The Washington herald., 1922-08-28
LENGTH OF SKIRTS
NO MATTER, ? SAYS
DR.. WILBUR CRAFTS
Reform Leader Says
Character of Wearer
Is What Counts.
ASSAILS GAMBLING
Urges Letters to Senators
Demanding Passage
Of.Law.
ASSAILS GAMBLING

Bitterly assa!fing the gambling
evil recently exposed in Washing
ton" and declaring that IL was the
cause of many a Young mans down.
fall. DR.. Wilbur F. Crafts. presi-
dent of the International Reform
League. yesterday celebrated the
ffty-first anniversary of his FIRST
reform lecture, at the Mount Ner-
non Place Methodist Church South.
DR.. Crafts in his sermon on That
Boy and Girl OF Yours" urged upon
all the necessity for the passage
of 'the gambling law now held up
In the Senate" and asked that let
ters be written 20 Senator's point
ing out that need.
TT is essential that the United
States enter the league of nations
IL we are TO have q real brother
hood of man." DR. Crafts stated. He
explained that religious missions In
foreign lands were also an essential
feature in the ultimate development
of international brotherly feeling.
Gives views on Dress.
Following his sermon Dr. Crafts
told The Herald of his views on
the part played by dress among the
influences leading the younger set
astray, as viewed from his long
experience of investigating morals.
The question was given point by
announcement of dress dictators
that longer skirts are to be in
vogue this year.
ITS not the length of the skirt
that counts. but the morals and
principles of those who wear them"
according to Or. Crafts.
Il have no quarrel" he said.
with the length of women's dress
es. They used to be too long. now
many believe they are too short.
and ! have felt right along that
eventually they would get around
to the point where they would hang
about right.
1T is not the length of the dress
that matters anyhow. In my OBJ
servations recently on tour through
many States, 1 have noticed a great
majority OF the women and girls
wore their clothes modestly. A
woman may wear a short skirt or
a long one on the street and con-
duct herself properly and hence be
properly dressed.
lne OI lhNApAtc VI
the women in those dresses that
makes the difference. And the
dangers to those principles are not
in the length of the skirts but in
the manner of present-day dancing
in the character OF modern mo-
tion pictures and particularly in
the atmosphere attending automo-
bile parties"
Dress Not An EVIL.
Dress, according to DR.. Crafts. IS
not an evil in itself but tends
rather. to accentuate the three
basic evils, listed above. which he
holds as the progressive steps to-
ward lowering the moral nber OF
women and girls.
my sole views on dress embody a
belief that American women should
not copy styles from France. the
wickedest country in the world, or
from any other country or city
There should be American stand
ards OF dress, based on comfort and
modishness, without reference tc
the dress of other nations or the
commercial desires of our owr
business interests who seek to
rapidly change fads.
"A standard dress does not mean
a dress of a single pattern. There
could be wide varieties OF them
but there should be some general
standard for school and office wear
Women's clubs throughout the
country are coming to this idea
and supporting IL. 1t will NEAR
comfort with comeliness and will
| reduce the extravaganza resulting
from ever-changing styles, i'm
ported patterns and other expensive
fads OF today"