The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-09-22

When woman shall have completed
her moral and intellectual transfer
nation she Will refuge to submit any
teager TO strange dresses which do
nothing bat ~sfffg@ fos sfyYsgs her 'own
= health hsss that sys future generations.
There IN something humiliatlng TO
.Msman's dignity in her present Nay
or dressing Illogical and offensive TO
her sense OF beauty. Il does NOT take
the conditions under which she lives
into consideration at all. Rich or
por, tail or short, blondes, bruaetres
or redhaired. built like a statute or
deformed, all women now dress In
he same way, In passive obedience 10
+ rifles lard tserwn by tire kings and
,""ens ~ fashion, the love OF free
dom incifes TO rebellion against any
form of slavery. Women who fiatter
themselves TO love freedom as much
~ss men do ct present obey without
the slightest nurmur the imperious
orders given to them by more or less
authorized persons The autocrats
are mostly women. but men are not
barred from exercising this authority.
which spreads terror among fathers.
lovers and husbands or which cause
no end OF troubles passing or peru1a-
nent among their direct victims.
This history OF fashion may be
summed up az half a hundred CEN
turtles OF designation, compression
and tnrtures inflicted upon women by
invisible goda or goddesses. AS Jean
Paul SAYS. the gown has become
new feminine organ. She often re-
ceives 1t from unworthy hanas.
Neither her beauty. nor her personal
it's In respected. As fashions change
she il made to look In turn like q
-a4 stry 1tA~ T..
In or bell Her head il no more
respected than is her body. The
never changing form III her hair runs
through the whole range Of kitchen
utensils Her hats are 40 monstrously
hig, or ridcuioasly small, After nav
ing been long deprived or all hght
and air womens head suddenly nnus
itself exposed to the Indictment va
carries OF the weather.
A change of fashions amounts 70
a small revolution in the majority
Of households. large or small, often
within the short time Of year. We
see fashions changing from classical
Greek To Directoire and then return
TO eighteenth century.
One day silk Is completely banished
from vofnans dress the next II 10
used TO excess. Woman lis seem bunaied
up like a bundle of old rags ana the
5 next moment see Is permitted 10 SA-
nose her charms beyond all deceney,
The chosen creatures whose charm
and intelligence delight las, as well the
woman with the brains OF a sparrow,
submit with equal docility to the die
tates Of an unknown ana mysterious
master who orders them To squeeze
in or set free their waist, TO expose
or hide their bosom.
The rnartyrdom which women I'M
pose upon themselves, saerificing
themselves upon the affairs Of fashion
: causes man to smile and sneer- re
sees in this a proof of evident IN
feriority. He cannot admit that any
creature In possession of common
sense can submit to such painful, use
less and humiiiating processes,
4 brilliant Spanish writer. NJ. r.
Garlic. who has conceived the
idea OF teaching women the science
OF elegance. thus describes impress
sively the torture which ono Of their
appliances the corsets. makes them
suffer when at last she takes them
or after tsrcsama Gay" he writes
"her bosum does not palpitate with
joy. With soft and tender hands the
martyr Of fashion caresses her flesh.
hurt by the whaiebcne, the strings
and the stiff canvas. Then she looks
at herself IN the grass ana ulacoSeFk
with a sigh that the hard armor has
left visible marks around her waist
But alas, neither this pain nor any
; amount of pain will make her think
of giving In"
History tells the tragic incidents OF
.ies Meryeilleuses' and les lncroy-
ahfesu at the time or The directory. The
most beautiful among beautiful wo-
men died young. victims OF hasty
consumption, which cut short their
reign a.. Irresistible, ,sovereigns, Then
It became the fashion TO dress like
Greek nymphs and In spite OF Paris
Indictment climate the women insisted
ron wearing ~ few clothes AZ posst-
Z bGe.s The cold and damp air beat
against their naked bosoms and they
tontracted sicknesses that were quite
ssncurable. but women looked ut all
.these rayages passiyely. and continued
10 obey the DEGREES OF fashion.
Hut this il all past. When femin-
Fam shall have conquered wcrnan's dig
pity and common sense will conquer
loo SHE will 7stift want to hp beasa~F
stifut but In an Intelligent, human
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