Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1846-09-30

rk.s'L.riOs or a LErrxR TO a LADY rSoN On. sryKlLLk-
FARIu-

TO rather n severe proof. You ask my opinion upon the
employment OF ecrsets-whether they are. in fact. as inu.
nous to the health OF women rs hss been said; aud wheih-
or medical men have not. upon this point, somewhat exsg-
geratcd 7 well know with wha, ,eruples and feau your
maternal affection fills you upon this subject. Youi daugh-
ter, whom 1 have attended from her infancy, approaches
an age at which the desire to pleaseis very natural. But
Is IL possible TO please without an elegant form 7 and can
TINS be obtained without n marrow waist lin other words,
without the sgency OF the corset 7 These are important
questions. no, to be decided without care and circumspec-
ton. Its long since the subject has been sgitated. bat al
ways usolessly, the trumph OF tho correct only becoming
the moro assured. Rousseau changed the opinions OF con-
temporancs on many points. BY his eloquent declama-
tons he obliged mothers 20 suckle their offspring; and, more
than this, his doctrines and principles have shaken king
doms. raised nations against kings. and cast down the pow
erful; society has been moved to its lowest depths. and Eu.
rope convuiscd for fifty years. But | ask you, what has this
philosopher gained against whaleboncs transformed into
eorsets Absolutely nothing. In vain did he say that a
woman IN a corset was destitute OF grace, and seemed cut
in two, like . wasp; tho wittic-m obtained currency, but
the thing remained. Peter l. humiiates and dissolves his
formidable force. the StrelitE. scarcely q murmur being
heard: he oblges the Russians TO shave their boards. and
he h. seriously mensced: but what would have become Of
him had he dared to prescribe tho Russian ladies' the use Of
whslebono.!or had in any way mcddled with their toilet :
The Emperor } -eph ii. prohibited the use OF corsets. and
ordained that criminals only condemned to labor should
wear them. All this was useless at the end Of a few yesrs.
But what, then, is this formidable power which carrie.
the day against kings. philosophers, physicians, reason, aud
common sens-i Who is there that is ignorant Of i'll Who
docs not know its imperious decisions, its sentences without
sppesll In fact. does not fashion govern the world: and.
as regards your seS, is il not the only sovereign who rsixns
and goyernsi Upon those Who violate her DEGREES che in
aets the ehastisemeni OF niiculc. and at once all opposition
ceases. Reason may rsise her voice, bat every ear is clo-
sed. Reason advises, fashion acts; so that we may easily
guess which will prove victorious.
You zee, then. madam. ~hy this subject. SO learnedly
treated BY so many doctors, has As yet furnished such un.
satisfactory results. / maintain the principle. however,
that No must never weary ia preaching the good end the
useful. Something always results: and in this manner a
great evil may become diminished. aud n small one redu-
ced 10 nothing. How many strange customs, pr,iudicial
to health. have disappeared with tim. and perseverance, In
good advice. | might cite the s~wsddling.c clothes and han.
dases OF children the hairy Pis-'ais. hair powder. garters.
What would you say If some one seriously proposed IN
you TO forcibly compress one of your limbs for a long pc
uod1 They might indeed tell you that the smaller IL be.
came, the more elegant II would be; but you would not fail
to resist such torture. Besides the pain, the compressed
part would soon diminish in size, and waste away more or
less completely. The pale and thin muscles would no
longer enjoy their natural Nigour and ACTIVITY. tho vessel.
would diminish in size, and the part soon lose its strength
and beauty. Now, do you not think that this same com
preston, eXerted upon parts OF the body which contain the
most delicate aud important organs, must be attended with
yet more disastrous consequences7 These organs. pushrd
squeezed agglomeFated together, necessarily lose that de.
velopment which IL indispensable for their action and en-
ergy. And observe, this pressure is not made upon apy
isolated pointi Il embraces an extensive surface, and iust
tina: which corresponds TO the organs which are the very
source OF lie. Take a large corset, and measure its height
and dlamcters; and afterwards, when II is frightened TO the
degree fashion requires and suffering permits, compare
these admeasuTements with the body Of the person who
wears 1t, and you will be astonishod at the result.
But where is the use Of reasoning or experience for those
who are convinced not only that the corset is not injurious,
but that II IS useful Who is not aware that a thousand
marvellous qualities arc attributed TO III Ii support. the
waist, strengthens The body, gives grace TO the move
ments' and so on! As TO its Inconvenience. these are
rarely alluded to, or wholly denied. Far more lhan this.
1t the shape is uugainly, the corset will reerfy eyery-
thing; and It even cures a vicious conformation Of the
spine and chest! No sooner are the fatal words. She
Is all one side, pronounced respecting q young girl. than
every description of corset fit for the repaation, or at ali
events the disguise Uf the evil. is sent for; the fac, be-
ing, that these corsetS, so far from relieving the deform
Ity, assist and augment II, by COMPRISING, enfeeblipR.
and wasting the muscles. No matter; the torture continues,
as it This fact were not known. The patience of women in
this respect Is worthy Of admiration. Ask any Of them
II she is not too tight, but never will she allow il, how.
ever extreme hor suffering.
II must not, however, be believed that this instrument of
torture is of modern invention. More than one poe, of an.
uquity has r]eproached his counirywomon with it, employ.
ment. The Greek ladies had their seJodOsne, aud the Ro.
mon mstrons their edstHII, a kind Of small tunic which was
tghtened around the waist. According 10 Ovid (Fasti iy.
lad, the esrset woald seem to have been in as great
request among the Roman girls as among our own. Yet
women OF other nations reject this article OF dress with ad-
vantage. bsdy w. Montague observes, that nothing can
be more admirable than the forms vi the Turkish ladies
who regarded her corset as a machine in which she had
been enclosed by her husband. and whence she could no,
exuncate herself. The Spanish women, also so celebrated
for the elegant contour OF their shapes, do not employ the
Medie,. u rns %" is on syy during the lissiiT me Of # GG9gsbhs5i9e Dc
was introduced into France.
Some women have discontinued this article Of dre.s,
whether from fancy or nvsessiIy, without sustaining any
Inconvenience. IL Is the long habit OF wearing it which |
deceiye- most. Without il they do not seem dres.ed-as
Il something was wanting. This may be 80 for the first
or two OF the experiment, bot at the end Of a fortnight
AHN tA-o NeaA- ~ ~ FNtNNtNIN A1A Is III tut case l q 1
Hng long worn on the hnser' or any other object habitualy
enjoyed. Many young women, obliged TO ronounee this
strange article Of the toilet, have quickly found their health
The blood has then been allowed free circula- |
ton, the lungs full expansions; and the free movements |
permitted TO the body have soon reproduced and preserved
that fresh, animated complexion, the principal beauty of
the young, but which they so rarely possess in large towns. |
Surely the preservation Of health Is OF more consequence
than the retention Of these pieces Of whal.bonr9 II a
young woman, with the most beautiful form and richest
portion, does not possess health, adIeu To happiness and
pleasure, for her life IS s,rewn with tho:ns. Exemption
from suffering is almost everything in our rapid and short
passage through life, but 10 suffer from ones own fault
because we have desired its this not deserving the chas.
tisement which We have b:ayed, but which awaits us1
What Is most singular Is, that women are aware Of the
ia!u1Ousness Of tho cofsGt-thty insinctively feel that h,
action IS an unnatural and eminenly huuful one. Here j.
the proof. II, by accident, lady falls III in q crowded az
sembly OF any kind, a general cry Is raised by the Others
Gut her lacsn This Is done instantly-ths compressing
machine Is opened. air PUSHES into the lungs. tho victim
breathcs, and RECEIVERS; which. however, will not prevent
her Recommending the next day, so inexorable aud power
full lie this malicious emon-fashion.
/ am aware that, in approaching on the one hand these
inconvenience Of the corset, and on the other wishing TO
sacrifice to custom, you will ask me If there IL not some
form OF this machine less dangerous than another. It's
true that the iom and tize exert much influence on the
results aud effects which are produced, - thatIargs strong.
ly whaiebono or busked, stiff, inelssuc corsets-cuira,se
eorsets-are more nur,iul ,han small ones but the d,gfee
oil construction eXerted u the one simple and essential
measure OF the degree Of mischief occasioned. In fact the
varieties OF form are Of little consequence. A corset
which ~ exactly adapted 10 the body, without eKeT,inR TOO
AAAbA NNHfllNE Q
veloPment OF the growth, or producing ony i'll effect, does
net exist; and this philosophers stone ola model corset will
never be discovered, whatever pains be taken. II is i'm.
possible 10 mould the form Of a nymph in an apparatus of
itO1. An evident proof that these machines are hurfuI. IL
derived from the fact, that the endeayor j. constantly made
10 render them as little ~istiguing as possible. The materi-
ul has been varied; they have been contracted in caout.
eho1c' and transformed into light apparatus permoable to
ar; some are capable o. instantaneous unlacing. But ell
this - useless. The grand hyRueanic problem Of a corset
without danger, will probably Tor ever remain unsolved.-
In ul there Is this dialemma-sither the corset is worn loose,
and then where u IL uihityl Or it eKerts compression, asd
3 then dangerous. Whenever / see these per6dious in
siruments Of torture exposed for sale. / cannot avoid
s1uddefinR ai thinking Of oil tho evils enclosed within their
elegant contours. ] can believe that you intend your
daughters corset shall be Of proper form and size, and not
worn iJunousy tight. But observe that besides ongendor.
ing o dangerous habit, the exact point Of cInsincuon h. diI
heuit 70 se1e' Between the liulo snd the too much there
q q mathematical limo diTcuit 10 DO constantly folloXed-
Aud then experience tesches ~ that women, aud even girls,
have q mischieyous tendency 10 tighten themselves more
and more and especially II threatened with becoming