The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-14
KN1cKERBockERs N SHORT SKIRTS
Getting to he Generally worn-The wearoEs
No LONGER Rebuked by the Small Boy.

Getting to bo Generally Worn-The WeAr0R0
No Longer Rebuked by the Small Boy.
II the bicycle never did anything else than
make short breaches and short skirts an ordis
nary feature of dress. 1t would have proved Q
benefaction to the country. It was not moro
than three years ago that a man who wore
knickerbockers even on a bicycle. was likely to
be acutely rebuked by the comments Of the
small boy. That itself would serve TO prove
the fallacy OF Israel ZangwillIs argument that
the small boy is really the censor that
keeps the world straight so far a. Pc
culiarities OF dress or appearance 20,
He thinks that his audible comment does
more to discourage freakish originality or eos
centricity than any other force that this coun.
try or England knows. But the small boy wa
wrong about the knickerbockers. Just as he
was about the short skirt. which no was com.
PEELED to acknowledge later. They have both
passed into the same established category that
tan shoes and colored hatbands occupy.
The man who appeared In knickcrbookera
without the company Of his wheel only a few
years ago was an object Of derision. The men
who wore them first were naturally Of the kind
that wore the best. They had boon wearing
them in the country for nearly q decade, but
they never attempted them In town. Free
quently the younger residents of rural distrlcta
made them the butt Of biting sarcasm when
sh icy TIandered int9 such centres of taste
tie. prevalence - Of fn0 tho c0uRbi bicycle s'oF Gnie nsi
t dnS m form IF disp99TagomoRt ]Yst az i
ceased to Pc the badge Of the dude, TRe MAJ
,ority OF them are Indeed, quite free to-day
ii66OoPF s at tS St1GFf to at r ssgIIiG; { th 1s only tRssi Ro SSrposo e e
useful. Anybody who observes seven out OF
no rS more more q ea 1TO{ n of that style E'i d fG dr eas' t 5hs1f The 1S
wore. Tie small 10y Who sr4tiSise StTO them f%sn
has met with : double deEfoatt," of for Sou tRGyy
thsn m PRey are pq IL tnTn, II Rbe his sro T nSf Worn t43Iid drS
wheel They Ffs9 have "a sFf bd Rs @ tie Een o 9s 5IaanS
aseS' Of t he ss smsfl to%ns AND %So all Ia, tho P p tSsiS
places on wheels, and they have come to be .
mTf160 e wo on snG T mS9 f6 about Ib the t. tGERs ....,
as well. It was the wheel that gave the them nth" The
d dom Of 3 sFirt tSat 70 aIs sn Sof S SaSs III Ed the Ss,d free g
tsiE about T. th SaSS TSes s get lntq ths 70 qs 'S1a SlsSs;
fore they had any good eScsse for t,rt sattins SIX SIX
Inches on the bottoms Of their skirts, Now
f There G sas q % brI 1t R S1is IN P'' %Sieh fp5le saSy::
and the whole short skirt question prGmlsed t"
Bicycle stsrted 4or the short fV skirt. ,s ShA come ane
proprlety on terra firma, with Goifas an ACTUAL
or pretendedd ID excuse. A wheel need be no.
excuse IN wh fns { SsekSFb@ nt sl ETS% eS eon IL : no
IS no ssxpSfa Jam 'n ,for g the sS ESE t sfirs
merits. Women who have never been on q
H ThssE and b,s SO mt I kdRSH}% ! Z g Go 4 ball sboi from sP,! :
third street and Fifth, avenue to put one on.
Sfb anal ees s2x Of E9oa TS "a - .gf4 eHEM iInssTp 3
he SoSE @6st 81 e%Fo the sh0 DT6sE r Al KR9 alas An! S1isn ;SI g
have become an Institution.