Clothing and Morals
Clothing has nothing whatever to do with morals. The Turks, who are so modest that for centuries they refused to exhibit the faces of their women, are no great examples of morality. On the other hand, with some of the semi-savage tribes clothing is a matter of convenience entirely, yet their moral standard is high; in some instances adultery is punished by the death of both parties.
In most habitable regions clothing is necessary for warmth. It is not necessary for the protection of morality. The less clothing we wear, beyond what is needed for protection from cold, the better will be our health. We need the vitality which comes from direct contact with air, sunlight and water. The sun is either directly or indirectly the source of all life. The human body needs sunlight just as much as does plant life. A plant placed in a room away from the sun will die. It hasn’t the vitality to resist the influence of a sunless existence.
Civilized races have covered the body with clothing for so long a period that the skin in some instances assumes death¬like pallor. The healthy tan that comes from exposure to the sunrays is, however, enjoyed by an increasing number of people. The amount of clothing considered necessary to-day represents a truly marvelous improvement as compared with the prudery-smudged years of not long ago. But we are still encumbering our bodies with too much clothing.
While one cannot run straight in the face of convention with impunity, every person should favor those styles which make for exposure of tiic body to sun and air, the use of porous materials, and fashions that provide perfect freedom of bodily movement. Styles vary, but some are always more sensible than others. Everything, from shorts for tennis to hare legs for girls, that releases the body from superfluous clothing should be encouraged. Wherever it is possible to do so with-out offending the sensibilities of others, one should expose the whole body to sun and air. The particular parts of the body that we are careful to hide need sun and air more than any other parts, so every available opportunity should be accepted to give the entire body the benefit of sun bathing. It is a tonic of untold value.
Sun and air and water are invaluable, winter and summer,and no early shame associated with the body should prevent us from making the most of them, either in the course of re-taxation, exercise, or specific curative purposes.