The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-12-03

The Freedom, of the Knees.

activity of her life. The short sst
therefore, suits her, The fiaS,A
who sails down the avenue Al -
is a shop or Office worker q
will, it is true, go to extreme I'M.
to make herself fashionable D.
she still founts the short ~
and dares the horrible fate Of -
ing perhaps regarded as old-fass
ioned. The short skirt. We 49,
been told, is comfortable. ana ~.
not carried to extremes is far ~
10 be decried than the hobble skiss
sheath gown, the Transparent N
ray skirt, the germ-catching trsls
and other whims of recent years
The knee is getting more attss
ton than it has had for centurss
There is even a sentiment in favs,
of a return to knee exposure Is
men. While women are so inbas
uously pursuing freedom and int.
rights. men. it seems. have beas
entrapped by fashion into forget
ting their long held right Of free
dom of the knees.
While his lady went weigbss
down by a ton of silk train. rs
| courtier of a few centuries BAD
proudly strobe about in doublet al
hose or breeches and boots. A good
calf and a trim ankle were asset
Of manly beauty. A man might loas
himself down with a velvet cans
He would wear sleeves that IA
sembled giant sausages. He wou8
| even appear in trunk hose WbieB
made him look as if he had a pumB
kin about his waist. and forced
him to go through doors sideways
But his leg remained pretty Coz.
sistently in evidence. And anon
all the gossip and TRADES againsi
extravagant fashions there is no
record, that we can find, to show
that the world ever objected 70 the
masculine knee.
The Pest Of PaRtaloons.
Yet at the beginning of the 1911
century. statesmen and tradesmen
alike allowed themselves to be en-
cased in trousers. Even Thomss
Jefferson, whose shapeIy calf was
so widely admired, SURRENDERED to
the demands of style. This step
taken by Mr.. jefferson called forth
signs of regret. 1t was admitted
however, that he could do no DIFF
ferently, considering that he was
of the progressive school OF polls
tics. For politics were the means
sby which trousers were railroads
into the fashion in this country.
The Republicans, being the pro
gressive element. took to wearing
full length pantaloons IS a symbo.
of their. courage to abandon Che
conventional. The Federalists, o.
the other hand, chung to the knee
breeches and buckled shoes as 4
badge of gentlemaniy conseTva-
tism.
It is interesting to note that The
society of the early 18th century
regarded trousers as uncOuth. An
official refused the duke OF Vel
Iington admittance to an ASSEMBLY
in London because he appeared al
the door in trousers Mistress Mon
roe at the White house made it :
rule that gentlemen were to at
tend the presidents receptions il
the conventional small clothes
But at last trousers took the place
of knee breaches even at society
functions.
That the modern mans clothes
are unbeautiful. insanitaTy and IN
| comfortable has been pointed oul
by Irwin Cobb in an impassioneg
plea for the return Of shof'
breaches such as are worn in Tie
army and for golfng. He feels thai
the stovepipes in which modern
man stalks around hide q feature
of his anatomy about which he can
i'll afford to be OveF-modest lie
points out that a man generally re-
tains the shapeliness OF his calf long
! after he has lost the slender W2is'
and wavy pompad0ur of youth
But it is the comfort OF ne
army breeches which COBB beWa,H
most. He predicts that knee breeca-
! es will eventually be one OF ts
fruits of the war since SO man
men had the chance to test theI
advantages.
1t would be a rash prophet Fha
would dare predict that the ZEN.
mime leg is TO be out or IN mem
month. But it may be forecasts
with certainty that the leg will MOI
| retire TO its old status Of continual
seclnsion. Now that it has beea
dragged into the limelight II WI
| be WITH us. at intervals anyway
for years to come.