Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-02-28
Shall Women Wear Trousers'
By Frederic J. HAskin

Nevertheless, boomers were hotly
denounced or as hotly approved by
everybody who talked. wrote. or lee
tured about them. They were taken
seriously by the undecoratiye blue
stockings, and 10 they failed TO appeal
very much TO the younger people who
might have popuiarized them. They
died q lingering, natural death.
Modern knickertockers. Ike the old
boomers, have sought the level of
the skirt In vogue. Skirts go up and
down, but they have never before
gone quite as high, and they are now
wavering toward g drop. This was
the psychological mornent--thc first
In centuries when knickers might
successfully appear on the streets.
They were only q step from the knee
length skirt and 10 they attracted very
little condemnatibn.
Knickers are how being worn for
sports, on the Fl rect IN the daytime.
for shopping, arid in general for IN
formal wear. Their popularity as a
permanent feature Of wornen's dress
depends on their possibilities for va
riety. so long an they have Some touch
OF novelty the chances are good that
worfien win continue 70 be interested
. in them. One enthusiastic wearer OF
. the tweeds insists that knickers in
! soft silks OF delicate shades would
. be as decorative costume for even
ing wear as skirt. She admits
| however, that unless knickers become
firmly entrencbed as an accepted ar
2 ticie Of feminine apparel this sort OF
3 evening dress win remain vague
r dream.
The fact which makes IL seem likely
e that knickerbockers viii remain popu-
2 lar is that they hade been introduced
{ naturally, without any suggeetion Of
2 dress reform attached 20 them. The
g vogue OF sports brought about sport
= clothes, and these bscarns popular
[ because women were not frightened
: away by the words "sensible" or re
j. form" Instead. they were attracted by
q the newest styles which happened %
combine cbnfort with novelty. go Iona
as knicke1bockers continue to be s-o-
ciated With the latest fashion by rea-
son OF Htw trimmings. cut, or ma
. terial, they may be expected TO rise
II in favor. At any rate, they are here q
stay for actual sport wear.
Mr.. Thompson's Prophecy.
o Several years ago Vance Thompson
II in his book on Woman" predicted
r that women would approach tho Ques-
% ton OF trousers by wearing the sort o.
70 clothes that men wear for hunting, I'd
n ing, and other sports Women were al
IL ready wearing leather breeches, h'
,s pointed out, for airplsne travel. The,
% wore suitable riding clothes, and wer
= beginning TO wear knickerbockers AT.
A. breeches on the golf course. These h
.. mentioned AZ eigns OF women's awak
a, ening interest in trousers, and he ap
n, proved Of the start.
III Mr.. Thompson's views on apor
clothes are unusual and interestin.
3. He says, in part: II do not say ths
> the dress men wear for sports 10 IN
ideal dress for human beings: but e.
the best we have IN our civilization
II is the best thing women can get "a
day. ! am perfectly certain that ono
they have adopted this kind OF ores
- they viii make many Improvement
s. on IL. And the men will 10 quick I
ie take on these improvements. SO IN th
d end you will have a tolerable dress !
l. which human beings, men and won
r en- alike, can go about when they al
Id concerned in human business.
IT You see what I am driving at?
TO The human dress is for human
occupied in human affairs; It belont
f. 20 men and women alike.
ty Il do not care tuppence how a won
10 an dresses when she Is bent on Sc,
capture. Then she may put on sill
70 and spangles and all tho fal-lals tn.
"a she has found, by experience. help
!. blow a man down. When she goes OF
=. dressed like that men will know VIII.
she is about-and take to cover.
When, however, a woman IS lea,
Sn ing the normal life OF a human bein
H. she should (if she has any seif-r
IT. spect) dress like a normal human b
ee ing.
he And her skirt, Just because Il is
ur badge and advertisement OF her sc
as belongs On the dust heap-with q
dead bird on her hat"