The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1859-04-12
NO. 65I.
The Dress ofGirls.

We recommend Mr.. South, eminent Eng
lish surgeon opinion upon dressing girls,
TO such Of our fair friends as it concerns:
"When the child begins 10 run about,
the top Of her Dress though in some degree
altered, being still to wide TO allow tho
prope. resting of the straps upon the shoul-
ders, so as 70 keep il up, the dress sips
down fist on one side and then on the
other, and to relieve herself from this in
convenience, and even to prevent the dress
dropping entirely, the child is constantly
hitching up one shoulder and then tho 9th
or, OF even both to once. Usually, how
ever, beth sleeves not drop down equally,
becomes the habitual hitcher, and the trunk
in this action being continually thrown to
tho opposite side, the spine naturally bends
that way, and henco very frequently origi
mates n crooked or curved spine, which is
usually first discovered by the medical at
tendant whose advice is asked, on the
mothers attention being drawn to one
shoulder being higher than the other, and
wishing to liaye 1t corrected.
"rhe mode Of preventing these fearful
consequence is simple enough The sound
ness of the childs lungs, and the straight.
ness of her spine, aJo preserved 10y one aud
the same mode Of management. Dress
the girl properly, 10y having the frock at
least as high as the collar bones, and the
upper opening Of the otEer parts of her
dress only so wide that tho shoulder straps
can have a good bearing, and not slip off
the shoulders, the dress will then be sup
ported as it should be, on the shoulders,
and cannot slip down, consequently, there
will be 40 hitching, nor any curved spine
from that most common cause Of it, and
the chest will at tho same time be protect
cd from cold.
The next Ill treatment to which a gill
is subjected, is that of enclosing the greater
part of her body in bone stays, which, COW
ering about the lower two-thirls Of her
chest, and reaching as low as the hip bones,
wide at the top and bottom, but narrow
enough in the middle, with broad steel or
wooden bus in front, curved forwards, but
with its ends bent backwards and with
pair of stiff whalebones behind at the lacing
edges, besides large array Of other small
or bones ofthe same kind, are so ingenious
ly contriyed as not merely to prevent tho
expansion Of tie chest necessary for the
proper performance Of inspiration but ac-
tually to diminish its capacity at its lowcr
or widest, part; so that the poor child has
her chest really put into a vice and can on
ly breath very imperfectly, for the silly
purpose of preventing her waist being
thick, which is the real object of wearing
stays. Mothers, however sometimes delude
themselves with the notion that they thus
encase their girls in steel and whalebone
for the purpose Of giving them support,
whilst in reality they are destroying their
children's health and constitutional powers
by jamming up the great organs of respir-
alton and circulation into very much
smaller space than is necessary for the duo
performance of their functions, and there
by disopsing the lungs to that fatal Jisor
der consumption, which, though commonly
attributed to the variability Of our climate
may, believe, not less frequently be traced
to this most abomnable custom of stay
wearing, and its attendant, tight lacing, for
being early impressed with the notion that
the elegance of their figure depends on the
Vi Ineir stays, uost Sris S'ecuiy
imbibe this pcrnicious habit, and screw their
waists so..tight that they suffer constant dis
tress for the sake of fashion. This stay
wearing is as needless for the attainment
of its object as i. is serious in its results;
for have known few as well.grown and
finely formed women as coull be met
with, who never wore bone stay till Is or
10 years Of age, one of whom, however,
was silly enough so to encase herself on
her wedding day for the first iime."