San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-11-28

Must humbly own--'tis dear, dear adj
miration"
1t is argued that it is an indecency
for a woman TO sit astride. We ask
why? Until Good Queen Anne" in
troduced the side saddle. the women of
England always rode horseback astride
/ like the men, as the women of many
countries do TO the present day. Ply
siologically considered, perhaps it
would be filter if distinction must
be made, for men to use sidesaddles,
and women the others. 1t is nonsense
to connect immortality with either
mode, as it is simply matter of GUS
tom, and when the novelty of seeing a
woman astride has worn off time will
sanction both it and knickerbockers, as
it has sanctioned so many other things.
1t is somewhat amusing, however, to
hear women who appear at public fun
ctions in the most decOllete manner
semi-nude arms and shoulders, backs
and breasts bear to all beholders-dis-
paraging the modest woman who only
displays to the extent of few inches,
the shape of pair of well-covered
legs. Ladies of position have long
DttU Accustomed " accompany biCii
male friends to cover and moor shoot
ing, habited in knickers and leggings,
and little notice has been taken, but
the adoption of similar garments by
the cycling community is quite another
thing, and requires police interference.
Mankind have been trying all kinds
of clothing, possible to discover a ra-
tional dress, and have not found the
suitable one yet We may still say,
as Chaucer, in THE Parsons Tale"
ALAS, Nav not a man see us in our
daies, the sinful costlewe array of
clothing, and namely in too moch SUI
perfluitee, or Giles in to disordinate
scantnesse?" Among the superfuities
was the length of the aforesaide
gounes, trailing in the dong and in the
myre, on hors and exc on foot, as
of man as of woman, that al thilke
trailing is veraify wasted, consumed,
threadbare, and rotten with dong,
rather than it is given to the poure
. To speake of the horrible disordi-
nate scantnesse of clothing 80
Alas! some of them shewen the bose
and the shape of the horrible swollen
membres, that semen like to the
miladie of Hernia, in the wrapping of
the hosen, and exc the buttocks of hem
behinde, that faren as it were the
hinder part of she ape in the full of
the none" The disgusting fashion of
short and tight brooches (which rather
exposed the wearer's nakedness, than
hid it, was banished from France by
an edict of Charles V. Beaux of Eli
zabeth's reign, however, differed from
those of Chaucer's and Charles times.
They stuffed their bTeeches with feath-
ers, rags. and other light materials
until they were swollen to a huge cir
conference, and at the same time the
ladies wore large hooped farthingales,
something like modern crinolines, so
that two lovers aside could surely
never have taken one another by the
hand" In a print by Virtue, Lady
Hunsden, a leader of fashion, heads
Elizabeths procession to Lord Lund-
sons. Her standing up wire ruff
rises above her head, her stays reach
to her knees and her farthingale en-
closes her 'as in a capacious tub"
Disraeli says: The amOrous Sir
Walter Raleigh must have found some
of the Maids of Honour the most inn
pregnable fertilization his gallant spir-
it ever assailed: A coup de main was
impossible" Old Stowe says of his
reign: In that time he was held the
greatest gallant that had the deepest
ruff and longest rapier."
We have seen old French print Of
Adam and Eve in elaborate eastern
costumes, robed, jeweled and urban
ed, although We are told our Biblical
ancestors commenced with fig-leaves
and did not advance beyond coats Of
skins" The graceful and Greek-like
dresses of Anglo-Saxon times continued
to linger long after the Conqueror.
The conquest of France by the Eng
! lish introduced French fashions, and
these and other refinements continued
to come TO US at intervals from Italy