ONLY TOO TRUE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 27 July 1927, Page 3

ONLY TOO TRUE

CRITICISM OF MEN'S CLOTHES CIMCKET SHIRTS. BUT NOT KILTS "I. "would make a plea for a keener appreciation by 'men' of the mental and physical heallii-giviug properties of the free air. 1 would suggest to them that, (hey should look 1,0 shingled Miss Diana. 1027, the typical aid of-docr girl oi lodav, as their model, copying not, only her habits, but also' her common sense in the mailer of clothes. ■ I'Yesli air is a medicine which should he taken externally as well as inlerual|v, and, if we are to avert, that decay which comes about from over civilisa. timi, we must bring back into our Uvea some of those simpler gifts of nature for wliich modern life has tempting bid, poor substitutes. The instinct of women has already set an example which the. reason of man is slow to follow. The cull, of clipped lliiiir and skirls is wo. man's long-delayed awakening to the folly of stuffiness.". —Lady Dowdcn, in tiie "Empire Review." "For many years—indeed, for many centuries—men and women alike have worn too many clothes. A mixture ot bad taste, prudery, and ignorance of hygienic laws combined to ombolslor and enfeeble the sex which .submitted too long lo remain the passive sex. Now at, long length women, have seen the light anil followed the light to see them !" adds Lady Bowden.

A UCIIITECTUIIA L CORSETS "Gone for over are the voluminous floor-sweeping petticoats; gone are the stuffy restraining sleeves; gone are tho> unhealthy bundles of useless hair; and gone is the clanking accoutrement ol corsets whose deceitful function was entirely architectural. In place of all these atrocities, wc have the sensible and graceful raiment that justifies the modern girl as the pioneer of healthy clothing. Her loose and exactly adequate costume permits her body to receive light and air and her limbs to move with lissomeness and freedom. "And what of man? lie has not budget! a yard where she has progressed miles. His body is still supported by what someone once called 'two Doric columns whoso tubularity lie seeks in vain to mitigate by means of a trouscr press.' He still girds bis neck with a collar which lie draws close with tho help of a tie. When he luis arrayed himself in such air-proof gfftwnents as waistcoats, jackets, and collars, ho pulls the sack-like arrangement tight about his neck with what lie is pleased to call his necktie.

SLAVE TO DAME FASHION "That necktie is, perhaps, the symbol of bis subjugation to a convention Tar more rigid than the laws of Dame Fashion, which man is so jn'onc to deride. Civilised, urbanised man has far to go before masculine attiro attains the high state of hygienic perfection so recently and happily achieved by tho feminine. When will be allow his tailor to make suits fit for heroes to live in'/ Did ever an adult man in finy age in any country cut so comic a figure as a golfer of to-day in his oar-splitting plus fours, which serve no conceivable purpose hygienic, athletic, or aesthetic? The functions of clothing, as someone has pointed out, are 'decoration, de, coney, and defence,' and it should be chosen with those ends in view. Woman's motto in regard to this question is, 'How to bo healthy, happy, and handsome, though dressed.'

MAN TOO CONSERVATIVE "It is an excellent motto, and she lives well up to it. But man appears to be too conservative a creature to make any radical change in dress, and I imagine the day is yet far off when men will adopt such sensible and comfortable garments for everyday wear as kilts and cricket shirts. If his trousers could be superseded by kilts (which will never occur), if neckties and de. tachable collars could be burned by tho public hangman, and if the wearing of bowler hats could be made a penal offence, then the masculine section of the race would bo healthier, and not only healthier but happier."

WALKING After developing this theme, Lady Bowden concludes Iher excellent article by stating:— "Tho most readily accessible form ot outdoor exercise is walking. It is also probably the best, because it exorcises a- large number of muscles gently and evenly. Moreover, when we walk uphill fairly fast, we arc breathing from the bottom of our lungs. Now most people could find far more opportunity' for walking than they imagine by a little careful arrangement of time. Timo should be treated as a possession not to be lightly squandered. Our allotted span of life is but some 600,000 hours. Not even the millionaires among us throw away their pounds as recklessly as most men fling away their precious and irrevocable hours.

I would suggest as a valuable maxim: Take care of the hours and tho years will take care of themselves. Suppose we began by devoting a minimum hour a day to* fresh air worship, Suppose, for instance, wo retired to bed half an hour earlier and remained there half an hour Jess. This exercise in self-discipline would, in itself, benefit us, but it, would also have the additional advantage of adding an hour for devotion to fresh air to every dav of our lives.

■those who own gardens would find no difficulty in occupying themselves 'airily' during that added'hour of life, but all those workers who employ some means of transport to take them to theii place of work would be both healthier and wealthier if they walked part or all ot the way that they customarily cover by (rain, bus, or tram. If this walkcould he directed through green places so much the better."