Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1913-04-16
WORLDS IDEA OF MODESTY.
With Dress 1t Seems to Be Matter D
Custom Rather Than Morality.
(From the Kansas City Star.))

The variations in what modesty per-
mits and requires constitute an inter
esting study. The Hereros of South
Africa insist that women keep their
heads covered. AS to what else they
wear they aren't so particular A
German explorer found that Herero
lady didn't mind posing for photo
graph with nothing much on except
the head cloth. But she was terribly
shocked at the idea of removing that.
1t is the style among the Yakuts 10
wear nothing above the waist BIT
they consider bare feet immodest.
Missionaries in China have written
home asking that churches that send
them boxes omit picture books show
ing persons barefooted. In China the
exposure of the foot is decollete.
On the Uganda Railroad, near Lake
Victoria, under the equator, Sir Harry
Johnson found tribe who considered
clothing quite superffuous. The mem
bers wore ornaments, but nothing else
But they were regarded as "the most
moral people in Uganda" Near them
lived tribe, the Baganda, who were
exceedingly particular as to their
clothing. But they had an unsavory
reputation as to morals.
In civilized nations, course, dress
that is considered proper for evening
wear at parties would be regarded as
extremely immodest for street use
Conventional usage permits the wear
ing of costumes for bathing that would
not he tolerated off the beach The
same differences appear accentuated
il, other parts of the world.
In Japan, for instance until recent
years, hot baths were taken by every
body in public. What no one could help
everybody was expected to ignore. But
Japanese women who would battle in
public with no embarrassment were
. olIOShCu at lllC NhiSh l@ul OPCo'i
women wore at evening parties.
1t may be noticed that while We are
shocked at the idea of promiscuous
bathing by the Japanese our ancestors
did the hame thing well into modern
times. Church councils were repeat
eddy condemning the practice, but it
did not disappear from Europe until
300 or 400 years ago.
The Anus, who are the aboriginal
inhabitants of Japan. have their own
peculiar code A missionary reports
the case of an Ainu woman who refus-
ed to wash in order to be treated for a
skin disease, because bathing was re-
garded as immodest. In many parts
of Africa the explorers found that
where custom prescribed scant cloth
ing it was actually regarded as bad
form and something that no respect
able person would do to cover more of
the body than was customarily done.
Conventions on such subjects change
from generation to generation. Dion
Boucicault told Justin Mccarthy that
in his young days actresses were ex-
Ceedingly proper in their dress, and
that the abbreviated, skirts and tights
of a modern musical comedy would
not have been tolerated But they
were given lines of vulgarity that no
modern audience in a respectable the
alter would countenance. The move
ment has been toward greater latitude
in dress. but stricter propriety in
! speech.
Modesty seems to have been quail
| ity of comparatively late development
in civilization. Dress was at first reg
ulated on the basis of utility combined
with vanity and superstition. Then
custom got in its work When people
became accustomed to a certain style
of dress any violent departure from IL
struck them as immodest.
Modesty didn't make dress Dress
made modesty. Only it should be borne
in mind that once modesty has de-
veloped the conventions cannot be
suddenly and radically violated with
out social degradation. Modesty isn't
something that doesn't matter. 1t does
matter.