Evening star., 1915-09-12

E1HE designers say that there will
be a struggle for less full
skirts before the winter is well
q advanced. That is drop of
poison in the present cup of happiness.
Women have shown enthusiasm ana
gratitude for the retention of the full
skirt; they are glad that there Is some
chance of using the suits of last spring.
If the designers win out in an eHort
to bring back narrow skirts pelore
the new year, then women will ma
themselves compelled to buy ne"
clothes or go in for the process OF al
teration, if they would be in the FASH
ion.
Probably none Of these things will
happen. The narrow skirt may not
come back. The full skirt may remain.
And yet, granting this, there are
women who are excessively trouoieo
over the continued acceptance of the
full skirt and its introduction INTO
the winter models. There are severai
reasons for their anxiety, but the con-
trolling reason is the pathetic 1act
that the full skirt is not becoming to
the average figure. The so-called hoo-
Bile skirt was not good TO look at
nor was its predecessor. the sheatn
a compromise between excessive full
ness and excessive narrowness, women
had a serene hour.
In looking over the new gowns that
have Just arrived. it seems as though
the French designers have tried to
use up all ma aterials in France; prob
ably this is true; it would certainly
be good business to do so, as the out
put for next year seems to be secure,
especially as France gets all the silks
and velvets it desires from Italy and
the woolens and worsteds from Grea'
Britain.
Although France may have consfd-
cred it economical to put SO much
material into her gowns. the Ameri-
can woman does not regard the idea
with pleasure, just as she does not
look on the prophecy of narrower
givings. If she buys her clothes.
readymade, in the shops, she may not
have to pay larger price than was
demanded last autumn, but thousands
of women are still buying materials
and having the gowns made at home or
outside, and the present fashions call
for twice the outlay of money demand
ed for materials before last January:
Such is the serious situation on the
financial side; the prospect of the in
PRODUCTION of a new type of skirt after
Christmas is the serious condition on
the side of finance, time and vitality.
There is an ever enlarging class OF
women who are beginning to regard
the useless expenditure of time and
vitality as of more importance than
the spending of money.
This is one of the revolutioniZfng
new doctrines that has been eating its
way into the social system for the last
half-dozen years. 1t is difficult to
say from what source it sprang. The
analysis of the age put it down to va
rious reasons. such as the crusade for
health. the entrance of women into
civic life, the freedom of women to
travel alone and often. the growing alb
stention from household duties: but
the dominating reason is probably the
passion for eficiency and the entrance
of thousands of women into the ranks
of wage-earners.
These come from every class of life
today: there are none who have been
so rich or SO powerful but who gladly
take chance to earn their living when
their personal conditions change lead
ers of society go into trade: girls who
have only danced and dined go into
recruiting daily from the idle classes.
Women have shown far more social
courage than men in taking opportuni-
ties to pay their own way. man
who has been rich considers his serv-
Ices of far more value in a monetary
way than woman who has been rich,
and must work. Men have demanded a
certain class of work that will give
them prestige, while women ask
nothing but a pay envelope and
chance for success.
Little has been written on this won
derfully Interesting side of modern life,
but il deserves time and attention from
those mental experts who are gaining
money and fame by diagnosing us-the
woman wake- -earners, the real pioneers
Of the modern life.
All through the centuries women
have not taken time and vitality into
consideration; they have not balanced
II up with the result as factors in
given piece of work and themselves
asked whether the job was worth while.
Through the centuries a woman has not
kept books. she has not entered the
number Of hours and the strain on her
system involved by embroidering
blouse, retrimming a hat. giving the
house spring cleaning. making pre-
serves, preparing special dinners,
searching the shop for a piece of rib
bon that matches the gown. She has
pointed with pride to the result, and
there has been no one strong enough.
and no doctrine convincing enough to
prove TO her the bad system under
which she laboring.
The man folk IN the families used to
laugh at her endeavor or argue with
her according to their temperaments
bu. II was difficult to persuade her that
~ of depression or a sick headache
was too high price to pay for a sup
ply of peach preserves or a hand-em-
broidered waist
No revolution is begun with argument
and objections. just as no revolution is