The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-06-01
BLOOMER WAGES
 WAR WITH SKIRT
Style Cycle May Bring
 Back Pantaloon Of Old

[, Seventy-three years ago Mrs. Amelia Jenks BloOmer created a furore in America by wearing pantaloons in pub lie. Now a new generation threatens to bring back the neither garment named for it's first intrepid American sponsor, says the Milwaukee Journal.
 Women's styles, like history, repeat. The timid temperance waves which in- termittently rippled across these states now have them all awash. In like man ner it is not at all improbable that the bloemer is here to stay. In view of woman's selfruled sphere of today, never were chances for it's adoption as an outer garment more suspicious.
 An Addison Alarm
 The history of the boomers several attempts to displace the skirt starts about 1700, when no less parsonage than Joseph Addison raised the alarm against woman's invasion of the realm of mans dress. This was induced by the ladies' riding habit, which Addison's papers, in the Spectator described with much humor.
 In 1S4O Dexter O. Bloomer gave his name to Amelia Jenks, who was later to give it to the pantalOons planned and designed by one Elizabeth Smith Miller. Mrs. Bloomer combined dress reform with temperance and suffrage advocacy. She appeared at public lectures in a costume consisting of jacket with close sleeves, skirt falling a little below the knees, and Turkish trousers gathered at the ankles. The entire garb became known as "the bloomer dress" but the pantalettes, being the radical departure from convention, came to bear alone the name 'bloomers."
 John Bull Incensed
 History does not disclose that Amer lea took the hloomer seriously. Mi lady's tickle changes in style have never ruffled the American man to any ap- preciable extent. That may be because he believes all radical styles are but short-lived. John Bull, however, was greatly incensed over the importation of Mrs. Bloomer's costumes into his staid precincts. He tried serious and sarcastic discussion, but the fad thrived withal.
 Man had not, in that day, begun to take women's rights seriously. It was probably due to this fact that boomers were finally hooted down in the sos. Nevertheless the bloomer retreated fight ing. A sort of compromise was eff fected, which permitted woman to take over the British gentlemen's great coat, or "paletot."
 Then, about the year 1897, came the perfection of bicycles. Men rode them {; children 4 years old learned to ride velocipedes.' At length, the fair sex brayed their traditional, ages-Old mod esty and did likewise. Soon finding the long skirts of that period cumber-
 AL aknSr pardizing the woman riders dignity, the boomer, long lying in ambush, heard Mrs. Opportunity knock and came forth to be reintroduced.
 It Was Insistent
 ; Paragraphers trailed their prey again and shot witty shafts, artists caricatur- ed them, but, amid all the squibbling, the insistent bloomer thrived in every shape, form and manner from waist to ankles and sometimes shorter.
 With the motor car the much abused boomer was again laid by for a spell.
 Now comes the question: Has the fad cycle completed it's revolution? Is a surreptitious movement afoot to return the boomers to their former status? In the gymnasium, be it school, club or public, the bloomer is acceptable. The bloomer is a part of milady's golf cos tune, hiking ring and touring clothes. It is being suggested as a part of the stenographer's business suit.
 The bloomer is striding into sport popularity ,and is, mayhap, but a step from general wear as an outer garment. An analysis of the situation affords this slant on the bloOmer's prospects: The style cycle has brought back the bloom CT; it is- now seen doubling in a new role, as "pettiblOon1er," besides play ing extensively in sports afield and in- doors woman has the power to vote she can either popularize the bloomer and make mere man accept it smilingly, or she can legislate it into being with the eventually acquired weapon of the reformer.
 We bow to the inevitable.
 NEW PERFUME CONTAINER