The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-28
DRESS AND MORALS

From the Louisville Courier.Journal. |THERB is a type of evangelist who labors under the error that what
 \ ever is Is wrong The state of mind is not wholly unfortunate to one whose vocation compels him to find constant material for discussion, but 1t Is diff cult for normal persons to consider him seriously.
 A minister travelling in the west is telling his congregations that the dress of the women of today is an invitation to sin." and that the cut of their gar ments causes their downfall, and that Of man.
 Too bad if true, but hardly true!
 Originally clothes did not stand for modesty, but were adopted for warmth or decoration. In tropical countries beads are considered sufficient clothing until the missionary arrives in advance of the mer- chant and paves the way for the sale of dry goods while leading the heathen into the paths of righteousness. There Is less immortality than in Paris. where a good deal of time and thought and money are spent upon clothes, and no more immoral ity than in primitive regions Of the United States, where the decollete gown Is re- garded as unfit for wear and hardly fit for discussion.
 The morals of the Singhalese are said to have been notably good before the British took the island in charge. Not until Lady. Browning, the wife of Brit ish governor. was "scandalized' at the spectacle of the Singhalese women wear ing nothing but neat skirt and coat of cocoanut oil did it ever occur to the simple natives that skirt was not a complete costume for street wear. It is not of record that the morals of the is landers underwent any change as the result of the introduction of the Lady Brownrigg jacket" although the feeling of outraged modesty suffered by that inn peccable ma tron was doubtless relieved. The Samoans are said to have boasted a state of fair morality and nudity simul- taneonsly. To be more exact they didn't boast of either, but regarded both their morals and their style of undress as mat ters of course, until they were taught by the invading emissaries of the up-lift
 
 synchronize with the other. The Queen of Madagascar, who used to come down the beach smiling blandly at the aston ished French. as she went to bathe III the surf sans everything. was merely a cc~servative slave to historic precedent an q modest adherent of racial custom. l It was the point of view of the en- 1 frightened and much-clothed foreigners that was immoral. The Korean peasant girl whose dress leaves off where the decollete gown of the American belle be- gins. and begins again at the waist, may | shock the Occidental traveller. He may regard as immodest what is merely anti rodal. His viewpoint does not affect the character or reflect upon the modesty oi | tho perfectly well-governed girl who wears a gown like mother used to wear | and like mother and grandmother stil do wear. without provoking comment from
 the neighbors. The stately grande dame | of India, who hides her face from the
 profaning gaze of man, but displays broad belt of. nudity between the bottom
 of her bolero jacket and the top of hel
 skirt, is as blameless as the Indian money lenuer, WHO uoesh Wooi e"V~e.'
 | to contain a pocket, or the Indian irpH ! the interior, who buys European SUI
 of clothes because it pleases his 1ancs
 and removes his trousers and carries then Il on his arm because 1t is warm. Int Philippine girl who goes to ball with out any stockings is more dignihed wher
 waltzing than the American girl and al djenified when sitting out the dance. Mil Hons of children go without any clothe in civilized parts of the tropics and hav'
 no idea why the tourist snaps his kodal at them. Upon the other hand millions
 of women consider 1t as shockingly I'm Il modest to go without thick face veil ' hs the evangelist thinks it is for westerl