The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1920-09-03
He Doesn't Blame
Clothes for Lar Morals

Dear Miss Grey. Anent your col
umn's discussion OF current moral
standards and women's apparel and
other pick the beam out OF your
brothers eye" attitudes. allow a.
mere wayfarcr to offer a suggestion
or two for the menu.
Referring to women's drcrs. II II
refreshing TO read the letter from
"a Happy Wife" who. IL Is a safe
bet. has made n husband happy. May
she come again: for She strikes the
happy medium In recognizing both
the necessity OF the convention OF
proper dress for the body and the
proper control OF natures passions
by proper conventional moral IDEAS.
When reading the letter preceding
hers one wonders II the man author
of II can imagine n present-day civil
Atxafion. however moral. minus the
convention OF dressy As Carlyle sug.
ge~ts. can he picture a naked prcsi.
dent addressing q naked cougressf Or
q nude manager administering the
affairs OF city's largo department
store. It's nude patrons being served
BY mud. clerks. Or even a naked
messenger delivering your morning
telegram II he can fancy society
doing business thus and so. then he
must do so while under the infiu-
snce Of something containing more
than per cent
Perhaps clothes. like marriage H.
self. Is a humanity made institution
or convention. and only one OF the
several on which the great institn-
ton OF civilization itself rests. the re.
rnovai Of any one being quite suffi.
eient TO cause the whole structure to
soster IL not topple-
As To the causes Of dccadent NOR.
ais. may they not be due 20 other
causes than either sex or dressT
May this condition not quite natural
~ follow n desuetude OF definite
moral ideasy Perhaps IL Ia natural
In an age when IL is easier and more
fashionable to blame ones individual
Weaknesses on the state and the In.
Justice OF society than to look into
thine own SELF and set up a def
mite standard OF morality and per
!. sonaI conduct
= In philosophy II II found that as
&harac;er IL passed from strong tn
dviduals 20 the state. making a good
state. the character Of its future In
dGviduals are inevitably weakened
thereby. which I realize is in direct
contradiction 10 the SOCIALISM, prom
isc that to make a good state will
make the individuals composing II
good. Were their THE socialists
theory true. u should be possible 10
maintain stable homeogenity.
which in all organic life has not yet
been found.
There are those who hold that hap
piness and character may be legislat-
ed into the heart OF man. but when
. ali OF the dreamers. who so pity the
race. have accomplished their pur-
pose and social justice shall reign SUI
preme. then--in those days-shall
men see with their eyes that hap
piness IL not TO be had by creating
4 privati ton OF the causes Of unhappi.
ness nor 70 be measured by weigh
ing the reasons why one should be
happy or ought not be unhappy.
The sexes can only rise or fall to.
eether and there never was an in.
decent act committed without the Co
operation OF one OF each sex. both OF
which contains individuals OF vary
ing degrees Of morality and weak.
ness; but cannot see why II Is that
ali degenerate men. and seemingly all
women. hold the idea that only some
women and no men live up 70 a sin
gle standard Of morality. The writer
fs approaching his 10th year. has
never been guilty Of an immoral act
or tempted any girl or woman. while
be has been many times tempted Of