The Anaconda standard., 1899-12-06

dinner where they might make speech
es which would put to confusion the
old fogy justices, such as the one that
upheld the right OF landlord to re-
fuse admittance to his hotel Of Lady
TIabberton, the head of the bloomer
guild.
Lady Habberton, who had come down
by road, was there in the hall to re-
ceive the guests. She wore a ration
al dress of dark gray, with blue silk
waistcoat and she had around her to
help in doing the honors, several smart
ly dressed ladies. At the hotel dinner
was provided, and reference was made
to the fact that this year is the jubilee
year Of the rational dress movement
which originated in America in 1S49,
though it did not cross the water until
two years later In 1851 few enthu-
siasts gave a bloomer ball which ended
in a riot, the wearefs of the new dress
having a very unpleasant experience.
Things We're different on Saturday, for
not one of the riders met with objec-
tionable treatment.
After dinner Lady Habberton, speak
ing from the chair. read letter from
the secretary of the National Cyclists
union, congratulating the ladies on
their stand on behalf of rational"
dress, wishing them bon voyage. After
the queens health had been drunk Mr..
Ainsworth proposed the health of the
visitors, especially counled with the
name Of Nine. Sarah Grand, whom he
described as one of the most dist'u-
guished literary stars. Nine Sarah
Grand in reply, said: Il am YgIo"allv,
physically and intellectually incapable
of making an ilnprolnptu speech.
II heard Mark Twain say once that
for such performance he needed a
fortnight's notice How much, then,
1n I uye rt 7 ha+
now there is onle one dress for ladies
to cycle in. I learned to ride in Paris
and went to the school full of the true
British nlatron's objections to nationals.
l may say that L became converted In
ENGLAND 7 was forced by logical men
friends to skirts, result, a bad smash
and no riding since Nine Grand in
conclusion said ladies' owed great
debt of gratitude to Lady Habberton
for all she had done for them. She
a benefactress to the country and
monument should be raised in her
honor. Rational dress, the speaker
added, was not unbecoming, and she
did not agree with Tola hat the reason
English ladies ought to wear skirts
such bad legs. She did not believe that
English women were worse than French
women in that respect.
Lady Habberton. who met with a cor
dial reception. Acknowledged the toast
of 1.-THE Rational Dress League" She
said that gatherings like those that
night were invaluable because they en-
abled people to measure popular feeling
with regard to the movement, which
she was pleased to say was getting on
well. 1t did not grow so fast perhaps,
as some things did, but still it was
growing. All along they had been
abused by public opinion. Which was
wrong in nine cases out of 10. She had
come all the way from Hourslow that
afternoon and had heard no hooting,
except by a few little children. Peo-
pie, and men particularly. had got it
into their heads that rational dress
meant undecorated dress. She thought
hat the fault the advocates of "ration-
al dress had made was that they did
not make the dress sufficiently attract
i've. If they could manage to combine
plenty of bright colnrs with rational"
dress she thought they would so long
wav toward lowering eposition against
It, The struggle was not merely one for
"rationar' dress, but for freedom. She
maintained that if they We're iniuring
on one If they were doing nothing to
lower public morals and If their clothes
were absolutely decent they had as