The evening world., 1919-01-23

whose Irish wit Is as much in evil
dcnce as her smooth checked, smil-
ing Irish comeliness-shrewd Mrs.
OGrady attacked the modern fashion
Of exposure at its most Vulnerable
point-its utter unbecomingnoss. even
its righteousness for the ninety-nine
women who are not American Ne-
muses..
What Is the matter with modern
dress7' she brlskly repeated my aues-
tion. 1T shows too much-and yet
almost nothing that Is worth being
shown.
once in a great while a woman
may have a really beautiful back
Most backs are anything but artistic.
Then why not cover them up? Last
night ] was at the theatre and near
nc sat a beautiful young girl--that
* her face ana everything about her
was lovely except her back, IL spoiled
the whole erect. Her gown was cut
down t. the waist, and you could
count the knobs on her spine. AS tor
her shoulders, they looked like the
joints from which wings spring, In
the pictGrCs OF 9HEels. only she had
Tic JOINTS alone, without the wings.
And the nau VINO sat beside her
had To SEE that ugly back every time
he ia u,d his head. | think it was to-
hard on him do indeed.
'if a woman has a beautiful
back. a beautiful body. and wants
to show IT, why doesn't she pose
for 2 sculptor, instead Of expos
ina herself in a ballroom, where
a dozen unbeautiful women are
uoing to copy the fashion she sets
and display shoulders that stick
out like the wing joints OF
qoose2
Not long ago went to an afilir
and saw a young g.rl who might al
most as well have had nothing on
above her skirt. Her waist amounted
to sash, without even shoulder
straps TO hold IL up. II was disgust
ing. And yet in character she was
q pure. sweet young girl. | don't
know what grls' mothers arc think
ing OF, not to cover them up better.
Yet OF course many mothers have
little influence over their daughters.
and many set the young an extremely
bad example by what they them
selves wear.
II went recently to the opera" Mrs.
O'Grady added in explanation, "dnd
what those middle-agcl women you
saw all over the house were not
wearing! We'll. YOU could have stuck
both your dOubled-up fists in the hol-
lows under their collarboncs. There
is nothing lovely. nothing artistic
about such fashions. Now, do you
think sou
I agreed with Mrs. O'Grady. ar
said so. having often shrugged my
own shoulders at the fashionable
double exposure" of the boneyarj
type OF matrOn.
h.1tnNsn yhn like %
snapped the Deputy Commissioner
81 don't believe a man wants TO feel
bare flesh when he puts his arm
around a woman's waist in dance
And he's lucky II he doesn't feel d
bone!
Then suppose woman in cx-
trcme evening dress gets a little
chilly-and | don't see how she can
help'it! what do you see? Just a
mass OF goose flesh. Is that beau
titul?"
How about the street dress Of the
New York girl?" / suggested. do
you consider that immodest?'
"Of course IL is" she answered de-
talking about New York girls be-
cause | know what they wear. Girls
| in New Jersey or Philadelphia may
be subject to the same criticism
| probably are. But | don't see them.
TOO short skirts arc worn by olIl
girls. In fact, the general trouble
with the street costume is that IL |!
! too short at the bottom and too shor
! at the top-it shows too much a
both ends. Things have got to tn
point whore you can't ride on n stree
car, standing up, without lookin'
down into somebody's bosom"
/ I NJ that dom
approve OF the modern bathing suit
| particularly the stDckinglcss ono"
| observed. THAT point | want TO ar,
| quo. II YOU knew how much harder /
! is to swim in stockings, and how tn,
SURF pulls them off!"
but | do not diSapprovc Of going ~
| bathing without stockings" dCnie,
! Mrs. O'Grady. to my intense satisfaC
| ton. Il understand that many poo
! pCrSons cannot afford to wear stock
parents cannot afford 10 wear stock
ings I'm tho water. And I'd rather so
a bare leg any time than n bare h1cl
or n bare bosom. As long 8 woman
wears a bathinr suit that covers he
| would never interfere with hcr 10
| not wearing stockings hut some
| body ought to put some clothes oi
| many bathing girls, as on girls n
/ dances and elsewhere.
"I am not prudo. and 7 move
was" wound up Deputy Commissiouc
Il O'Grady. II think there is nothinI
swCctcr, softer prctticr than Noun
H girl in a party dress with a dairt
lilllo round or oval neck and he
Il finger lightly described a SCmicirCl'
IT'S circumference perhaps two inchc
below tho collarhonc. 81 know thn
many girls who dress immodcstly ar
good girls. following the fashion. Ru
what n fashion II is-hOw silly, ugly
ridiculous. why should Cirla an