Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-08-05
CLOTHES AND THE WOMAN
A Sermonette Delivered by the Rev. n,
o. lawton,

! 0. lawton.
AS fools rush in where angels fear
to tread, l shall take a shot at this
ever new and always perilous subjecA
Arms and the man sing" began Vr-
gil in exalted strain. Things and the
man l sing" is Kiplings first line OF
live poem. Clothes and the woman
l sing should challenge the genius or
modern man of song.
Some astute critics Of women and
their apparel hold that women dress to
please the men, while others contend
that women dress to impress ether
women. Being a mere man, such
knowledge is too excellent for me. ]
know this much, however, some wo-
men are so fearfully and wonderfully
arrayed that they profoundly impress
both the male and the female of the
species. Most men like for their wiveh
to appear well, but few relish seeing
them, frightfully over dressed or fear
fully undressed. They have a GER
tain wholesome pride in the way their
wives look. The men often fail to
mention it to their wives. but 1t
p!eases them when they make an at
tractive appearance and when they are
dressed in keeping with "the eternal
fitness of things" 1t would help in
every way If the men would more "a
ten comment favorably.
The extreme modern dress is some.
thing new under the sun-unless we
class bathing suits as dresses. We have
two extreme attitudes to the modern
dress. Some reformers affirm that the
women who wear such clothes are in
decent, bold and desirous Of attract
ing the sensual attention Of the men.
The other attitude is one of intoler-
ance with the first attitude. They
contend that the evil is in the minds
of the meddlesome reformers. Evil TO
him who evil thinks" They hod that
the extreme modern styles are healthy,
cool, comfortable and sensible and that
the modern woman wears her abbre-
waited clothes today with as much
modesty and innocence as her an
cestors wore dresses which covered
them from the top Of the neck to tn
soles Of the feet.
Well 1 suppose both are partly right
and partly wrong and the truth, as
usual, lies about midway between the
1.k1N Al ~,
deed, multitudes of women today are
free from any evil thought whateves
when they array themselves in dresses
that are too thin and too short at both
ends-and we know that some dress
that way with wrong motives.
We also know that the extreme
styles have a tendency to cheaper re-
spect and reverence for women and to
break down in large measure the ma
tural barriers that should separate
man and woman. For this reason il
for no other, the extreme modern dress
is dangerous and often vicious in is
influence. When the women of ma
ton are cheapened in the eyes of
men of a nation, and lose their re-
spect and the attitude of knightly
chivalry, that nation is headed for the
rocks, and if the women do not call u
halt the nation will be dashed to pieces
against the rocks.
The average woman does not think
OF this phase of the matter. In her in
nocence and purity she thinks these
things are absurd and those who sound
a note of warning are impure in their
thoughts and busybodies.
What sort of advice would right
thinking men, who are married and
have daughters, give to their women
friends if they condescended to ask
advice. Wouldn't it be something like
this: Avoid extremes In styles. Do
not spend more for your clothes than
you can afford. Think much of your
appearance and dress with taste and
an eye to what is worn now, but don't
go wild on the subject of dress. Try
to look as we'll as you can but don't
over try. Remember that the lilies of
the field are better dressed than Solo
mon in all his glory. because they are
simply dressed. Don't send your hus-
band to his grave ten years too soon
because you make him work himself
to death in order that you may graft
fy an abnormal desire for clothes. THE
life is more than meat and the body
than raiment" Learn to put first
things first and second things second.
Dress is not a first thing; it is one u.
life's seconds Bear in mind that the
dress of women is not only live sub
ject but it is vital!y connected with
the morals and the welfare Of nation,
Greenwood Index journal.