OCR Text |
Show WOMEN SOLONS MAY RETALIATE ON MEN By NIXOLA GREELEY-SMITH., From Maryland come the glad tidings tid-ings that a bill has Just been Introduced Intro-duced into the legislature which will limit the slzo of hats worn by women wom-en to a diameter of ten Inches. Not so long ago ;l meddling measure was proposed by one of the solons of a Western state which concerned itself it-self with the proper length of hat pins. Kvery two or three months the newspapers tell of similar masculine efforts to establish over women in general the carping censorship of her deportment and apparel which every ev-ery wlfo encounters In ber own home. J wonder if it has occurred to any rf these legislative Invaders of woman's wom-an's sphere that a dark day Is dawn Ing when we will be able to retaliate upon them for Interfering in what they have been pleased to designate as our domain. When Mrs Belmont Is representing represent-ing her constituents at Albany and Mrs. Gilbert Jone forges her way l mllliantly into public life to convince other women that they ought not to not be forgiven. It it, a brave mnn that attempts even in his own home to control the sartorial fancies of one woman. And he who seeks to llglslate about the apparel of a whole state full is rushing rush-ing upon inevitablo doom. Retaliatory legislation is fair between be-tween nations. Who touches a feather feath-er in your Hindu turban docs so at the perl of forfeiting some cherished possession of his own. To me It only seems a pity that all these was regulating regu-lating our finery cannot be passed, for In that event we'd have even the lady "anils" running for the legislature legis-lature In six months New York Evening Eve-ning World. . - 00 there, some avenging .lae will drive a leglslatlVc' spike through the masculine poul by Introducing a bill making It a misdemeanor for any man under CO to wear a frock coat, and declaring that upon the appearance lr. the public streets of anyone wearing wear-ing that sartorial abomination, the silk hat. he can be arrested and tried for a felony. In the latter provision, of course, special exemption should be made of Osrpr Hammerslein and of musical ami dramatic critics, since It would be 'obviously unfair to de. prlve a large and worthy elasa of one of the tools' of Its trade. The wearing of red by blond men with nshen complexions should also be forbidden by stniiite Women realize real-ize that certain colors are by nature predestined for dusky beauty and there is no reason why men should not bo compelled In the Interest of the general landscape to similar dls crimination. And Then The Green Kelly. If the atrocity known as the green kelly or Its successor, the moss colored col-ored plush head covering, Introduced by Harry Lhr, ever makes its appearance ap-pearance after women become legislators legis-lators a special bill must be passed constituting Its wearing a capital of fense. But perhaps man's sartorial sins for a tim? at least mkht be permitted to go nuheeded. There are graver needs for reform. For instance, that good old torture of the middle ages, boiling In oil, might be revived for the creature j who halts a whole line of people go-ing go-ing up the sub.viy or down the "L" stairs while he lages out a cigarette and a box of matches and slowly and deliberately lights up. Strangely enough I have never seen this particular par-ticular male nuisance referred to, though column have been written about careless women who draj: their skirts up and down those same stairs, putting men to the trouble of not stepping step-ping on them. I have often lingered In compulsory leisure behind one of these fiends who can t wait until they reach tho street for a cigarette and wondered what ought to be done to him and his kind. Bolllnc oil seems to be the answer. He Needs Suppression, Too. Of course the man who Jostles by you and then turns around and glares because you got In his way demands legislative attention, while a whole session might be devoted to wajs and means for the suppression anil punishment pun-ishment of the masher. But perhaps these suggested me-.-jres all come under un-der the head of class legislation, and are unconstitutional. What does that matter? No one ever hears of the freak bills concerning the size of women's hats and hat pins, or the enforced use of the short skirt, or the taxing of bachelors, bach-elors, alter their In-roductlon. They simply enable some inute. Inglorious statesman to get his name In the papers and provide reeded material for the cartoonists. But though men collectively in legislatures admit their inability to copo with the question of feminine fashion, there Is no doubt that each separate Solon goes home and renews tlie rtcry of the folly and 1 eonspicuousness of large hats and expensive ex-pensive feathers: 'he Insanitary parade par-ade of trailing skirts, and the dangers dang-ers that lurk In the deadly hat pin And then after having convinced his wife of her utter lack of dlscrlmina- j tlon and (aste ... J , "By the w ay, I neej some new neck 1 ties Get mo half a dozen when you re 1 down town." I Couldn't iTrust Him Does the meekest, most admiring and foolishly fond wife ask her, bus band to buy neckties for her. or'-crtl-lara. or gloves? She d-s not. And If by any chance he brings such things home she Is apt lo wait Ju,t long enough for him to forget about them j so she can have them exchanged. Who steals, ber vote, steals trash, i she may be persuoded. but he who fllche frora her right to wear a j combination hat and umbrella over I I jv if it u uloajc.3 her. will |