Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1921-09-23

was nothing in the law to prevent
women wearing trousers il they so
desired, he started something. The
Seattle Post-Intelligencer,' aiming to
test the public opinion, sent an in
terviewer out to talk with prominent
Seattle people about it. The results
are set forth in the Seattle paper to-
day in the following:
Whistling girls and growing hens
alike come to some bad ends.-The
Ancient Saw.
Sharply divided is Seattle opinion
on the matter of trousers for women.
A number of leading citizens take
the broad middle way and are eau
tious at denying woman the right
assigned her by State Attorney Cen
l.. L. Thompson to wear trousers If
she pleases, although deploring the
tendency slightly. Others align
themselves with the Rev. P. A. Klein.
Dunlay Baptist church, who believes
that Scripture forbids the practice
and condemns to future punishment
those who observe it.
Summers folkways, textbook on
morals and customs, considered a
classic in many colleges, comedies
certain relation between morals and
dress, but says in effect that time
destroys this relationship. A promi-
nent Seattle physician based his
opinions on trousers for women upon
Sumner.
Either More or Less.
"Immodesty" said he. "immodesty
in dress consists in weaving either
more or less clothing than Dcpstom
in the particular country and at. the
particular time the wearer makes
his appearance. For example, Be-
douin women appear in public in
so many blankets that they appear
like moving vans. II such woman
takes of a single layer Of her blan-
kets and still wears seven layers, she
is considered highly immodest.
Quaker women wear kerchiefs.
Fer a Quaker maid to appear with
out her kerchief is as indecent as the
appearance of French woman in
bathing suit ON the public drive.
"Too much clothing is exactly as
immodest as too little clothing IL
custom in the particular place and
time demands few clothes. Mis-
sionaries in Borneo found highly
moral tribe of natives who wore al
most no clothing. The missionaries
insisted upon trousers for the men
and petticoats for the women and
overnight the tribe became so thor
oughly immoral that trousers and
petticoats had to be taken away.
1.-THE point u.s." said the physician
that all these matters of dress are
matters of custom and opinion. I
dare say that the appearance Of a
woman in khaki breeches on Sec
ond avenue thirty years ago would
have stopped trafnc and called out
the police reserves. Today, little is
thought Of such an appearance. My
own view IL that such dress IL COM
Portable ana hygienic and that the
women will wear them at all times
sooner or later and that the world
won't be a bit the worse.
Mrs. Everett Smith, president of
the Young Women's Christian As
ISOLATION. said she mildly deplored"
tendencies among women to discard
feminine attire for masculine habili-
ments.
Perhaps I am old fashioned"
said she, "but l believe in womanli-
ness and breaches are hardly wom-.
anly. I can't say / think that the
question is one of morals am rather
one of femininity and am mildly
opposed to this tendency"
Mrs. Smith said that the question
has been talked of among Y. w. C.
A. officials but that the association
had no rule ON the subject.
Mrs. G, H. Oren, general secre-
tary of the Y. w. c. A., was cautious
in expression OF opinion on the mat
ter.
"Ye," she said, ,"I believe the
girls in summer camp on cambridge
Island wore boomers but, although
there was no rule against it, it was
rather understood that they should
not appear on the dock dressed SO.
The association has left the matter
to the individual"
II wouldn't wear them myself"
said Mrs. Walter c. Beals, former
justice of the peace and prominent
club woman. II wouldn't wear
trousers myself but I can't believe
that the woman who does will be
denied salvation. l think that
trousers are not beautiful and really
I should say rather than CONSTITUTE
ing lure they are more unalluring