Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-11
Women's Clubs
Clothes at Friday Morning Club


Holding her audience by the charm
of her personality and presenting
happy illustration of her own text, Mrs.
Morris Albee addressed a large and
appreciative audience yesterday at
the Friday forming club on THE
Philosophy of Clothers." That the sub
ject of clothes can form a profound
study and that this theme is one which
has run through the ages, was shown
by Mrs. Albee's reference to the book
of Genesis. where the first costumes
were evolved from fig leaves. From
that remote period, said the speaker,
to the present day, the high road of life
gitters with marvellous pageant OF
costumes Though Mrs. Albee does not
believe that clothes make the man nor
hats the woman, she does believe that
they form an essential part of the av-
erage mortaPs equipment with which
to meet and conquer those prejudices
and problems which confront one at
every turn.
The speaker touched upon the differ
ent classes of clothes, such as clothes
of seasons, clothes of ages, clothes OF
trades, clothes of military, clothes of
clergy, clothes of the artistic tempera-
ment. clothes of shame, clothes or
crime and, the saddest of all, clothes
of despair An interesting anecdote
which she related was that of man
who was dared by friends to wear
convict suit through the streets OF
city Accepting the dare, he entered
the town and was promptly arrested.
Though he managed to escape, a sec
ond arrest ensued and so on until the
innocent victim was in frame of mind
to commit any or all of the aWful
crimes of which he was accused. This
was a practical demonstration or the
familiar maxim that apparel oft pro-
claims the man.
Mrs. Albee, in referring to the well
known quotation, There is nothing
new under the sum-" stated that every
thing q woman wears at some period
has been worn in duplicate by men. and
vice versa. Trousers date back to the
first century, B. c., the modern gar
ment having been introduced into ms
army by the duke of Wellington.
The veil was an article of woman's
adornment often mentioned in the
Bible and was symbolic of modesty,
submission and respect. The noble
women of the ancient Hebrews yelled
| their faces when approaching their
| lords for the first time, and modern use
| of the bridal veil is a survival of this
custom.
| In touching upon the love of ornament
| the speaker said that while this at
| tribute applies to all peoples and
| classes, it is most peculiar to the bar
| barous races. That 1t existed among
the ancients she affirmed by quoting
the passage which enumerates the vari-
Gus trinkets worn by the daughters of
Zion.
An olden form of the new woman
was found in the suspicious days of the
Orient and in Rome and Greece, for De-
borah sat as a judge, Aspasia was a
brilliant woman of letters and Sappho
the Fair was the founder of women's
clubs. Though each of these women
possessed a superb mind they never for
a moment neglected the beautiful
bodies with which nature had endowed
them.
In connection with these womern Mrs.
Albee referred to the revolt of the Ro-
man women who appeared before Cato
to demand the repeal of an unjust law
forbidding them to wear certain orna-
ments This successful uprising was
followed by another, one hundred years
later, when the descendants of those
heroines made a second plea for JUS
tice.
In the woman suffragists of today
Mrs. Albee traced the same principles
and considers it hopeful sign that
the present suffragist considers the
merits of hats and gowns in connection
with the accomplishment of her ambi-
ton.
An interesting point which Mrs AL
bee made was the varying ideas of
modesty. The Turkish woman exposes
charms which the American woman
carefully conceals. But this difference
of opinion is peculiar to decades as well
as countries. We of the twentieth CEN
fury gayly don a costume which would
make our grandmothers blush and our
great -grandmothers faint The only
two nations which have dared to be-
lieve absolutely in the unaltered beauty
of the human body are the ancient
Greeks and the Japanese.
The great artists who portray the
beauty of all ages leave register or
the prevailing fashions. From their
works we may judge of the artistic
standards of the time. A period noted
for the splendor of it's dress was the
reign of the Stuarts in England and
one noted for it's lack of well chosen
apparel was that between the Restora-
ton and the reign of Louis Philippe
Mrs. Albee spoke of the smile often
used which likens clothes to architec-
ture and stated that just as we should
refrain from using unnecessary decora-
tions on a house, so we should not deck
a dress with superfiuous ornamental
ton.
Though we should strive to avoid
gaudy apparel, we should study the
artistic combination which suits our
own peculiar coloring and personality,
lust as an artist does that of his sub
iect before painting portrait. A
woman may be as good as she can and
as true as she can, but If she fails to
be as beautiful as she can. then she has
failed In a vital requirement.