Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-03-29

3 HARPEN RwPEhN.FEGR E65RLEY willing to give rip
derbies or soft col.
nrs or striped socks to please the en-
picyer! We fancy that committee
from the union would tell the capitalist
tnat 1t was none of his. business what
sae personal attire of the employea was.
VET, Of course, there are folks who
= will object to my parallel case. and
eay that derby hats do not affect
0orals. whereas short skirts do! We
wonder If this is actually true; does a
nan who is clean minded and decent
u his attitude toward women. espe.
s1any toward his business associates.
suddenly change his nature and become
low, insinuating scOundrel. Just be-
cause the showing of the pretty little
legs of the employees who are ynun;
girls demoralizes him? We cannot be-
lievc 1t.
Anyway. whenever a custom becomes
universally prevalent. or so common
~ to be almost unnoticed. il ceases to
entice. In Turkey. for centuries, the
moral Idea that has prevailed is that
II women show their faces, the whole
decency of the nation will be impcriled.
i A bare face Is regarded as hopelessly
vulgar and shocking. and no man Of
standing would endure having any OF
his wives SO improper as to no expose
her face. We can hear the Social
Purity Societies Of Turkey dcclaiming
on the evil that would result the mo-
ment that wells were cast aside
Yet who does not know that dark
. eyes above the soft white veil are he.
! witching. and lead to many a stolen
rendezvous, when adventurous youth
! risks fury and even death to gain a
glimpse of the face that'is so coquet-
!, tishly hidden.
ONLY few years ago women in
~ America wore dresses that swept
the pavement. Filthy as was this
habit, unhygienic and foolish. it was
regarded as absolutely necessary to
modesty and morals. Bicycles at first
were ridden by women stepping into
the side seat. their skirts so long as
to catch In the wheels or pedals, and
often throwing the rider upon the
ground. OF course the necessity of a
costume or some practical comfort was
apparent. and one had to be devised.
~and boomers or shorter skirts came in
vogue. In time girls wore knicker-
bockers and rode astride, but hows
went up from press and pulpit. and in
one great university the male students
used to line up and deliberately insult
fhe girls. who were only trying to use
Q costume that was comfortable and
safe.
But time changes all. and who would
now pay any attention to the bicycle
or horseback riding costumes, or even
the frank knee trousers worn by noun
tain climbers or women going on long
hikes? ---~ n
A CRIMINAL who has recently en-.
"A tered prison for twenty five years
Tor attempting to assault some college
z GIRLS Is said to have humorously re :
marked that 1t was all the fault of the
short skirts. and that at the end of his
term. quarter century hence, he
hoped the styles of women's clothes
would have changed! Now. n this be
true, II Is serious indictment--how-
ever. the newspapers may have joked--
but II does not seem possible that de :
cent man would have suddenly become
degraded.
OF course, silly girls have gone to
extremes, and outraged ones sense OF
N appropriateness and good taste in their
4 o4ce dress. Just as blondined hair and
caIcimtned faces and rouge that resem-
bles that OF circus clown are In
y wretched taste, and are actually re-
pulstve TO sane men, when they view
e1ch In business Office or store or
factory. so are the skirts that show
the knee and give the impression of a
ballet dancer about to trip out to the
footllshts.
But It surely would have been more
/ digniied and in keeping with the idea
Of personal liberty had the employers
3 Ne mentioned merely made some gem
erel statement as to giving the pref
erSnce In positions Of high salary and
y trust tO the women who dress with
eoine idea Of sense and appropriateness
at their work. rather than 10 have
essayed to regulate their employees
ME majority Of girls are modest at
n keart and do not want TO attract
1T men. but 10 please clean, god
~ ~ ~ lss,7~-