The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-06

The society will, therefore, seek to re- form mems dress by acceierating cer- tain beneficial tendencies which are already observable. The first is the beneficial tendency of sport. Sport pro- duces reasonable and beautiful clothes It produces knee-breeches, soft shirts or none, soft hats or caps, and free neclr and knees. Therefore, the society will push sport costume into ordinary life. In due time judges ambassadors and maitres dho- tel will. it hopes, resemble sprinters and golfers. But that reform will meet only the practical demands of the re- formers. There remains the aesthetic demands To be aesthetic men must wear colored, vari-colored cloths, as they did up to the 18th century, and they must keep black for funerals, visits from mothers-in-law. and other dread days Also they shall not be afraid of lace. embroidery. trimmings, flounces. or anything else beautiful nor shall gibes at their effeminacy cause them to shrink.
 Seven principles must be embodied in reformed mems clothing:
 l. Il shall be simple.
 2. There shall be few garments
 6. It shall be comfortable, and hy- pienc
 I. It snail be cheap.
 !. It shall be beautiful
 6. It shall suit all figures and com plexions.
 '. It shall display the wearer's body.
 B, It shall express the wearers char aeter.
 In concrete. the society wages war upon waistcoats. braces socks and the opening of coats to show the shirt It stands for soft leather caps. no more hats: and it insists that boots shall be pointed only opposite the great toe In summer. it proclaims. blouse and a pair of knickerbocke are all the garments any man needs. It will at- tain Its ends by compelling lists of tailors who are ready to make re- formed clothes, and it will supply those tailors with patterns. It will carry on a vigorous propaganda in the press. and arrange prize competitions for the most beautiful and practical designs.
 Reform of mems clothing is not preached by this Berlin society alone. In West Germany there foushes the "Verein der Kulturtracht"-th Union for Civilized Garb. This is the creation of Cologne doctor. Friedrich kolb- Sorel Dr. Kolb-Sorel is a sturdier re- former than the Berlin society, whose members pusillanimousiy dread to wear the clothes they design. He carries his iiiheipics iHto prdctlce. f1rSt principle Is that all that touches the skin must be white, and washable. Long white stockings are, therefore. inevitable. The doctor proposes for summer wear pale blue or pink suit sandals of straw with wooden soles. and straw hat shaped like a biretta. with detachable white lining for washing. In similar garb pr. Kolb- sorel made tour of the sylvan Rhine land. followed by several admirers who pelted him with roses, and by numer- ous other persons who pelted him with stones.
 But Dr. Kolb-Sorers domestic fairs have begun to threaten his cause The doctor married youthful heiress. whose idea of dress reform was Paquin and Boiret, and who refused to go out with husband dressed by the local flag manufacturer. The doctor rightly resolved to enforce his lawful author ity and compel his bride to appear in dressed in a $500 silk gown, was sitt- ting in the front row of the Cologne Stadttheatre the doctor marched in in his pink suit, his white stockings and his straw sandals. He took seat be- side his wife. who rose. looked at hlm reproachfully and marched out of the theatre.
 ffree days later newspapers de- Kidnapped his wife. She had fled to her r'nt the doctor appeared with ladder. and carried her off in motor. A trial