New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-05-28
GARB OF GAULS
WAS THE KILT
Garment Which Seems so
Strange to French Is
Prehistoric.

The kilt Of the Scottish troops is the
subject Of much comment IN France
and FLANDERS SAYS THE Washington
Star" The Scotch fighters arc tenacious
of the historic garment. The tartan ~
blessed By many traditions, and much
Scottish sentiment ~ woven IN the
plaid. Really there H. nothing unusual
about the kilt excepting in the eyes al
those men who for number OF gen
orations have been accustomed TO
trousers. 1t was the garb OF the ancient
Gauls.
The first clothing the Celts put on
was a kilt. The earliest clothing wa3
Of the skins Of wild beasts, and the
hair or fur was left on the pelt. lhese
skins were not fashioned by a tailor
into coat, vest and trousers, nor even
into coat. waistcoat and breeches. ne
Garment was folded around the body
and the legs from the knees TO me Ieec
were left bare Thus, the Kilt style
goes back to the earliest skin clothing
OF the human race. D.,
The kilt has been worn IN Scotland
from prehistoric times, and, according
io some authorities, it WAS few cen
turtles ago "A plaid worn across the
shoulders, and in cold weather part oil
IL was twisted around ,he waist.
The soldiers Of Assyria wore the KILT.
The men of Sparta also wore the Kilt
and the Greek name Of IT was the
chiffon. which was pronounced "kyton.
On occasions the Greeks also wore a
"chlamys.' or short cloak, and the
"himation." which was the long, sleeve
less robe familiar to moderns by see
ing it in Greek plays, pageants and the
like. In Jennie Halls "Old Men Of
Greece" which so many Of the public
school children Of the District of Co
lumbia have read. 1t is told how Leo
midas, King of Sparta, and his little
band went 20 Tnermopyle while the
great festival Of Olympus was being
celebrated by the Greeks. In that lit
tie book IT is written: 80 the Spartan
King went with his little guard OF 300.
That little army was fine 10 look at as
It swung out of the city IN double line,
with shining armor and red chitonS
and long bronze shields and tall bronze
helmets and dangling swords and still
lances."
The kilt Of certain regiments of the
British army is viewed on the CONT
ncnt of Europe with mixed sentiments.
A corresp Ondent, Neil VI. Munro,
writing from France to Flanders, has
sent out this:
81 grieve TO confess il, but perhaps
the only feature of the British army
that has failed to win our ally's un-
qualified admiration is the kilt. Per
haps this is due to inherited subcon-
scious memories from old fields OF
contention. where they brought the
tartan on i'm hours Of crisis, and gal
liant Frenchmen faced IL. At all events
the jupe' makes no appeal to French
aesthetic tastes, no matter though II
be classic and Gaul's old garb; the
Frenchman finds in bare masculine
knees a something 'shockeeng 70 his
sense Of art and the prophecies.
Killed regiments do not date back
very far in the English service. The
first Of the Highland troops was the
Black Watch Regiment, which was re-
cruited in 1925, and it was called by
its now historic name because OF the
sombre colorings of the tartans of its
men. The colors were black, blue and
green. When the Highland regiments
were raised each company wore the
tartan of its captain, but when these
companies were banded together into
one regiment the tartans were blended
IN a single design TO prevent Jealousy
and friction. I he SeafOrths wear the
Mackenzie tartan, the Argyll and the
Sutherland regiments wear the Camp
bell tartan. and the Gordons and the
Camerons the tartans Of those clans.
There was a time when the English
would have none of the kilt, because II
was the Scottish national dress. II has
been recalled that the oath which was
administered al Fort Williams and else
where in the Highlands in 1747-l74s ran
like this: 81. . do swear as | shall
answer 10 God at the great day Of
judgment. that ! have not, nor shall
have. In my possession. any gun. sword.
pistol or any arm whatever, and that
never use tartan plaid or any part of
the Highland garb; and If ! do so may
! be cursed IN my undertakings, family
and property may ! never see my wife
and children, father, mother or rela-
tons may ! be killed IN battle as a
coward and lie without Christian burial
I'm a strange land. far from the graves
Of my forefathers and kindred; may all
this come across me If | break my
oath"
Some writer's allude TO the kilt "a
kits" and in this connection a Scotch
man recently wrote a letter to THE
London Chronicle" protesting as fol-
lows: 81 would like as a Scotsman 10
protest to you as an English journalist
against the reference one sees so fire.
quently just now In English newspapers
TO the Highlanders' kits The High
lander does not wear kits; he wears a
kilt. You may talk Of battalion Of
soldiers being dressed IN kits though
10 would be correct to say that they
wore the kilt just as you would say
the Persian ladies wear the 'yashmak.'
IL is just as absurd 20 say that General
So-and-So wore 'greatcoats' as to say
that he wore kits. The kilt is a single