Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1897-08-04
WHAT May BE.
Ben.say on Dre.s tn the Twentieth
Century.


Equality" published by ID. Appleton
& Co. Edward Bellamy takes the fol-
lowing glimpse into the future as re-
lating TO the question OF dress:
The extremely delicate tints OF
Edith's costume led me TO remark that
the color effects of the modern dress
seemed TO be in general very light as
compared with those which prevailed
in my day.
The result" said. els extremely
pleasing, but il you will excuse a rather
prosaic suggestion. il occurs to me that
with the whole nation given over to
wearing these delicate schemes OF coll
or. the accounts for washing must be
pretty large. should suppose they
would swamp the national treasury IL
laundry bills are anything like what
they used 20 be-"
Doubtless we could not do much
else IL we washed our clothes" she
said; but you see we do not wash
them"
Not wash them! Why not?''
Because we don't think il nice to
wear clothes again after they have
been so much soiled as 70 need wash
ing"
We'll, l won't say that nm sur
prised," l replied; lin fact. | think I
am no longer capable OF being sur
prised at anything; but perhaps you
will kindly tell me what YOU do with u
dress when il becomes soiled."
I'VE throw IL away-that is, IL goes
back to the mills to be made into some
thing else"
Indeed! To my ninetcenth-century
intellect. throwing away clothes would
seem even more expensive than wash
ing it,"
"Oh, no, much less so. What 60 YOU
suppose, now, this costume of mine
cost?"
II don't NOW, I'm sure. Inever had
wife TO pay dressmakers' bills for.
but 1 should say certainly it cost a
great deal OF money"
such costumes cost from ten 10
twenty cents" said Edith. What do
You suppose il is made Off"
took the edge OF her mantle be
tween my fingers.
II thought il was silk or fine linen -
replied. but / see IL is not. Doubt
AtSS II II some new nDer.
I'VE have discovered many new
fibers, but il is rather "a question OF
process than material that / had in
mind. This is not textile fabric at
all, but paper. That is the most com
mon material for garments nova
days"
"But-but," exclaimed. what IL il
| should come on to rain on these paper
clothes? Would they not melt, and at
a little strain would they not part?"
"A costume such as this" said Edith,
lis not meant for stormy weather. and
| yet it would by no means melt in rain
storm, however severe For storm
garments we have paper that is alb
solutely impervious to moisture on the
outer surface. As TO toughness.
think you would find il as hard 20 tear
| this paper as any ordinary cloth. The
fabric is so strengthened with fiber as
to hold together very stoutly."
But in winter. at least, when YOU
need warmth, you must have To fall
back on your old friend, the sheep"
You mean garments made OF Sleeps
hair? Oh, no; there is no modern use
for them. Porous paper makes IA gar
ment quite as warm as wooden could
and vastly lighter than the clothes YOU
had. Nothing but cider-down could
have been at once so warm and light as
our winter coats of paper"
And cotton!-linenl Don't tell me
that they have been given up. like
wool?"
"Oh, no; we weave fabrics OF these
and other vegetable products. and they
are nearly as cheap as paper. but paper
is so much lighter and more easily
/ fashioned into all shapes that it is gen
/ orally preferred for garments. But al
/ any rate, we should consider no ma
! terial fit for garments which could not
be thrown away after being soiled
/ The idea Of washing and cleaning
articles of bodily use and using them
! over again would be quite intolerable
For this reason. while we want beau
tiful garments. we distinctly do not
want durable ones In your day. II
seems, even worse than the practice OF
washing garments 10 be used again.
you were in the habit Of keeping your
outer garments without washing at
all, not only day after day. but week
after week. year after year, sometimes
whole lifetfmcs, when they were spe-
cially valuable. and finally, perhaps.
giving them away to others. II seems
that women sometimes kept their we'd
ding dresses long enough for their
daughters 10 wear at their weddings.
That would seem shocking 90 us. and
yet, even your fine ladies did such
A. e.. IL.