El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-01-25

presence. and to set the example Ct
wearing sensible clothes by having her
dresses made ample Of skirt, with long
sleeves and high necks and general
vintage of the year 1900 about them
But did she succeed? Oh, my suffer
ing sisters, have YOU noticed the pic
lures Of the Durbar? There's the queen
IN her comfy full petticOats, and there
are the ladies Of the court as skin
tfRht as Paquin and the Caliot SOeurs
can make them Not even majesty
could work the miracle Of making Wo-
men wear clothes that weren't smart
and in which they look dowdy.
Any woman who attempts TO regulate
what other women shall wear qualities
for the role of Donna QuiXOte. This Is
especially true IN this country. where
every woman is born with the inalien-
able right 90 life, liberty and the pur-
suit OF the fashions, unhindered by any
other person. but the matter of which
which she wishes to see reformed by
the stern hand Of the law, is not Sc
unimportant as Il seems
A Problem OF Ethics.
one might think that the question OF
whether a working girl wore SILK
stockings or not was one that lay be-
tween her own sole and her pocket.
book Not so. 1t is really not so much
a matter OF fashion as a problem in
ethics.
For the silk stocking on the working
girls foot is the modern materializa
ton of Faust 1t is the visible sign OF
temptation, or the yearning for ease
and luxury and adornment-the foolish
finery-fOr which so many poor girls
sell their souls. When you see cob
webby silk stockings peeping from be-
meath q hard. worn skirt, you would
be a Door judge Of character, indeed, If
you dId not know that the feet they
covered were perilously near the prim-
rose path
The Craving for Luxury.
For the silk stockings on the work
Ing girl represent so pitifully much.
They tell the story Of her craving for
the luXuries that rich women have
They tell of the sybaritlc impulses that
she must stifle ordinarily, but that she
has gratified for once in the purchase
OF the silken hosiery. They tell of sac
rifices that she has made, of lunches
she has done without, OF pinching econ
omies here and there that she has made
TO crafty her vanity. They tell of fool
ish eXtrava gance OF silly pining for the
indulgences OF the wealthy, OF weak
yielding to temptation, of a frivolous
nature that never stops to count the
cost Of gratifying an impulse.
Or else they tell a sadder story, fol-
there IS no other thing on earth so ter
ribly tragic as that the majority Of
girls go wrong not for love of some
man, but for love Of dress They are
u0L pdeSADAA- u ell Jul AaS4AlOn A4d4
They barter away all that is sacred TO
q woman for a rag Of chiffon and a few
pairs OF silk stockings
It is this that makes the sight Of silk
stockings on poor feet that cannot af-
ford them one that must make the very
angels in heaven weep It Is because
we know so well what road they are
tending toward that we would like to
stop them, il we could, But it cannot
be done by law. It IS doubtful II 1t can
be done at all, but the only way is to
try to make the working girl under
stand something OF the dignity of labor,
and to feel how much more she counts
for in the world than the poor, useless
society butterfly who is good for moth
ing but a frame on which to hang and
exhibit fine clothes.
II we could do that, then perhaps the
working girl would not feel that she
must initiate IN her dress the society
girl, and would spend her money for
sensible hosiery instead Of silly silk
stockings that waste her salary and
bring suspicion upon her character.