Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-07

ting black knee hreeches OF the sams
material as the coat. fastening just De-
low the knee and black silk stockings
and pumps. The obligation thus imposed
was resented To such a degree .hat It's
enforcement toward the end or his reign
was abandoned by him as mora or less
impraCt icahe.
But there is no doubt that were Edward
VII 10 have issued sumptuary pro-
hihition OF frock dress, every man you'd
have made point OF wearing IT Dame
Fashion has been likeued TO a contrary
Jade where feminine modes are concerned.
Masculine fashion may be compared To
the lrishman's pig. which can only be In
tiuenced by turning its steps In the OPP
posite direction to that in which II Is re
Quired to go.
Among the many strange DEGREES Of
Sumptuary character have been those OF
Peter The Grea', who. in one of them.
dated 1905 ordered the ladies Of the Rus
sian arlStocracy To adopt the wear OF the
corset. under the penalty of being knout-
ed. while a full-fiedged instruction Of -
Very sanguinary character WAS arous a
ny his re entless enforcement # his uka So
To the e'f"ct that his male subjects SHOULD
shave of their boards and shorten tire
length of their coat, which until then
had been in the form OF caftans OF
oriental character. reaching down almost
10 the anhlfs
In The fifteenth century. In London. fines.
imprisonn and even accommodation
imposed for the Wear Of shoes with
toes CT exaggerated length, and there =
Still the statute books q law, neve~
repealed. ana dating from Trdnr days.
providing Jail sentences and pillory FOR
women making use of false hair and
various articles designed 10 improve
the figure.
one of the oldest DEGREES of a monarch
is that of the Inflated Louis XVI OF
France on the subject OF pocket hand
Ecrchiefs Until the latter part of his
:eign-in fact. ever since their first in
yention-they had been invariably round
in shape.
He. however. AT the instance, il IS said,
of Queen Marie Antoineite. promulgated
an ordinance erascly slyarins tine circle
In the following words: The length OF
every handkerchief made in oar Kingdom
shall he equal to- Its breadth Some
people go far TO insist that il WAS
This bit oC sunptuary tyranny mat proved
the hnal straw ard p-ecipitated the great
revolution. With all that, the force Of
this quaint enactment still survives. more
fortunate t!ian most Others OF the same
kind
Queen Mary. in thus placing tho
after all. acting in sympathy with the
ayacy, which not long ago condemned
i / Official or.ais. lie ,sSerValore
hoaano. this NOSE Of dress. as im-
modest garments designed 10 excite
passions as grievinS the Holy spirit
and the Father Of Truth" Whereas.
however the papacy. like most the
rulers in moQern 1 ines. neslta;eS 10
impose penalties for disobedience 10 it's
sumptuary behests. which are in con-
sequence thereof oeiied, King Georges
conSort plainly irtimates that those
who disregard her wishes and those
of her husband viii be visited with
the displeasure Of their majcstieS. that
is to say, will be barred from court.
This is an extremely effective pun
ishment. to which neither Edward VII
nor yet Queen Victor ever ventured
to have recourse in such matters. For
the exclusion from court in England
means the exclusion from court
abroad. as well as the blacklisting by
the emba sses OF ones country in for
eign lands.
Moreover, the knowledge that one is
blacklisted by ones sovereign. that
ores name has been removed. so to
speak, from their visiting list as that
of an acQua intance no longer desired,
is calculated to affect in the end the
social position OF any man, no matter
what his birth. even his standing in his
clubs, while it is still more unpleasant
where the object Of royal displeasure
is a woman. From this il Will be
seen that providing Queen Mary does
not yield to the pressure of al! sorts
of influences that will he brought to
bear upon her. she may defeat though
she is never likely to lead, that rebel.