Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-08-05

lnClcnt tcluSlOn lnat women are the
pursued instead of the pursucrs in the
prcliminarics OF the courtship, lie now
comes out i'll the London Times with
Il vigorous protest against some OF
the fashions which arc endorsed and
eXcmnliiied by women of upper so.
cicty
He notes that all men are compelled
ny custom TO wear the same simple
evening dress Of black, and if they dc
parted thcrrfrom the doors of the Gov.
cnt Garden opera house would be
closed against them. He does not
complain al having to dress "by com.
pnlsion," because it saves the time and
thought that would have to be OK,
pended on original costumes, but he
submits that what is sauce Tor the
Iandcr is sauce for The goose" Why
should the management al Covert
Garden regulate The dress OF male and
not of female patrons? Ills reason
Tor wishing 10 sec inaugur;l,cd official
supervision oi The dress OF female pat
lonS arc i'm part AS follows
AT . o'clock che opera hcecn al
s. II lady camu in AMI SAT down very
cnnspicuGusly in my line OF sight She
remained there until the beginning OF
the next act. | do not complain ot
her coming late and going carly; OH
the contrary. | wish SHE had come
later ANA gone EARLIER For this lady.
who had very black hair, had stuck
| over her right car he pitiablc corpse
of u lar"c white bird, which looked
exactly as if some one had killed j;
| by stamping on it's breast. and then
| nailed II Ia the lady's temple. which
was presumably Of sufficient sulidi,y
To bear The operation. | am not,
| hope. n murbidlv suucaInSh person:
! but the spectacle sickCncd me. |
presume that ii | had presented my
self al The doors with Il dead snake
around my neck, Il collection of black
BEETLES pinned lu my SHIRT frnnt and Il
grouse in my hair | should have bccn
refused admission. Why, then, is Il
| woman Ia he allowed To commit such
Il public outrage? Had the lady been
| refused admission, as She should have
been. She would have solindly rated
[ he tradcsman who imposed The dis
gushing hcaddrcas on her under the
false prctcnsc that the best people"
wear sucli things, and withdrawn her
custom from him; and thus the root
of evil would he struck al; for your
faShinOablc woman generally allows
herself to br dressed according to the
taste Of Il person whom She would not
let sill down in her presence | once
in Drury Lane theatre. sat behind a
matinee hat decorated with the two
wings of Il scagull. artilicially rcd
dcncd III The joints SD as To produce
an illusion Of being freshly pluckcd
from live bird. Bit even that lady
stepped short Of the whole scagull
Both ladies were evidently regarded
| by their ncighburs rs ridiculous ana
vulgar; but that is hardly enough
| "'NH llt oHtHcc 10 ono which pro.
duccs il sensation Of physical sickness
Ia persons Of normal humane scnsi.
bility.
| suggest To the Covcnt Garden
authorities that if they feel bound 10
project their Subscribers against The
danger OF my shocking them with II
blue tic, they are at least equally
bound Ia project me against The dan.
ser of IL woman shocking me with !,
dead bird"
While agreeing with Mr.. Shaw in
regard 10 the abominabc taste of
the dead bird habit so widely exploit
cd by women of alleged tender sen
sihliiics, We recognize that a crusade
begun in such II brutal spirit will
hardly have Il successful termination
| Instead of convincing The dear crca.
lures that an awkwar,lly stuffed car.
| caSS of Il dead bird is ulIhcconinn his
diarihc will have Il tendency To make
thcm say: rho mean thing! What
docs he know about it, anyway"