Great Falls tribune., 1921-12-05
The Haski,1 Letter . sss2as4s assas
THE FREEDOM OF THE KNEES.

], therefore, suits her. The flapper who
sails down the Avenue at noon is
shop or office worker. She win, It is
true, 90 to extreme limits to make
herself fashionable. But she still
flaunts the short skirt and dares the
horrible fate of being perhaps regarded
as old-fashioned. The short skirt, we
have been told, is comfortable, and
when not carried to extremes is far
skirt, sheath gown, the transparent,
X-ray skirt, the germ catching train
and other whims Of recent years.
The knee is getting more attention
than it has had for centuries. There
| Is even sentiment in favor Of re-
| turn to knee exposure for men. While
women are so impetuously pursuing
freedom and their rights, men, it
seems, have been entrapped by fashion
into foregoing their long held right Of
freedom of the knees.
| While his lady went weighed down
| by ton Of silk train, the courtier of
few centuries back proudly strode
about in doublet and hose or breeches
and boots. A good calf and trim
ankle were assets Of manly beauty. A
man might load himself down with a
velvet cape He would wear sleeves
that .resembled giant sausages. He
would even appear in trunk hose which
made him look as If he had a pumpkin
about his waist, and forced him to 90
through doors sideways. But his leg
remained pretty consistently in evil
dence. And among all the gossip and
there is no record. that we can find,
TRADES against extravagant fashions
to show that the world ever objected
to the masculine knee.
The Pest Of Panfat0OnS
Yet at the beginning of the nine
teenth century, statesmen and trades
men alike allowed themselves to be
encased in trousers. Even Thomas
Jefferson, whose shapely calf was so
widely admired, surrendered to the de-
mands of style. This step taken by
Mr. Jefferson called forth sighs of re-
gret. 1t was admitted, however, that
he could do no differently, considering
that he was of the progressive school
of politics. For politics were the means
by which trousers were railroaded into
the fashion in this country.
The Republicans, being the progress
siye element, took to wearing full
length pantaloons as symbol Of their
courage to abandon the conventional.
The Federalists, on the other hand,
clung to the knee breeches and buckled
shoes as badge of gentlemanly con-
servatism.
1t is interesting to note that the
society of the early nineteenth century
regarded trousers as uncouth. An of
admittance to an assembly in London
because he appeared at the door in
trousers. Mistress Monroe at the
White House made it rule that gen
tlemen were to attend the presidents
receptions in the conventional small
clothes. But at last trousers took
the place of knee breeches even at so
ciety functions.
That the modern mans clothes are
unbeautiful, unsanitary and uncomfort
able has been pointed out by Irwin
Cobb in an impassioned plea for the
return of short breeches such as are
worn in the army and for golfing. He
feels that the stovepipes in which mod
ern man stalks around hide a feature
Of his anatomy about which he can i'll
afford to be over modest. He points
out that a man generally retains the
shapeliness of his calf long after he
has lost the slender waist and wayy
pompadour of youth.
But it is the comfort Of the army
breeches which Cobb bewails most
He predicts that knee breeches will
eventually be one of the fruits of the
war. since SO many men had the chance
to test their advantages.
1t would be rash prophet who
would dare predict that the feminine
leg is to be out or in next month. But
it may be forecasted with certainty
that the leg will not retire to its old
status Of continual seclusion. Now
that it has been dragged into the lime
light, it viii be with us, at intervals
anyway, for years to come.