirts she loses all her charm a
young lady, a friend of mine told me
-she tHOuSHt OF putting on boomers, and
] told her that If she did
1t is not necessary TO tell Just what
that young man said There has been no
announcement OF broken friendships and
one young woman has been spared the
expense OF new bicycle suit
The telling of this story was great
relief 10 Mrs. Hopkins overwrought
feelings, and they were almost entirely
Soothed when she visited the Mchaux
Club, and saw a large feminine contin-
gent of the Four Hundred on wheels.
1T was the very acme OF good rid
ing" she said. 1T showed that women
can ride well in an ordinary suit. They
seemed almost 10 fly they glided
around the halt
"Mr. Price. the instructor. told me that
short skirts with leggins would be the
coming dress for wheeiwomen, and l be-
lieve t.
''T'here was so much opposition to the
introduction OF the wheel that II would
never have done TO introduce anything
the least outre in the way of dress.
But now. IL a costume is pretty: II
woman sits her wheel well. has her leg
gins free from wrinkles, and IL her hat
doesn't look as If she had fallen from
her wheel on TO IL. Ii Will not be OBJ
Jectionabie If the skirt IL not the con-
ventional walking length
Mrs. Hopkins. since she has found II
was only carrying COATS TO Newcastle 10
tell women in plain prose that they
should 40 a-wheeling has taken 10 tell
ing the same thing. but In a more round
about way, through graceful, original lit
tie poems.-New York Times