The evening times., 1898-08-31
WOMEN 60
GLOVELESS
Only Old-Fashioned Femi-
mines Cover Their Hands.
One May Look for whole Days To-
Yether and Never Cntch sight OF
Kids or Mitts.

Fashionable women who wear gloves in
the summer are now as rare as were the
ungioved women OF the same class n few
years ago. 1t is only short time since
a weiI-dIessej woman would as soon have
gone without her hat as'to appear on the
street without gloves. The temperature
had nothing to do with it. Cloves in sum-
mer were as compulsory as at any other
season of the year.
But now, says the New York Sun. one
may go days together in the crowded
streets, or other places where people con-
gregate, and never, catch sight OF
gloved hand. One may observe, too. that
I'm the rare cases where gloves are worn
the wearer is of the conservative type
rather than of the fashionable kind. To
the former gloves are inexorable-the sign
of good breeding and good dressing that
cannot be omitted.
AT a little forsaken-lookIng hamlet on
the way to Denver, during the recent
meeting of the General Federation of
Women's Clubs a woman boarded the
train and Joined the delegates. She look
ed like the place-little and forsaken-but
she was intelligent and refined and had
two bright babies with her. Dreadfuily
poor with shabby clothing, last win
ter's hat, and the two babies TO take
care of, she yet wore gloves-loose. old
fashioned black ones, but gloves never
theiess. They were her creed OF sood
FORM and she wore them reliSiously, on
Iy taking them on when she fed the
children. and Immediately replacing them.
The woman was an Easterner. who,
Years ago, married and went West.
They had not succeeded. She was to
meet her sister at the Federation, who
is a prepcsterous Boston woman, and
whom she had not seen for twenty years.
II WAS a pathetic little incident. empha-
sized by the gloves.
At all of the Federation meetings there
was scarcely 4 glove to be seen. Even
at the evening receptions they were dis
pensed with.
Originally the wearing Of gloves was
conducted on the same sound principle
that inspires a miller to wear white hat,
but long ago the custom departed from
the primitive idea Of usefulness. Ac-
cording to the encyclopedias and other
heavy literature. Laertes was the first
to wear a glove. The farmer king was
not fashionable but 1t is set forth in the
Odyssey that in his capacity of farmer
he had to deal with certain brambly
bushes, and he must also keep his hands
in a kingly condition, hence the introduc-
ton of gloves.
Since that time gloves have had many
and strange significance, from seal
of the transfer of PROPERTY to a chal-
lenge to single combat. Not until CEN
turtles later did they begin to take on
class Significance. 1t was when they
were adopted by royalty that the wearing
of gloves was first regarded as a mark
of station. Some of the early English
kings were buried with gloves on. and
when the manufacture Of gloves was in
troduced in Great Britain, 1t was con-
sidered as a craft of great dignity and
Importance. During the reign of King
Robert III Of Scotland the Incorporation
of the Glovers Of Perth, a wealthy guild,
which still exists, was chartered and re-
ceived armorial bearings.
But although gloves were started on
their career through the centuries by
men, 1t has fallen to the women to bring
them into universal popularity. After
bringing about such a fashion 1t Is to
be supposed that women have felt they
must stand by 1t; for. whatever the
cause. men have never become addicted
to the glove habit after the manner Of
women. A man is bound to be cOmforta-
BILE. and when gloves are a discomfort he
casts them of. He ,pever loses sight of
the utility idea, differing from the rib
Sex. which was created blind to 1t.
With the introdpctiop Of the shirt
waist. the short skirt. and the sailor and
Fedora hats. woman's costume has be-