The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-07-13

About Bathing Saits.

woman. The one-piece suit =.
hampered BY skirts and saps,Ss
Gus material, u rapidly gaining ~
prevail. though It still shockh -
people ana IL barred at ~
many beaches. When police ~
quarters and beach superinten6nss]
get reconciled to it the bathk.
suit will presumably change se,2
that Is. II its past can be tsks
for the future-for the bathing ~
has always been q steadily ehaI,:
ing institution based on the pripS
pie OF novelty and shocks.
Bathing Long AGO.
No one has. apparently, writtn
q complete history Of this impol
ant garment, or even a treetis,
showing its influence on history.
Out OF the bathing suits ~.
past . few. scenes stand out IN =
lief. One Of these is a descfiptiss
Of the German baths at Badr
nearly . century before Column,
started out to make America ~.
Gus. The report is by . Ron
gentleman who travelled to ~ !
baths for govt and who was, a d.
neighbors had said he would b. n
together surprised. He wrote . =.
ter to q friend about 1t, and yeen
later 1t was published as an esan,
pie Of what awful things the r.
ropeans used to do.
What the Roman visitor saw ~
very like an aquatic cabaret. n
ladies foated about in the w,Ae
wearing Greek draperies n
wreaths OF roses. They hirtN
and exchanged shafts Of wit vtl
the large audience which was i.
ways gathered on the shore to y
plaud. Gentlemen on the sidelina
flung roses and coins into the n
ter to the prettiest girls, and II
mermaids, the debutantes Of u
middle ages, dived for. them II
quarreled pleasantly among then
selves for the favors. Men VI
came in where the ladies were b.
ing the water wore garments Soma.
thing like linen busters.
Meals Served In the Water.
At dinner time tables bearial
meals were foated out SO that III
bathers could get the benefit 4
the medicinal waters whit enioy'
ing a dinner party. Afterwafd
those present played games 1t Ii
floating tables, or sang and playe
musical instruments in the water
! The bathing suits Of the TN
were, as we have mentioned 4
| linen or muslin, though at some n
sorts where men and women batAsl
separately a necklace AMI vresA
of flowers were considered d.
! quate costume.
/, After this, there is a gap In III
bathing suits career. BY 1860 ma
| were beginning to wear one-pise'
suits as the practical thing 70
swimming, but the women were d
sewed , in blue serge from choka
collar to ankle-length bloomers N
a knee-length skirt besides, for q
ira protection. Even at that II N
not considered quite proper for \
dies to appear in public in bathil
suits, especially II men were batl
ing nearby.
| The radicals Of the day too
great pains to demonstrate III
these enveloping bathing cut
were modest and suitable and 1
sisted that eventually the publ
would get used to them. BIT
soon as the public stopped talkl
about the ultra-fashionable bathil
suit OF 1860, beach styles skipp'
along to a point where peoD
could continue to be shocka
Boomers got shorter. necks {
} lower, sleeves vanished, until D
one-piece bathing suit for WON
; was evolved.
u Where the bathing suit can
from the one-piece affair is a que
ton which a conservative mind
. person would hesitate to answl
The Annette is already a masts
! piece as to conservation Of mate
: ial and strictly business-like Ct
, Maybe, like the human race, q
one piece bathing suit is finish
|, | nroduct