The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-11
THE CAUSE OF WOMAN.
TO WEAR Any COSTUME WITHOUT
CRITICISM Is 4 WoW4N'S RIGHT.


Acts-Contcmpt iblo Malo students-Chi-
cago's Woman Street Cleaning Chief.
The London Times quotes from a recent
sreech OF Lord Salisbury TO an art league. In
=Aich he says: 81 refer to those who may be
sailed In lite al sense 'tast-I IN can those who
ciltlvate tho bicycle. My belief is that II
there was any Dante to write an artistic In
ferno,' its lowest circle would be tenanted by
tho ladies' who dress themselves In the bicycle
skirt or knckerbockers."
Evidently my lord believes. first. that Ia
dies should not ride wheel. and. second. that
II they do. they should wear dress which m
peris life and limb. He should come to Wash
ington and soc the English Ambassador. Sir
Julian Pauncefote. and his daughters flying
about tho streets on their wheels. But Lord
Salisbury Is not by any means through with
his structures upon women when he has taken
them of their bicycles and tabooed their short
skirts. He says "A few years hence those
who are then alive will see all the principal
ladies Of their acquaintance as Aldermen and
Common Councillors How do you suppose
they will dress them"
Yes. and perhaps they will fill the Office OF
Premier. Why not. II one woman can reign
most successfully as Queen for over sixty
years? We do not understand how all the
principal ladies'" can serve as Aidermen-all
the mon have not succeeded In gaining that
distinction. But for their dress. which
Beems to worry him, English women have been
sitting in County Councils for some time and
American women have been serving as Alder
men and members of the Legislature. and all
OF them dress Just like other women.
Without considering the impertinence OF It.
We wonder II men ever stop to think how petty
and ridiculous they make.themselves In their
continual discussion OF woman's clothes. Wo-
men themselves. with all their rarrowness
and frivolty, never yet have found the field OF
topics 80 barren as to compel them to take up
the.question Of mems clothes. but the Premiers
In the Cabinet. the Bishops in the Church. the
Judges on the bench. the great editors on the
tripod. are forever whacking away at those Of
women. few years ago the solons in va
rious Legislatures were passing bills against
the So called Mother Hubbard wrapper. u
large loose and flowing garment When the
women. to be accommodating. took UP several
reefs in 1t and curtaied 1t in various direc
tons so that it was adapted to the bicycle.
these same Legislatures began passing laws
against boomers and abbreviated skirts. They
are now legisatine against allowing women
to use birds trimming for bonnets. although
men. without utilizing them for any purpose
or putting money into anybody's peck 1t. Kill as
many birds every year for pure Snort as wo-
men use for adjoining their millinery.
A member tried to get bill through the
Wisconsin Legislature last wintert3 prevent
uss sW Sss an6 rSeS that If
wears mans hat she must take It on n his
bat it is hers Nobody has the least authority
to say what kind Of hat woman shall wear
diyiduals who are eyerlsstingly interfering in
ono S xii. s. THE he woman 9 shal! not wsar
that which pertaineth unto man. 'neithershal
do so are an abomination unto the Lord" As
this prohibition was directed to both sexes it
evidently. was as much needed by one as the
might mention several articles q wearing sp.
worn exclusively by women, but the latter are
not earning enough to object Or criticize,
society that there should ie be- some som
IN dress to indicate the sexes. especially since
line bdre OF Rhsksqs ad TAKEN to
their hair In the middle. We believe 1t Is agreed
biz ars. aSa s sss h:
Is the me Ib glory n the tsss
woman in the United States ever adopted that
and hsr rs Of
our ancestors passed through the periods OF
fig and 81 aDm9 and the
the .kirt. style which stl prevails rev IL ORR i;
evolution, and somewhere in the dark ages:
they changed clothes. and the men. finding
copyright them As nobody wanted the skirts.
they feIl to the lot OF woman, and they have
evor:since. She is used:to them. however. and
Is willing to retain them. only-to return to 2ur
tie. so that she can use her feet some what bet
ter than Chinese lady. che would like t. DO so
without criticism from the lords and Bishop!
and Judges and legislators and preachers and
editors and photographers
Twas a positive relief to read in the account
- ~. 30 thA 1ipAr On
that there was screaming or faintipg on
tho part OF tho women" II was unique and
refreshing departure from the stereotyped de-
scripton OF the 'fainting women" which the
Imaginative reporter never falls to serve up.
no matter how trivial the excitement not that
women do faint nowadays on the slightest prov
ocation. but it is relic OF the time when they
did. The writer recalls two personal ex peril
onces-one was the falling in of floor con-
tanning a large number OF ladies'. T ere were
some groans from those who were hurt but
the rest kent perfectly quiet until they were
rescued from really perilous position. but
the papers next day waxed eloquent over the
screams OF the women and the fainting forms
The, other occurred in church. Just as the
flying leap through a back door. A few ladie.
there was not the slightest cutlery from any OF
them: The lunatic, was 500 soon disarmsd ths
for him to return to his post and services pro-
ceeded as usual The PAPERS next morning
In describing the occurrence. said The
women sobhed and shrieked. and many o.
them tainted and fell PROSTATE in the aises. VI
These oft-told tales remind one OF a chapter
from Children OF the Abbey" or Pride and
Prejudice" where the female characters faint
every tius a man happens along to catch
them: and when they are not fai nting they ara
bursting into tears. The bicycle-ridinG. golt
playing. gymnasium trained women Of the
present DAY. are as apt to retain their sell pos
session in time OF excitement as man Is. bu
doubtless they will continue to scream ant
faint In the reporters story" to the end o
time.
Sometimes in special" women have
chance to be placed in different light. Within
few days tho following items were clipped
from TIE Sun: Three women in California
plunged into roaring surf and saved tn
lives OF three mon whose boat had been over
turned. leaving them helpless