New-York tribune., 1911-03-05

find out his or her mistake. II might DE eN-
aggeraton 20 say that trouserettes 10
suffragettc are what a red rag is TO a buii'
but II a digniicd. ladyike hen pheasant
we're advised TO put on wattles and spurs
her feelings would probably be very ike
the feelings expressed by ihe suffraset'eS
and suffragists who were asked oy
Tribune reporter last week what they
thought about donnng trouserettes for con-
venience in their battle for the vote.
''Trouserettes.' shrieked Miss Harriet
May Mills president of ;he New YORK
state Woman Suffrage Association I've
never seen the things. but I'm sure they
must be perfectly hideous. Shall wear
them? Good gracious. no.
Miss Mills. who was discovered at the
state headquarters I'm a pale gray silk
frock domestically engaged in sorting over
the canned fruit left from the recent suf-
frage bazaar, smoojhed down her lace
tunic and shook her head.
The funny notions people have about
suffragists," she sighed. Il suppose some
Iolks really expect rs to come out in troO-
serettes. Well. we shan't"
when asked which she would choose If
Obliged to wear either a trOuser or a hobble
skirt the leader Of the state sunragsts re-
Piled without the smallest hesitation:
THE hobble skirt Of course"
Dr. Anna Shaw. president ~ the National
Woman Suffrage Association. while dis
tinctly against the trouserette proposition
did not so so far as 20 prefer the hobble
skirt.
I'm not going 10 wear trouserettes, she
said emphatcally. but II ! did I'd wear
pair Of them, and not just one, as the
fashionable women are doing to-day
Then the national president leaned back
in her chair and looked reminiscent.
Its strange" she said. "how from the
earliest days Of the suffrage movement
wanting 10 vote has always laid a woman
open TO the suspicion Of wanting TO biiur-
cate her garments. You know how the
suffra sists have always been caricatured-
mannisb creatures with short hair. clump-
ing boots and bloomers. That was as un-
true of the pioneers in the movement as it
is Of the suffragists to-day. There never
was a woman more fastdious. more eX-
ouisite about her clothes than Susan =.
Anthony was. She always wore soft white
ruching about her neck and wrists-and
she had very pretty hands by the way-and
never dId ! see that ruching anything but
absolutely spotless. 1t never looked wilted,
as ruching has a way of getting on most of
US after we've worn a piece a few hours
When I call up a vision Of Miss Anthony
AT home I always see her putting fresh
ruching in her dresses.
she never tolerated the smallest care
lessness in the dress of the young women
helpers in the cause / once came into her
Office. l remember. with one of the but
tons on ny basque-we wore crocheted
buttons I'm those days-a bit frayed.
wasn't allowed to 20 on with my work till
had mended tha: button. in her later
wears. when she could afford II, Miss An
thony wore soft silks and velvets Like
most Quakers, she loved bright "olOrs, and
in her house dresses she INDUCED this
taste but IN public Of course, she wore
quiet tihts Anybody who connects Miss
Anthony with the bloomer movement is
much mistaken. You cant carry on more
than one reform at time, she used 10
fell ~. Woman suffrage is our work; we
mustn't go off on the side issue OF dress
reform few suffragists did wear Mrs
Amelia Boomers invention when she first
got It out. but not for long; they didn't like
the notice it attracted.
Il don't know much about dress myself.
the national president went on. smoothing
down her serviceable gray silk skirts, but
II does seem 10 ne llidt oo Aei- A4DAii 0''~'
ing anv signs Of coming out in mannish
clothes good many suffragists nowadays
are spending too much money on feminine
frivolities. They spend money on clothes
that might be used 10 better advantage In
other ways And their doing so has bad
effect on the poorer women in the cause
who. seeing their well-to-dC coWorkers In
fine clothes long for fine clothes also"
"%o such thing" chOrused the four or
five women gathered at the headquarters
OF the woman suffrage party. in the Metro
nolitan tower. when the reporter called
there and repeated Dr. Shaw's remarks
about sufrragists and purple and fine linen
"Sunragists have got to dress well. to
make the cause respected one OF them
went on And I am sure the poorer ones
don't envy those who can wear better
clothes than they can. There is no more
democratic movement in the world than the
woman suffrage movement"
As Mrs Carrie Chapman Gait the Big
Boss" of the party. wasn't there. her fol-
lowers undertook 10 answer for her when
the reporter inquired anxiously:
rs the boss coming out in trouser-
ettes?'
Mrs. Gait in trouserettes. You don't
know Mrs Gait, or you wouldn't suggest
such a thing" her followers chorused re-
proachfully.
Mrs. Gait" pursued a young slip Of
district leader. in an irreproachable three
niece suit OF dull maroon. 'is one Of those
who dress for the sake Of the cause High
thinking and plain living come natural 10
her. and | suppose she seldom had more
than two dresses at a time, one good
travelling dress and one house dress until
Miss Mary Garrett Hay became her busl-
ness manager, and convinced her that her
pcsition I'm woman suffrage work demanded
more impressive raiment. Now, as often
as Miss Hay deems IT necessary, she says
Come. Carrie, you must have new gown
and Carrie IS led 10 q dressmakers ana
invested with one Of those silk affairs we
SEQ her presiding over meetings in Oh, we
suffraoists aren't going 10 let the 'antis
come il over us I'm dress. We've got 10
look nice. Brains are all very well, but
one must think Of many things In this
battle"
Mrs Harriet Stanton Blatch, president OF
the Women's Political Union and engineer
NJ the legislative work Of the Equal Fran
cbise Society. could give only a brief an
swer 10 the reporters query about sufra-
cettes and trouserettes. because, she eX-
n,ained. she was just hurryng out to buy a
new chiffon waist 10 go and talk TO some
legislators In.
"Trouserettes?" she said. laughing gent
Iv NO / don't believe we shall take TO
trouserettes."
Tee