The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-05-14
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
= ONE WOMAN'S VIEWS. =:
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Such weather as We have endured for
the past-year or two. has it BEEN
was calculated to develop all the latent
prediction for abbreviated skirts in
even the most prejudiccd minds.
1t must be admitted that certain pre-
judiCes do exist regarding so called
rainy day attire however unreasonable
they may he. That they are unreasOn-
able in many respects must also be ad-
mitted. Why isn't a nice, tidy, short
gown worn with high boots q deal more
attractive than an exhibition of be-
draggled skirts and shoes diSreputable
as to ankles, as they are sure to he
after being Topped by the aforesaid
petticoats? And then some women
| you know, are possessed to wear white
skirts or those alleged to he white.
| even on muddy DAYS. Now no woman
| ought tC have license to wear a white
| skirt down town i'm Scranton, unless it
| is with n light summer gown. our
| streets were never designed either by
| Providence or the street commissioners
to be hOnored with white skirted pc
| iestrians. If there is anything dis
| gushing on earth il is a white skirt re-
| vealed in all its CRIME and soil on a
rainy day. Any sort CT a short gown
would be preferable to this, but some
| how it is difficult for conservative wo-
men to yield TO the rainy day garh as
adopted by many leformers. Almost
! everyone admits that for young un-
| married women the short skirt Is ideal,
| but to say we admire it on an older
person is to confess a great deal. If all
| women could be petite ana youthful in
| form they would be simply charming,
| but there's no use denying the fact
that stout woman in a short
| skirt looks as if she had just
broken loose from a female base ball
nine, while a long, lean, lank, skinny
one thus arrayed inVoluntarily calls to
mind certain unique scare crows seen
on expeditions to the country. The
majority of wOmankind was not con-
structed to appear in very short frocks
| after certain age,-say twenty-five.
To he of any mortal use, the short
| gown must be short indeed. \ skirt
four inches from the ground might as
| well he adorned with a train 50 far as
its utility is concerned; because 1t will
assureGly be drabbled if not held up
at the back. Eight inches is to be pre-
| ferred and eight inches off a skirt make
II pretty short-so brief, in fact, that
| you and l and most of our friends, If
we are over twenty, would infinitely
| prefer to pursue our old unhappy way
! Of end6aVOring to carry an umbrella,
a pie, two parcels of dry goods and a
| box of candy, besides holding up our
forlornly tapping garments than to be
seen on the public streets in a gown
| half way up to our knees. To quote
the philosopher: We know our limi-
tations" and are compelled to draw
the line al a gown eight inches from
the ACor.
Iiut there was any number of young
pretty girls on the streets the past
week wearing high bicycle boots and
short gowns, and they certainly did
enjoy the wet weather and looked at
tractive also. If there was ever any
thing distinctly planned to make a
woman look old and forsaken and un-
happy it is the average macintosh
with its pathetic droop and mud
stained hem, 1t is good TO be young
and fair, If for nothing more than tC
be emancipated from the waterproof
and to be conscious of looking we'll in
a short frock.
a MEMBER OF tne llSlnB seueIdlloI
complained thus the other day: 81
don't think Scranton is a very patri-
otic city. Nobody seems to care much
for anything here 'cept making money
Why, it's the hardest matter to get
people TO cheer I'm this town. They
listen to the Star Spangled Banner
and The Red, White and Blue ant
look all the time as if they heard q
funeral march, and il isn't right They
ought to cheer. If l were a man
wouldn't go around these days hear
ing things that are enough to eXcit,
an ice wagon and never get up any
enthusiasm. Tell you what, it ism
very encouraging to us boys TO fee
patriotic and proud Of our country
when we see all the men wondering
how they're going to make an extra
half-dollar out of the war, and all th'
women cleaning house and fixing theil
clothes, as If nothing was happening
, All that folks get excited about i'm this
! town are base bail games and prizt
, fights"
Just what this youngster wanted
. done with regard 70 the matter seemed
a little indefinite. After the manne