Evening star., 1924-08-09
SPIRIT OF BRACGADOCIO CAUSED
MAN FIRST TO DON CLOTHING
Garments Indicated Rank and Importance, With
Protective Feature of Secondary Importance
to Ancients, Research ShO,Us.

Another pet theory must be con-
signed to the ras-bag along with
grandmother's black bombazine. Just
because Chicago's Winter slush origi-
mated the unfastened goloshes, or the
water-logged marshes of Holland
made Fritzie Dutchman take to
wooden shoes, not all clothes arose
from the necessity of protection
against the weather." says a bulletin
from the Washington headquarters of
the National Geographic Society
+ I'm fact. fashion has nearly always
defied geography, and the fiappers of
street or Broadway, in their chiffon
hose and satin pumps in the midst of
January blast. or those who brave
the rays of July sun, in furs, are
simply displaying atavistic tenden-
cies. for clothes were first worn in
warm and semi-tropical countries.
Garments Insignia of Rank.
Man first adorned himself in gar
ments to parade his position or rank
before less fortunate individuals, who
were content and thoroughly modest
in a G-string or headband. Concep-
tions of modesty came along later
with the donning of many gar
ments to show rank, there also grew
up the idea of adapting the garments
to the materials readily available.
The Turk oman. for instance, probably
likes his tall, shaggy sheepskin shake,
but he also wears this variety of hat
because 1T is one which the great
plains Of Russian Central Asia easily
afford.
Current history nearly always has
Influenced the ornamentation OF the
body or OF the costume, as typihed by
the sphinx-caps worn by the later
Egyptians and the Tut -ankh- Amen and
mah-jong dresses in vogue WITHIN
the last year or two.
From a scientific standpoint, how.
ever, clothing and ornamentatlon OF
the body were the same in the be-
ginning. and though climate during
civilized times has had marked in
fiuence on determining the weight
and warmth Of the clothing worn In
various localities we we nave We on. one
that climate and geography were not
the determining factors in the evo-
luton of dress. The Arabs. who live
within or in the immediate vicinity OF
the torrid zone, swath themselves in
heavy flowing farments, while the in
the climate is cold, rainy and dis
agreeable, attach by cords across
their bodies the skin of one animal
which they shift from one side to the
other with the direction of the wind.
When Clothing Meant "Styie."
"In the early days when quantity
of clothes meant rank and style. the
desire to keep up with the Jones
probably led some individuals to wear
so many garments that they were
weakening and deteriorating. for
Crosesus, who was the Rockefeller of
his day, dissertated at length on the
vice which was overtaking some of
his acquaintanceS in a letter TO his
friend Cyrus the Great of Persia
"One student of costumes of all
ages has cleverly divided the devel-
opment of clothing into two classes
the tropical based on the girdle, and
even these divisions have their COM
plexities. for the trouser may have
been a downward development of the
waistband. The Greeks, and Romans
got a kick out of the fact that the
northern barbarians against whom
they fought wore trousers. 1t imme-
diately became a new item which
they added to their fashion notes.
Trousered Women Cited.
But the girdle-trouser classified
ton has some other confusing points
both the men and women wore
them This is still exemplified in the
Eskimo and Chinese trousered women
of today.
''As the countries developed and
boundary lines became fixed. the ma
tional character of the peoples got
busy on their costumes. and we find
the Spaniard with a stiff run about
his neck and broad wings on his dou-
blet, the German with bizarre slash
ings on his coat and sleeves. the