Evening star., 1898-05-14
DRESS REFORM FOR BABIES
Their Garments Now Are Fewer, Lighter
and More Comfortable.
Knit Underwear the First Step in
Their Emancipniion-Wha Has
Followed since.


Special Correspondence Of The Evening star
NEW YORK. May L. 1898.
| In the character of mother. grandmother
| aunt and big sister. the up-to-date woman
| VIII be interested TO know that dress re-
| fern for babies is an accomplished fact
Nor is it of SO open and ugly a nature thar
| one can exclaim dress reform in accents
of disgust. ard ridicuIe the innocent wearer
| of sensible garments. Not only from their
entire Ignorance of what is fashionable and
what is sensible, but also from Ike fact
| that their dI ess reform is not patent to the
| casual observer. are the infants of our
race protested from rnkind comments Oh
| their rational manner of dressing.
The first step in their emancipation was
| the making of some sort of knitted gar
nients of co,con, silk or wool. or preferably
cotton and wool, to take the place IF tht.
woven linen or wooien or siiken fabrics so
| long in use. This was a erea; step forward
and cne can nov buy all undergo rments for
| babies woven in one piece. of light. elastic
yet warm, knitted wool. silk wool and cot
| ten, etc. Or one can buy the woven ma
terials and make the little garments. as
| heretofore
Gradl ally here was evolved a whole new
| scheme OF dressing baby. and very sim
! pie 1t is when one remembers the sqlirm-
| ing little arms and legs ard the reStiessness
| which was sure TO come when one put -
| many garments on the tiny, helpless. yet
\ restless form.
| A knitted shirt now takes the place of the
| band with the most sensible of mothers.
| 1t is buttoned over the shoulders. so it can
| be put on over head or feet. as happens -
| be most convenient. The old-fashionel
| band quite out of date and now
| that it is in disgrace one hears of its utter
| useiessness and often harmfulness in the
| way of causing fretfulness and worry.
| Such IS the fate of old friends when cast
| aside. No memory remains save that OF
| their faults
Warm and Light.
Over the shirt is put knitted underskirt
| which is high-necked and Iong-sleeved and
| about yard long. Over this is put a fan
lei skirt which is either hieh w-necked
| as one prefers, but which has straps over
the shoulders even If low necked so that
1t need not be pinned about the waist 20
! keep 1t in place. In fact. it is much iooser
| about the waist than even the shirt waist
| of the athletic girl who puts sport ahead Of
| fashion.
Over these warm. yet light garments. the
little dress is slipped, and as it remains the
same shape as before. though not now worn
mere than yard long instead of a yard
and half. NO one would suspect that the
| baby was dressed very loosely and simply
instead of being pinned up in a pinning
| blanket and having at least two skirt bands
| pinned tightly about its little waist
1t will readily be seen that if one has to
1 deal with fretful baby, all these three
garments can be put on together, the
derskirt, and the sleeves of the underskirt
| slipped in those of the outer dress before
| baby is put into them. Where it is neces-
| sary to keep the restless little feet warm
drawing string is run in the hem of the
underskirt and it is drawn up. so that d
| lccse. warm bag is formed.
Dress reform has attacked even the
baby's night gowns. and many mothers
have these made of knitted
They are also made with drawing string
to be pulled ur to imprison the pink feet
of the autocrat of the household.
Simpler Dressing.
So much common sense in the dress line
has affected even ordinary methods of
dressing babies, to a certain extent. The
old-fashioned skirts with wide bands are
| no longer used. Every skirt is now put on
yoke SO that poor baby's garments no
lonser are kept up simply because they are
pinned tightly over a chest which should
have room to expand. Dresses, too, as /
mentioned before are made half a ward
shorter, which makes it a simpler matter
for nervous uncles who are not benesli.ts to
hold the tiny morsel. which they generally
nEd as dangerous as pound of dynamite
Nor does Dame Fashion herself with all
her frivolity, still approve of the elaborate
ly trimmed dresses which once were pre-
pared when the Stork was expected to
visit a household. The materials for the
first long slips nowadays must be cobweb-
like in finenesS of texture and the nearer
they approach cobweb in baroness of lace
or embroidery the more suitable are they
considered.
Tiny edgings of real Valenciennes or tor
chcn are always in order, or even the mar
rowest and sheerest bit of embroidery But
the long. heavy christening robes weighted
down with lace, tucking, insertion ETC.,
are no longer seen.
For Baby's Comfort.
Many sensible mothers have adopted
China silk for dresses 1t does away with
starch altogether, which must be a boon
for which thousands of suffering infants
would give thanks had they the gift of
speech. and it is easy to wash and wears
very much better than NULL dimity or any
other dainty cotton fabric Nor is its first
cost proportionately great in contrast to
the difference in durability.
Although everything which the baby
wears nowadays is simpler. there is no
limit to the luxury which can be shown
in the appointments of the baby basket,
the bath and the toilet articles generally
There are even tiny washstands with
ewers, pitchers, ETC., complete. Just the
height of mothers lap she washes and
dresses the occupant of the royal throne.
Even baby carriages and their appoint
ments have grown far beyond the moder-
ate purse. and the godmother or godfa-
ther Of wealth must remember that should
he or she decide upon a carriage and its
appointments instead of the proverbial sill
yer cup, that carriage must have rubber
tires and that robe must be OF the silkiest
Angora made SO as to completely envelop
the lucky child who now takes the air
0x-nvsy dor- y0r in oh frlA