Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1914-09-26
TIE HOBBLE SKIRT.

The Editor has kindly permitted me
the space to air my ideas upon any SUBJ
ject that may select, and have chosen
for my theme on this occasion the
Ladies Hobble Skirt
To say that ! disapprove Of it is put
ting it very mildly, for in truth it is an
eye sore to me, as consider it sense
less fashion, unatural and ridiculous.
! have said it was unatural and what
eyer is unatural is always ridiculous. If
any lady can say anything in its favor
or defense she owes it to her masculine
friends to mitigate in part if possible
the violence she has done. and is
doing to his sensibilities, his taste, and
his sense of the eternal fitness of things.
| speak as man representing the senti-
ment of the average man. We dislike to
see our sisters hampered and put to such
inconvenience to meet the requirements
of senseless fashion which has every
thing to condem it and nothing that can
be said in its favor. Do you know
where this fashion came fromP 1 have
read, and have every reason to believe
it to be true, that it eminated from those
shops of Paris who cater to the demands
and wants of the demimonde of that
great city. You ladies that regard with
horror the ways of such women, why
should you adopt their costume? Those
poor creatures, victims (for the most
part of a misplaced confidence, loving
not wisely but too well, Stunned by
most men and all ladies, they are objects
of pity. But they have crossed the
Rubican and there is no retreat, and all
they can do is to draw others down to
their dishonored level. You are not
compelled to honor them by adopting
their style of dress. But says one of our
good and worthy women. what can we
do? We cannot wear the same style OF
gown always, the monotony world driy g
us wild. Again she says "We don't like
the extreme feature of the fashion our
selves but we must have a change, and
this is the change that is brought to us,
and it seems we have to wear it. For
you know the old saying, zone may as
well be out of the world as to be out OF
fashion,"
We do not deny that there is some
force to that argument, but not enough
to justify going to the extreme of the
fashion, and it is the extreme feature to
which we object. Make your dress 80
inches instead of Is and that would salts
fly all of US that do not desire to be too
critical. You can throw tub to tn,
whale" (as they aboard ship.) You Car
wear dress that will permit you to taxi
a Free natural and graceful step, ant
still be sufficiently within the realm o
the fashion to fulfill all requirements 70
a sensible change.
| l do not mean to say that the prevail
ing style of dress is immoral or i'm
modest. l do not think so, and max
no such comment, simply declare tina
the extreme of the present style of dres
(The Hobble. SkirD is unatural, unbe
coming and ridiculous, and that sam
/ will always maintain. AS to- the dres
otherwise find nothing that calls for
criticism, see nothing immodest Ia
some doy in a style that reveals in ou
line the natural contour ofthe feminin
form. But would say this. not as
criticism but as word of counsel, tina
where all beauty dwells in curved lines
the true course should always be strictl
preserved. The leass deviation, jo