The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-07-08
STEEL TRUST AND "cRINoLINE.'

When an Englishwoman says erin
oline,' she does not mean the inno-
cent mixture of horse hair and stout
thread, now used to stiffen skirts, but
a framework of steel hoops hung by
vertical tapes from a belt; In short.
the thing called watch spring
skirt in the United States, and tust
now English women in general and
John Strange Winter in particular
are dreading its reappearance after a
third OF q century.
1.-THE true secret, the whole danger, +"
lies in the steel industry, according to
Mrs. Stannard. She says:
Women must and will accept the
crinoline if works are once laid out
to make the steel. Every device known
to clever capitalists will be used TO
compel their acceptance, not Ior one
season only. but for several-that is
until the leading spectators have
made big profits. Speaking broadly,
one may fairly assert that there is alb
solutely no escape from them.
There is one way. and one way
only. by which women can ward off
the danger If a considerable number
Of them Will definitely pledge them
selves to oppose the crinoline men will
shrink from incurring the great out
lay necessary to adapt works for
making crinoline steel. Then all the
complex and ingenious methods by
which women are coaxed and coerced
into accepting decreed fashions will be
employed to push less tyrannous
modes.
Let no one think that the revival
can be checked if once the steel is
made. We may rage against the
monstrous hoops at first, but once
made the steel will have to be used
1E z fr,YsY, ,,.-
lavishly as we will allow. whether
we like it or not. 1t is a grim pros
peet for a generation priding itself on
physical culture and dress reform.
In 1888, when a very determined
effort was made to revive the crino-
line, and money was actually invested
in anticipation, ! invited women TO
send me written pledges to do all in
their power to oppose the revival of
the crinoline.' In three short weeks
more than 21,000 pledges reached me-
and so much indirect resentment was
manifested that the revival was post
pone6
Probably the threatened revival
can be postponed again if women. will
speak out at once, before much money
has been sunk in adapting steel works
and in otherwise preparing the way
for the hateful hoops TT will be
useless to cry out later on. Will wo-
men speak now?"
Is it too early for American women
to speak also? American steel
manufacturers are even more inter-
ested in this matter than their Eng
lish brethren, and are certainly no
more scrupulous in pushing their own
interests. How many American. wo-
men Will send the Pilot written
pledges ito do all in their. power to
oppose the revival of the watch spring
skirt?
Possibly when husbands and fathe-
ers understand that a full grown du-
plex elliptic watch spring skirt of the
vintage Of 1854 was thirteen feet and
half incircumference, and that the
skirts down over it were necessarily
at least eighteen feet in circumference
they will perceive that about twice as
much cloth was used in making them
as is now necessary, and perhaps they,
too, may be willing to do all in their
power to oppose the revival of the
watch spring skirt.
Also, If the young men and the old
bachelors viii consider how much
space will be left for them in
churches. theatres and public vehicles,
when all women are wearing these vast
constructions, they too, may have a
word to say. The truthful pictures of
Punch. of Harper's Magazine and
Harper's Weekly. the pages of Godey's
and Peterson's. 1858 to 1870. give loud
warning as to the meaning of this
revival, and. as Mrs. Stannard says.
when the steel is once made resistance
will be useless ss-The Pilot.