The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-02-27
The War on Bloomers.

nevertheless, bloomers Tara ho.
ly denounced or as hotly annro-s5
by everybody who talked. wrote - ~
lectured about them. They -
taken seriously by the undaco.a0
tive blue stockings, and 50 ar.
failed to appeal very much In ~
younger people who might nov
popularized them They died a i'm
gering, natural death. ''-
Modern knickerbockers. Iits a..
old boomers, have sought the io,.
ell of the skirt in vogue. Sill.
go up and down, but they have nav
er before gone quite so high and
they are now wavering toward
drop. This was the psycholog3cai
moment - the first in cept1r;s.
when Knockers might succassf,iis
appear on the streets. Thev war
only a step from the knee leng+6
skirt and so they attracted yerv
little condemnation.
Knockers are now being worn IN,
sports, on the street in the davtimo
for shopping, and in general for
Informal wear. Their popularity "a
a permanent feature Of woman,s
dress depends on their possibili.
ties for variety So long as tbav
have some touch of novelty the
chances are good that women viii
continue TO be interested in them
One enthusiastic wearer Of tha
tweeds insists that knickers in soft
silks of delicate shades would Ina
as decorative costume for eve
ming wear as a skirt. She admits
however, that unless Knockers be-
come firmly entrenched as an ac-
cepted article of feminine apparel
this sort Of evening dress will re-
main a vague dream.
The fact which makes It seem
likely that knickerbockers will
remain popular is that they have
been introduced naturally, without
any suggestion Of dress reform at
tached to them. The vogue OF
sports brought about sport clothes
and these became popular because
women were not frightened away
by the words sensible" or re
form" Instead they were attract
ed by the newest styles which hap
pened to combine comfort with
novelty. So long as knickerbock-
ers continue to be associated with
the latest fashion by reason Of new
trimmings, cut, or material, they
may be expected to rise in favor
At any rate, they are here to stay
for actual sport wear.
Mr.. ThOmpsOn's Prophecy.
Several years ago Vance Thomp-
son, in his book on Woman pre-
dicted that women would approach
the question of trousers by wearing
the sort of clothes that men wear
for hunting, riding and other
sports. Women were already wear
ing leather bTeeches, he pointed
out, for airplane travel. They wore
riding clothes. and we're
to wear knickerSoekers
and breeches on the golf course.
These he mentioned as signs of wo-
mems awakening interest in trOus-
ers. and lie approved OF the start
Mr.. Thompson's views on sport
clothes are unusual and interest
ing. He says, in part: Il do not say
that the dress men wear for sports
is the ideal dress for human beings;
but it's the best we have in our
It is the best thing
women can get today. I am per-
fectly certain that once they have
this kind of dress they will
make many Improvements. So in
the end you will have a tolerable
dress in which human beings, men
and women alike, can go about
when they are concerned in human
business.
You see what I am driving at?
THE human dress is for humans
occupied in human affairs; it be-
longs to men and women alike.
81 do not care tUppence how
woman dresses when she is bent on
Then she may put on
silks and spangles and all the fal-
ais that she has found, by expert
ence, help to blow a man down.
When she goes out dressed like
hat men will know what she IS
can take to cover. g.
when. however. a woman Isl
eading the normal life of humanl
being, she should IF she has any1
;elf-respect) dress like normal
luman being.
And her skirt. just because it II
badge and advertisement Of heTN
.ex, belongs on the dust heap
With the dead bird on her hat.