Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-22

never observe men so closely as to make
the observations that were made by M.
l. S" If all females could only see how
very ungraceful Ito say nothing of the dis
graceful parD they appear from the rear
view, they would consider modesty and not
fashion. l noticed on F street not long
since young lady. beautifully attired in a
blue suit The tout ensemble was perfect.
Her face appeared to be that of lady. but
the manner in which she exposed her figure,
pulling her skirts as tightly as possible
suggested anything but a modest girl. Such
instances are hourly, constantly seen.
wonder that the fathers and brothers do
not command the females of their house
holds to act differently. and make the
ladies to understand how worthy of con-
demnation is this present style of holding
skirts. A woman has lost her greatest
charm when she appears immodest or APP
pears 10 try TO attract attention. Did you
even modest girls when they put on the
short bicycle skirt?
Jealousy and Sour Grapes.
C. A. R. takes the following view:
Would like to express one or two ideas
IN regard to the much talked of question
OF pulled back skirts and bicycle girls.
Perhaps NJ. L. c. and some others have
wives, sisters or daughters. who from mis-
fortunes of birth in regard to figure can
not gracefully wear the present style of
drapery, while some of the others with
beautiful wives, sisters daughters, eS-
pecially wives. so jealous and selfish
of them that they cannot bear to have
others look upon them. So perhaps it is
question of Jealousy with one-half and
sour grapes with the other.
Never mind the corner loafers and the
prohigate men, young or old. We shall
probably always have them with us They
were born mat way, so perhaps they cam
not help their thoughts or words. They
have distorted souls also bodies crooked
and bent and withered, beefy and fat,
eyes bleary and dim and blind, for | do
not think 1t possible for one of beautiful
within.
1 think it a sin for men or women, es-
pecially women, with fine or beautiful
forms to hide them under a mass of I'M
graceful drapery. Rather should they aim
10 bring out every graceful line and BEAU
tifui curve. Who can tell or who dare say
what the effect would be on each succeed
ing generation of children. Perhaps one
reason for so many Informed children with
half starved souls, lies in the fact that
women have hitherto worn such ungraceful
drapery and have taken pains to conceal
rather than reveal their fine figures
Personally | have never taken so much
pleasure or been so pleased as L have in
the last few months. Beauty, beauty and
gracefulness everywhere. L rejoice that
l live. a beautiful woman and a beauti-
full piece of music are gifts from the AL
mighty. L know of nothing that so fills
thoughts.
Oh, you falsely modest ones and you of
narrow minds and scorched souls, male or
female down, down on your Bonded knees
ana ask the Almighty to give you more
light thank Him for allowing you to be-
hold beauty.
The Logical Conclusion.
"One Who Observes" writes as follows:
1 am neither a prude nor bigot and
am usually disposed to allow woman the
greatest latitude possible. In fact l should
agree to allow her all that she claims
but. disbelieving in the logic of the old
adage that Conscience is a safe guide"
l carry the analogy so far as to believe
that women are not always governed by
their maturer judgment or higher moral
ideas in the matter of appropriate dress
They are too prone to follow fashions die
tates, no matter how imprudent such NAV
be. whether considered from a moral or a
physical standpoint
10 show that this is at least true in the
latter sense, it will surely be conceded
by all. both men and women. that the
wearing of long trains on the street is
burdensome as well insanitary. Con-
cedlng TINS, yet women appear with dresses
dragging up the accumulated filth and re-
fuse over which they necessarily pass
AS to the, other side of the question, the
moral phase. LET me ask upon what
grounds is the defense Gor defense it must
ptJ IOi wearing the present tght-tlttinR
or pull-back skirts basedo Surely II cam
not be said that II is conducive to health
or to freedom OF exercise | suppose the
defense would be that it is artistic In
TACT, one has but to read the articles ac-
companying the various fashion plates to
discover that such a style of dressing has
for its object apparently hut one central
idea, namely, that of displaying to best
advantage ones figure. / started to write
the human form divine" but having been
informed by those supposed to know that
hip pads and other like articles often play
an important part in experimenting ma
inexact
Now, If this idea of showing ones figure
Is the excuse, why not carry out the prin-
ciple involved to its logical conclusion and
go back TO the styles prevailing at the
beginning of the French revolution, an ex-
animation of which styles would seem to
bear out my statement above, in that
women something's. follow fashions DEGREES
TO the extent of being even more than i'm
modest. as Wen as utterly disregarding
physical laws
Those styles had for their avowed OBJ
tect the displaying of the whole figure, and
1 cannot do better than to quote from an
article appearing in Scrbner's Magazine
for April 1898, as follows:
They" referring to the women of that
day, 'also wore dresses of lawn, supposed
to be cut after antique models but
all leaving the arms bare and exposing
the figure though the folds had been
wet Physicians insisted in vain that the
climate of France, no matter how mild, was
not suitable for the light draperies of an
Client Greece; but no one needed their Hip
pOcratic counsels. and DR.. Delessart stated
in 1859 that he had seen more young girls
die since the prevalence of thinly yelled
nudity than in forty preceding years. The
most audacious of their sex, among whom
was the beautiful Madame Hamelin, dared
to go about entirely naked under a narrow
gown of gauze; others showed the bosom
entirely bare; but these shameless at
tempts were not renewed, for the good
sense of the people revolted at them, and
the foolish women who had not been con-
scious of their immodesty were made con-
sciOus of their impudence when they were
chased to their houses by jeering mob"
/ would in closing say one word more.
A correspondent in your issue of yester-
day said that no lady appeared in drop
stitch stockings AS to the correctness of
this statement. l refer the matter to your
readers. l would only say, however, that
such correspondent is either very near
sighted. or excludes a very large class OF
women from being ladies.
A Serious Matter.
r. indorses the criticism made as fol-
lows:
1 most heartily indorse thu men who