If my memory serves me correctly, the churches that my parents forced me to attend before my 14th birthday, were all pretty much united on the subject of women’s clothing. These were fundamentalist churches who had no concept of modern living or fashions.
All such churches said that their preaching was Bible based without the influence of latter day, modern days or progressive thought. Perhaps, their retrogressive view considered women as chattel which entitled the preachers, who were all male, and the elders of the church, who were also exclusively male, to specify women’s fashions. Preachers such as these, attempted to dictate styles for everyday wearing, not just for coming to church.
Most women in churches such as these wore dresses that came below their knees. All of them had necklines covered by tight fitting clothing. Christian women, at least those of mature age, would never consider blouses or sweaters or skirts for wear at religious services. It is my recollection, that these women favored long sleeved dresses in dark blue.
The preachers never complimented the women who came to church properly attired. No, they saved their ammunition for people who wore short sleeved dresses, with a tiny bit of skin showing around the neckline. Shorter dresses at the knees were greatly frowned upon. Sweaters and blouses and skirts were clearly the work of Satan.
All of this occurred in the late 1920’s up until 1936 when it came upon me that my stature was big enough to announce that church going was incompatible with my non-believing beliefs.
About this time, local radio stations would pick up broadcasts from fundamentalist preachers and air them over the radio, particularly on Sunday evenings. The radio preachers agreed with the preachers who harangued me prior to 1936, that women who wore modern clothing were on their way to Hell – and no one could help them. Can you imagine that some women wore shorts? Absolutely disgraceful. The one thing that was guaranteed to fire up these sort of fundamentalist preachers was a woman wearing slacks. The preachers called them pants, not slacks. It was their belief that pants were only to be worn by men. For a woman to wear pants was blasphemous. Who do they think they are? It is clear that wearing pants meant that women intended to displace men as the head of the households. That could not be.
There was never any discussion on whether the slacks were more comfortable or warmer in cold weather or whether slacks protected female modesty. They were evil, evil, evil and that was that.
Then along came World War II with its shortage of male manpower. Employers were more than happy to hire “Rosie the Riveter” and they considered slacks as part of the safety equipment for the job. Can anyone imagine Rosie on a construction job wearing a skirt or a dress?
World War II had its tragedies, of course. But it was a turning point of American customs, for the better. Arbitrary customs that had been enforced by the preachers was a thing of the past. And to this soldier from that conflict, the change was all for the good. It may have offended the antiquated religious views of some fundamentalist backwoods preachers, but modern dress for women was here to stay. It is to be applauded by everyone. And if a woman wants to wear slacks to church, she has my permission to go right to it.
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME
Now we turn to the second half of this story to consider daylight savings time.
The idea originated in England and was the product of William Willet’s thoughts. During World War I, the United States adopted the idea on March 31, 1918. In 1919 when the war was finished, the law was repealed. In World War II, the system was re-established. Proponents of the law argued that it would provide more daylight hours for recreation. It was also alleged that it would permit children to go to school in daylight hours.
As for going to school before daylight time started, at least in my case, was a case of coming home in semi-darkness. My school days were over before daylight savings time started again after December 7, 1941. When daylight time was in effect, it appeared that school kids would start for school in semi-darkness. So it is a case of picking which evil of darkness you wanted.
My memory of coming home in winter after school while regular hours were in effect, is that my route led through the downtown section of Clayton, Missouri. At about one third of the three mile walk home, it was my custom to stop outside the Kronsberg Surveying and Blue Print Company. One of my older brothers was usually at work in that establishment. A knock on Kronsberg’s big plate glass window would tell my brother that his youngest brother was outside. When it was very cold, he would motion for me to come inside. In milder weather, he would come out to the sidewalk to greet me. At age eight or nine, it was my hope to grow up to be a surveyor like my brother Charlie. Of course, it never happened.
Now you may wonder about the inclusion of a Bits and Pieces thought about daylight savings time along with the first piece on women’s clothing. The thing they have in common is that the fundamentalist preachers delivered one sermon after another decrying daylight time. Several scriptural verses were cited to prove that daylight savings time was the work of Satan himself.
There is a scriptural injunction that claims that God made light and “it was good.” For men to toy with a subject as profound as light was blasphemy, no less. On top of all that, the idea came from Europe where God did not enjoy top billing with the governments there. So in addition to railing against short skirts and female slacks, this gave the hard right preachers another string for their bows. These fundamentalist preachers had a touch of hatred as they decried modern customs. But women wore slacks and observed daylight savings time along with everyone else, except in those few communities that refused to acknowledge that the new time was a fact of life.
As was said earlier, World War II was a turning point for many American customs. Some 60 years after the United States government reinstated daylight time, few complaints are heard anymore. Many of us have some reservations about turning clocks ahead in the spring and back in the fall, but there are other things that now concern us. It looks like daylight time is a fact of life and we’d better accept it, regardless of what the preachers say.
E. E. CARR
December 29, 2003
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I feel like clergy get bored easily. Perhaps the Bible has instructions on what to do, if you’re a religious leader who feels like it’s time to spice things up a little.
1) Identify something that is different from how it was when you were a child. Technology, music, and fashion are generally good candidates.
2) Get yourself nice and worked up into a fit of moral outrage about this thing.
3) Convince as many people as possible that this new thing is sending people straight to hell.
4) As this thing gets gradually accepted by everyone anyway, insist on blaming this thing for any tragedy you like. Openly gay people causing hurricanes, miniskirts and video games causing school shootings, whatever you’d like.
5) Repeat.