The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-09-19

The American Tailor and Cutter in,
its latest issue makes curious mistake
in proposing to celebrate q couple OF
years hence. that is to say. In 1914. the
centenary OF trousers. The latter came
into fashion, not in the year immedi-
ately preceding the Battle OF Water
LOO. as asserted by the American Tail
or and Cutter" but In 1891. mainly as
and its blue blooded associates, If, those
days ate. and especially drank. very
heavily. and were consequently az
fiicted with govt and other maladies
Of q character to swell the legs Knee
breeches and stockings. 50 dear not
only to the early Presidents Of the
the Declaration Of Independence. but
likewise to the old Puritan element or
America, were scarcely suitable for
swollen limbs, even II they belonged
to the Amounted Of the Lord; and the
result was that George ~. As Prince
York. clarence. Cumberland and Sussex.
reigned as Louis XVIII. Charles x.
and Louis Philippe. also King Frede-
rick William III, OF Prussia and many
others equally illustrtous personages.
adopted the modern form Of pantaloon.
which was at the time q source Of no
end Of ridicule and entertainment to
Gilray, and to other caricaturists OF
the age. 1t was not until the fourth
decade Of the nineteenth century. when
heavy drinking by the classes went
made to revive the knee-breeches and
the stockings a. articles OF masculine
4ttire. But the custom Of wearing
trousers had meanwhile become so uni
to do away with them. save by she
enactment Of sumptuary laws. such as
Peter the Great was wont to enforce
in Russia, but which would not have
ben tolerated in any country farther
West People forgetful Of the royal
were q symbol Of equality and democra-
cy. and that they had q dwelling ten
dency. They declared that the trouser
constituted Q perpetual and m1st ef-
fectual rebuke to the man who would
IKE to raise himself above his fellows
legs. The. eighteenth century beau.
they urged, was everlast,nsly display
ing his calves and his ankles, and
staggering about them, with characte-
ristic affectation. A man in those days
never tired Of showing it. and Of ARP
eating to himself . serene superiority
on that account. while the general In
PRODUCTION Of trousers had given the
deathblow to that particular form OF
masculine vanity. and placed all legs,
SO to speak. on an equal foot!ng.
This Questil IN Of masculine neither
garments 10 OF far greater importance,
not merely from q sociological. but
likewise from q political point Of view.
than most people would be willing TO
believe. Indeed. the fashion in this re-
spect constitutes . very interesting
corollary OF the hist ,ry Of national en-
l;ghtment. progress and development.
Thus, the absence OF clothing for the
neither limbs denotes the barbarism OF
the ages which preceded the Cursades.
steel plate-very uncomfortable they
must have been-followed next and
are associated Ia our minds with feud-
aIisn, tournaments. and the medieval
era The hose and trunks u the sax-
snd thss sss ns % sss
ces. and IN one word TIE saeeeooss %
the mind had Oupplaneea might 0oo
rule By the Sunsstos1ty of brute fercA.
The knee-eseeeaSo ana sur ssochdooD
may b Iooksd upon - IN kssp1aG with
an age Of courtliness aud diGnity.
vale the trouser. alas. 70 character.
is,,c OF q period where men have no
longer time or inclination z, devote
70 the cultivation Of thai 'polttesse du
coeur.~ which contributes % much %
sweeten human sntsrcourse-
namely. ihas Of 81 James. where one
may see men who wear neither sr JUS
ers nor breecheS. but who. sans.
culosfes- In the true sense, content
Themselves with kits, namely, the
Scottish Latrds and chieftstne. end the
ofs3cers Of the various Highlaad reg1-
ments. The kilt 10 very ptcturcsque.
bus somewhst startling 20 the unin..
ssased. ana created positive eoasterna-
ton Of o court ceremony st Berlin