The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-22

tHdl NlSp0SeS o. d44 ROSblbttltfCS VI S"f
peal They DO not bear in mind the
salutary piece of advice once given to
;he students of the Cambridge Univer-
s!ty in England b. The vice chancellor.
the late Dr. Thompson: young meH.
he said TO them. remember that we
are all of US liable TO make mistakes,
even ;he youngest of US"
Their knowledge of the world and
of all things therein. extends so far
that sometimes you catch yourself re-
GREETING that they are not bit older,
as we might thus have their impress
sions of George Washington ard heir
"reminiscences OF the battle of Water
loo.
like the young man of 20 who does
not believe that no woman can resist
him. who is considerate and respectful
to ladies and people of old age. who
admits that he is ten years younger
than his father who remains with his
head uncovered while engaged convers
ing with ladies, who listens to older
men, who airs his views and gives his
ADVICE when he is invited to do so
who enjoys the natural pursuits of
youth. who does not think it beneath
his dignity to pay some attention to
children, who is modest and retiring
ard who succeeds in making himself
pleasant and useful.
A very sensible woman, Dlnah Stur-
gis, of New York, who writes to the
Times of that city on the short skirt
question, seems to be. She says The
people who advocate the wearing of
the dress skirt that clears the ground
all around claim for Ii various
virtunes that it does not possess. Chief
of these is its hygienie quality. The
skirt that escapes the ground that is
one. two, three, even four inches from
the ground, is the dirtiest skirt ever
worn. 1t wears into rags in a 1.-THE
of the time that the trailing skirt does,
and not only does IL wear out shoes in
much less time than does the long
skirt, but also ii sweeps into itself
and upon Undertaking a great deal
more dust than long skirt ever does,
provided the latter is held up on the
street, as ii always is by any woman
whom any argument of any kind ever
did or will affect
The skirt that clears all round is
more comfortable to walk in in dry
weather than is the long skirt; the lat
ter must be held up, and the so-called
short skirt leaves the hands free. But
this states the only good feature of
an ankle-length skirt. In wet weather
a skirt full four inches from the
ground vets the boot tops through
and becomes wet and muddy about
it's own lower edge when a long skirt
worn for the same length of time and
under the same circumstances is not
appreciably damp, is perfectly clean,
and leaves the shoes also clean. 1t is
almost impossible to hold UP short
skirt. If a skirt must be held up it is
much easier to hold up a long one.
The short skirt so much admired by
.ryfC q nd -
are strong minded by profession is a
delusion and a snare. Men wear their
rain coats just as long as they can
without needing to hold them up, and
the longest rain. coat reaches only
about a third of the way below the
knee. The short dress skirt, in the
usual acceptation of the word short
meaning from one to four inches from
the ground, is practically less short
than it looks when the wearer stands
still. 1t does not require a deep knowl-
edge of mathematics to prove that at
every step the skirt is practically
heightened; the skirt that is four inch
es from the ground and might forever
keep out of the dirt If hung up at that
distance above the ground dips with
every step, so that the difference be<
tween 1t and the ground is much les
sened.
Inc only SkIrL III WHICH woman
can be comfortable when walking and
that is truly cleanly is one so short
that it comes but a little way below
the knees, and this no woman can wear
on the street to-day without making
herself conspicuous and an object of
masculine adherence, something we
are all too vain to wish to do.
Result: l and many more women
wear a dress that is alleged to be
modest" and "hygienie," and various
other sensible things, TO walk in on the
street-one that has a skirt from one
to four inches from the ground, ac.
cording to whether the day be wet or
dry. And we view it's ragged condi-
ton at the end of very short time
after each renovating, and look
askance at our shabby shoe-tops, and
note with dismay our dust clogged pet
ticoats, and then look covetodsly at
our trailing gowns that. having been
held up when on the street. have deli
cate silken ruffles still intact after two
seasons wear, and which do not in
months collect the aTnout of dust gath
cred by the short Skirt in a days wear
that includes walking for even an
hour.
The trim" short skirt that looks
80 natty is, I repeat in dry weather
easier to walk In than is the trailing
gown; In wet wea ther it becomes wa
ter-logged and distressing in very
short time. Always the ankle-length
skirt, aside from leaving the hands
free is the most unhygienic skirt ever
invented.