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Sunday -Bee Magazine Page
' 1 inn, -in Hi 1 1' . T ill i ri I
The Omaha
1 ,
Copyright, 1S1J, by the Star Company. Great Britain nights Reserved.
at is the Limit
of Decency
in Womans Press?
The Startling Summer Outburst of
Slit Skirts, X-Ray Gowns, Dia
phanous Waists and
Ch emises Ex
posees 9 9 Judged
by Philoso'
phers and
Preach"
mm " Wh
aw mmmmm
s "Startling exposures and innovations hi dress
MBBfo, Hfcfe, ceed ono another with such rapidity that thinking ISI
.fESTC M liaAffR ill-m IBE, iHl
"The uiual costume in which respectable continental European bath
U never considered improper although it exposes far mora than
rnoio laiccn at Ub tend.
By Rev.George W.Grlnton
ttastor of the Fordham Methodist
episcopal Church, New York City.
(""HE Immodest drew and unbe
I eomlng pese of young women
eften goad young men to
fury. If a girl scapes the flames,
the man does not, for nine times out
ef tea he makes his way te the Red
JLIght er 4he White Light district.
Who Is to blameT No reasonable
person can have any doubt about
the answer.
Prof. David Edgar Rice
Ph, (D., Columbia University,
Tho Distinguished Psychologist
RECENT startling innova
tlons In women's dross have
Inevitably attracted the at
tention of preachers ana guardians
ef publlo morality. These moral
(loaders have folt compelled to do
Bounce tho fashions thoy have soon
as luring young men Into bad habits
and even to ruin.
Eccentric fashions and daring ex
josurcs have followed ono another
with such rapidity that In this Sum
mor season we must ask ourselves,
How far Is this to got Women of
the most refined society wear skirts
moderately slashed at tho ankles.
Young girls of loss social position,
thinking to make themselves popu
lar, havo their skirts slashed still
higher. Wo have hoard It said that
If New( York girls wear skirts
slashed to tho knee, Chicago girls
ytlll wear them with two slashes
higher than the knee.
A remarkable fashion called the
"chemise exposee" has found many
followers. It Is designed to reveal
a garment that we always thought
ivras meant to bo concealed. Still
more outrageous Is tho so-called "X
ray gown," which was worn quite
conspicuously at that breeding place'
of fashions, the Chantllly races In
France.
This costume Is certainly more
startling than any slashed skirt can
be. It has elements of violent sur
prise. Seen In one light it appears
perfectly staid, while In another Ijt
offers a revelation that fairly takes
the breath away.
Such things as these merit the at
Mention of philosophic sociologists
and should bo discussed rationally
end not In a spirit which would seek
to suppress the color, decoration and
Innocent gayety of life. Certainly
the young man of to-day living In a
great city Is exposed to extraordin
ary temptations. The cost of living
makes home life, with Its simple
pleasures, unattractive or Impossi
ble to attain. The youth is drawn
towards external amusements, which
soon come to spell dissipation. It is a
wicked shame, we are told, that the
dress of ostensibly respectable wom
en should give him an extra Impulso
In the wrong direction.
Let us ask ourselves la the light
of philosophy how far a woman Is
Justified in following new fashions
that expose tho person and how far
the present fashions aro a cause of
demoralization. After oxarr.lnlag all
the facts and arguments I have
come to these conclusions:
1. That modesty Is an outgrowth
pf conventions. "
2. That prevailing fashions, In as
far as they work havoc with tha
conventions la which we have been
reared, are immodest
3. That fashions found Immodest
under the eecoad head are a cause
fit demoralisation
: j
weW
find out tho exact
nature of the harm
that arises from it. It
Is conceivable, if modesty
means only conformity to
tho conventions of dross, that
any stylo might become modest
by being adopted by a sufficiently
large number of women, and this la
what has actually happened In many
instances. But It happens that tho
practises we are discussing hero
touch the very heart of Boclal life.
Tho human form, hoth malo ana
female, is admittedly beautiful from
tho artistic point of view, and If
esthetic! enjoyment olono resulted
from Its display, tho matter would
not bo a serious ono. Bui through
the mochantsm of tnstinct, which Is
a part of our original naturo and
beyond tho conscious control of any
human being, however good his in
tentions mar bo, tho beauty of tho
human figure is Inseparably asso
ciated with tho sexual Impulse, and
"A costume greatly abbreviated at the ufN
per end causes no shock at a fashion
able evening affair and probably
does no harm,"
To be more precise on one Im
portant point a woman should nover
wear anything which startles her
xrlandn or the public. Exposure
which excites no surprise is harm
less. Wo will now apply philosophic
methods of Inquiry. ,
As to tho first point involved
that of modestyIt must bo said,
from tho philosophical point of view,
that it is an extremely complex
and contradictory quality. So many
elements enter into it that tho same
situation or tho same act may prove
to be either the very ossonce of pro
priety or tho graveat offense against
decency. It all depends. Maude
Adams, for example, as Peter Pan,
may display nor "nethor llmba"
on the stage to thousands avory
night without for a moment even
raising a suggestion of Impro
priety. But lot her appear on tho
street In the same costume, thinly
veiled with a skirt of flimsy silk, and
her reputation for modesty would bo
gone within an hour.
The fact Is that although we as
sociate modesty with clothing, mod
esty 1b not primarily nor essentially
a matter of clothing at all. Con
versely the mere quantity or style
of clothing la not in Itself a safo
Index to tho modesty of the wearer.
When custom prescribes or occasion
demands, tho amount of conceal
ment afforded by clothing may vary
within extremely wide limits with
out offending decency. The woman
who escapes from a burning build
ing clad only in her night dress, or
perhaps with tho very last thread
of clothing burned from her body,
Is every whit as modest as tho
woman who is gowned from head
to foot
It is asserted by students of eth
nology that among savage tribes,
whero practically no clothing what
ever Is worn, the women In thqlr
own peculiar way exhibit as keen
a sense of modesty as is to be found
In any civilized
country. A trav
eller in Central
Australia states
that when he de
sired to take a
photograph of a
group of young
women they wore
vory coy at the
proposal to- re
move their scanty
garments, and re
tired behind a
wall to do so;
but once In a
stato of nudity
thoy made no ob
jection to expos
ure to the camera.
Tho distinction
mado by these
women may seem
an exceedingly
flno ono from our
point of view. But
what shall we say
of tho womanwho "A suggestive contrast between a modest gown and an exaggerated form
exhibits genuine of the slashed skirt." Photo Taken at tho Actors Society Fair in London.
etnbar rassmont
Dome mis protection, modesty is tne
when a gust of wind exposes the
stocking under her walking skirt,
but who an hour later may bo seen
extended her full length on the
beach clad In a bathing suit?
This comparison affords a con
vincing illustration of the fundamen
tal fact of ethics, that In the last an
alysis morals aro nothing more nor
less than customs. Whatever sanc
tion morals may later derive from
what wo aro pleasod to call absolute
right the fact remains that In ethics
"whatever is is right"
In its origin modosty was an in
stinct banod on fear, prompting tho
individual to protect her body from
the approach of a stranger. In the
course of time the only protection
needed by the woman was that
against the sight of the stranger, and
inasmuch as clothing came to cyxni
characteristic of the person who
avails herself of this protection and
conforms to conventional Ideas of
dress so far as they concern the ex
posure of her body to disrespectful
glances. Modesty as we know It to
day Is only an outgrowth of conven
tions. It we accept this definition of
modesty, wo are, however, forced to
Bay that many of tho recent innova
tions in woman's dress as well as
the movements of the turkey trots
and tango dances are distinctly Im
modest. Woman herself has decreed that
only a very limited portion of her
figure shall be exposed to publlo
gaze. Eve adopted the fig-leaf apron
of her own volition, and her daugh
ters la various climes have made
whatever additions they pleased to
the original outfit In our own
country tho limits of exposure are
woll defined, although varying con
siderably with the occasion. Es
thetic considerations reduce the up
per limits in the ballroom. Con
venience and freedom of movement
curtail the lower limits in the ln-t
terest of the woman athletically ?'
inclined. A rainy day wo compla
cently allow to play havco with all
our traditions. But with these and
other minor exceptions, tho require
ments of modesty in dress are pret
ty definitely fixed, and may not be
transgressed with impunity.
So far we have been concerned
only with establishing the fact that
Immodesty in dress and social
amusoments actually exists. The
important consideration tben Is to
"Tho so-called X-ray skrt from Paris is
the climax of all these extravagances."
PbotoaranU TAn f Chantilly Races.
It is tho uncontrollable strength of
this impulse that is tho cause of
much of our social woe.
If tho effect produced by a wom
an who appears Improperly clothed
In publlo places were confined to
her own circle of acquaintances lit
tle harm would bo done. In factvfa
mtliarlty with her real virtues might
completely counteract any harmful
Influence. But unfortunately, the
effect Is more far-reaching. Every
Indication of Immodesty on the part
of a woman tends to break down In
every man who sees her that in
stinctive respect for tho sex as a
whole which constitutes its strong
est safeguard against insult
There Is little wonder, as has
been pointed out so frequently by
writers on this subject, that so many
women aro treated with scant coui
tesy in publlo places. The growing
disrespect tor women 1b an ovil for
which they themselves are In largo
part responsible.
Nor is it an extenuation of tho
harm that may result to say, as
many well meaning women do say,
that even though they may adopt
the styles that are under criticism,
they do not carry them to extremes.
By a peculiar psychological process
the power of suggestion grows
stronger In. proportion as the actual
reality is kept in the background.
When little is left for tho imagina
tion to work upon, interest largely
falls. When limits are exceeded, the
feeling of disgust enters aa-a saving
factor. And so It well may be that
the woman who carries her audacity
to extremes is doing less real harm
than her moro conservative sister.
In art, if It is permissible at all
to raise the question of morals in
art, It is generally rocognired that
the nude is moro moral than the
thinly draped figure. And in tho
real life of human emotion's a few
Inches of well shaped ankle showing
out from under a fluffy skirt proves
more attractive to the spectator
than the entire form of the ballet
dancer.
It is a rather odd coincidence that
this charge should be broughtl
against the sex at tho very time'
when women are showing an
aroused Interest in social welfare.
It Is an interesting question whether,
because of our quickened social con
science, we have Just become more
sensitive about an evil already ex
isting, or whether wo are face to
face with a new situation, tbe ten
dency of which is to further confirm
our traditional bollet in tha delight
Cul inconsistency of woman.