DRESS REFORM LEAGUE "TROUSERS ARE COMING."

Evening Star, Issue 3733, 9 February 1875, Page 3

DRESS REFORM LEAGUE "TROUSERS ARE COMING."

The first National Convention of the Dress Reform League has been held at Painsvvle, Ohio. According to the reporters it was a thinly attended meeting of “I ItraRadical women,” many of whom desired the immediate emancipation of their downtrodden sex from petticoats, and who are perfectly willing to subordinate beauty to costume. I me of the most active of th members, according to the ‘ New York Times,’ is described as a “bright-eyed nymph m a lawn-colored tunic, reaching about to the knee and most of the Tidies wore those garments which have long been considered as exclusively masculine apparel. Dr. Miry Walker was not present, but sent a letter, putting her whole soul into the “ work of the liberation .o. woman ” from the embarrassing costume which, it would appear from the allegations of the lady speakers at the convention, is the cause of the present degrading thraldom of the female sex. William Lloyd Garris n, of Boston, sent a letter suggesting that some fashion be devised “ that shall combine propriety with neatness, artistic skill with freedom of choice, and shall be in accordance with the laws of physical health.” The ladies of the Painsville Convention, says the ‘ l imes,’ could hardly have done better than to have adopted M* Garrison’s paragraph as their platform—and, forthwith adjourning, have returned to their domestic hearths and cradles. But they did nothing of the kind ; they paid litffe attention to letters from nonattendants ; they organised and made speeches, they denounced the Boston Dress Reform League ; and Mrs Tillotuou, the corre-poMing s cn-tary of the convention, of whose tongue an irreverent reponer said that “it would keep pace with a telegraph sounder,” conmeed tire, Boston ladies roundly because they do ired to aibere to robes and draperies. “I tel you,” cried. Mrs Tibottson, exhorting the, a-r-embly, “this reform means trousers.” They are fieedom tons, and they will affo'd us prot cfcmn, i rousers are coming.” After saying which, this"inspired (.’nssaudra retired amid the grateful music of tumultuous annlau-e There were, however, a few other ladies present, introduced as “ M.D.’a,” who, while they declaimed against the health-destructive tendencies of the modern fashionable dress i f women, did not desire to be forced to a declaration iu favor of trousers. They brought before the convention convincing proofs that the happiness of the race depmded much upon the adoption of a diess which should not render women coulirmed invalids; and they gave necessary and sensible advice iu plain yet modest language. A 1 hough these ladies were iu the minority, they finally succeeded iu persuading the trousers faction to embody in the preamble of the convention’s platform a rather more moderate denunciation of robi s and flounces than it had originally designed. One of the resolutions sets forth that “to her um-hysio-logical, unnatural, and suicidal mmles of dress women owes hov physical inferiority to man, and chat un.il she so clothes her body as to be able to compete with Imr brother in the world of work, she cau never rise to a full equality with the sterner sex.” Some of the speakers took occasion to criticise gentlewoman tor the timidity which she displays before the tyranny of fa hiou, and the abject skivishness with which she copies every L.IIy foLted upon her attention by the race of dressmakers or “ dress changes.”