The Washington times., 1919-10-19

Logiea1Iv the Next Step Was 70
Cut Away More Of the Garment
Exposing the Arms and Increasing
the Display Of the Back.
And
The Present Daring Style Was the
Mex, Obvious Step in Evolution,
Bringing Us 20 q Complete Dis
play of the Back and Underneath
the Arms, with Almost Invisible
Shoulder Straps to Hold Up the
Front Of the Bodice.
made extraordinary efforts to attract the
surviving men. In many cases their efforts
were aided by the State. In ancient Athens
when long foreign wars had reduced tie
number Of men to the minimum, the gov
cram. took a hand In the matter and de-
creed that the tunies Of al 7omen should
be slit from the hip down we have no In
formation as to Just how effective this
measure proved to be, but the record Of the
enactment Of the law has passed down %
bos erity. Similar phenomena are recorded
in Rome af.er the Punio and civil wars
in Germany after the Thirty Years War
and at other times.
Before the late war no nation perhaps
ever suffered so much loss as France dur
ing the terrific struggle that began with
the great revolution and ended With the
fan Of Napoleon. In accordance with pre-
vious experience, we hnd that that period
was marked BY the most immOdest and
fantastic fashions that have ever been
seen.
As the women Of France recovered from
the gloom Of the Reign Of Terror, they
blossOmed forth into the most frivolous
and reckless costumes imaginable. It
would fill vOlumes-and very entertaining
Ones-tO describe the ultra-fashiOnable
costumes Of the Directoire, the Consulate
and the Empire periods. / have gazed
upOn many quaint illustrations Of these
costumes, and can at least say that they
are very remarkable.
During the Napoleonic wars very
gay and striking colOrs we're favored, as
well as scanty material, as II such cOlOrs
were best suited to excite the War-Worn
sons Of Mars. There IS a theory that in
times Of war the sensibilities Of men are
hardened and that a corresponding coars-
ening Of the other sex must occur, but Of
this I am not convinced.
One favorite costume Of the DirectOire
period is similar TO that already mentioned
as having been decreed in Athens-it was
slit to the thigh.
After the revolution and the Reign Of
Terror the women Of France returned to
this very Greek costume, and in cuts Of the
time are reproductions Of a particularly
noticeable one that was called by cOntem-
pOrary writers "The Savage At
that time the great scarcity Of
materials had sent the prices
soaring to heights that would
make even ours seem fairly en-
durable. and this scarcity of
cloth offers another excuse for
the reduction of the quantity Of
material used. A chronicler OF
the time wrote sarcas.icaily that
the women seemed not only bent
on divesting themselves of every
article Of apparel not absolutely
necessary, but had made I'D their
minds 70 make the remaining gar
ments as small and thing as pos
sible. However that may be, they
went to such lengths that the
Church took the matter in hand
and carried it up to Rome, and
on October 16, 1900, the Pope is
sued a bull, which was referred
to as follows in the London Times
Of January, 1901:
The Pope, after
speaking In appropriate terms OF
the present scarcity Of clothing,
and the sensations Il might ex-
cite even In the bosom Of a with
cred monk, and, quoting the authority of
st. Clement, His Holiness strictly enjoins
MS officers, civil and ecclesiastical to re-
press by fine or corporal punishment, ae-
cOrding to the circumstances Of the case,
these crying enOTmities. He directs, too,
that punishment should be extended to
such damsels as though at first sigh.
they appear properly attired are never
.heless decked in transparent robes and
with VoluptuOus attire display themselves