The result was that in addition to the two forms of dress above mentioned,
two more patterns were authorized, one for man's ordinary wear
and the other for women, both following Chinese styles,
but all to be made of home-manufactured material. This was to soothe
the ruffled feelings of the manufacturers and traders,
for in purchasing a foreign suit some of the materials at least,
if not all, must be of foreign origin or foreign make.
During a recent visit to Peking I protested against this novel fashion,
and submitted a memorandum to President Yuan with a request
that it should be transmitted to Parliament. My suggestion is that
the frock-coat and evening-dress regulation should be optional,
and that the Chinese dress uniform as sketched by me in my memorandum
should be adopted as an alternative. I am in hopes that my suggestion
will be favorably considered. The point I have taken
is that Chinese diplomats and others who go abroad should,
in order to avoid curiosity, and for the sake of uniformity,
adopt Western dress, and that those who are at home,
if they prefer the ugly change, should be at liberty to adopt it,
but that it should not be compulsory on others who object
to suffering from cold in winter, or to being liable to sunstroke in summer.
I have taken this middle course in order to satisfy both sides;
for it would be difficult to induce Parliament to abolish or alter
what has been so recently fixed by them. The Chinese dress,
as is well known all over the world, is superior to that worn
by civilized people in the West, and the recent change favored by the Chinese
is deplored by most foreigners in China.
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