Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1911-06-29
COMMERes AND THE CORONATION.

In the older days when Kings were
supposed to be of divine origin and the
country's brave defenders were "nv
troops an the country's We, sels s.u,v
ships, IN fact. i'..tesd Of polite fic-
uon, II was no unusual thing for the
whim of woman to sway the destini,
OF the world, but in the critical demo.
cratic days when Kings are popularity
supposed to be of anything but of divine
origin we would hardly think of one
woman's whims causing a radical read.
justment of the far-reacbing affairs of
commerce.
such, however, is the case and just at
present we see the peculiar notions of
one woman in Europe so far-reachinq
that it will in time affect the
table set in the humble cottage of the
iowliest cotton ticker in the South.
Unbelievable as this may seem it can
be proved-nOt by the words of poet.
painter or philosopher-but by the test
imony of level headed business men
without trace of sentiment, but ever
keenly alert to any condition that will
affect the great demands of women.
We take our quotations from the Ap-
parel Retailer, trade journal in which
various merchants are quoted as fol-
lows:
IF the action of Queen Mary in
excluding the hobble skirt and the
harem skirt from the coronation
succeeds in making a wide skirt
fashionable again, we dry-goods
men ought to get up testimonial
,, for her."
The women" says a prominent
manufacturer, ARE paying as much
for their gowns as before, but es-
innate that not one-half the ma
terial is required to clothe them
now as in the past. The makers of
petticoats are going out of business
or are forced to take up other lines.
They are the hardest hit, but we ali
feel the effects of the style.''
Another dealer in dress fabrics
and cottons is particularly bitter in
the denunciatIon Of the prevailing
feminine fashions. Gust think"
he said to the Apparel Retailer.
now much less material it takes to
clothe feminine America now than
a few years ago. Not so long ago a
woman's dress skirt measured
seven yards around the bottom.
now 1T measures about a yard and
three-quarters. There is a reduction
OF rs per cent to start with. Then
/ the skirts are so tight that half the
women wear no petticoats at all.
The inner garments of fashion
able women are tight fitting,
slinky, satin Innings, OF little satin
trousers"
Mere man" cannot pass on this but
1t would seem there is more real solid
information on the subject to be oh.
tanned from such papers as the Apparel
Retailer than may be found in the La
dies Home Journal:
That the word of q queen has 2
mighty influence on business was
strikingly shown when Queen Vic
toria assembled the throne. She de-
cided to do away with ribbons. and
instead of receiving commentators
from manufacturers as Queen Mary
IS doing at present-though proba-
bly, not from the manufacturers of
hobble skirts-she received the
greatest petition from ribbon man.
ufacturers that has ever been pre-
sented to royalty anywhere by
persons Gin trade" They said
that one of the leading industries of
England would be ruined if the
Queen would not rescind the COM
mand that her court should wear
no ribbons. This was said by John
Stuart Mill to be one of the most
striking and portentous uprisings in
the annals of economics.
1t is not necessary to go to foreign
countries to see the effect of the ex-
ample of the wives of rulers, on fashion.
It's in the memory of many of our
readers when the wife of one of our
Presidents put out of business all max
ers of "bustles, "greclan bends'' and
similar forms of fashions.