Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1860-01-21

! J
the women are complaining of this ant
that and it must be the English basemen
houses
What Fifth Avenue does, the girls VIII
can earn their living by dress making
book-folding, shop.keeping and the like
factory-girs in the country and the coun
try ristocracy-imitate as far as they arc
able. But it is not night after night, anC
II alternates with more active and out-of
door daily life, and the disastrous result,
to health are not so noticeable. Is mol
this a suicidal epidemic ?
FASHION ON THE SIDE OF HEALTH.
But fashion, which has done so much for
the injury OF our women, has done some
little lately to ameliorate their condition
The expansive crinone and modern hoops
have reduced the number and weight OF
the skirts which pressed SO fearfuly, and
which still so injuriously weigh upon the
abdominal viscera. But although the
words of eloquent warning so forcibly ut.
tered by Miss Catharine Sedgwick have
had so little effect upon our countrywomen
IN introducing the general wearing of skirts
held up by the shoulders, we will reiterate
the cry Of Observation-Disclosures
tlIl II may awaken every mother to the dan
gers hanging over her own child, every wo-
man to the oppressive cincture hanging
around her own waist, pressing upon vital
organs till they are forced into unnatural
situations, destroying the capillary circula-
tlon in the skin and external layers of YES
sells ; creating deep-seated congestions. re-
suIting in chronic if not lifelong lasting
weaknesses which make life wearisome and
its duties impossible.
But it is useless, perhaps, to reiterate
the cry of 'Shoulder-straps,' unless we can
show to those who ore not sufficiently inge-
NOUS as to make simple waist with shoul-
der-straps upon which the skirts may all
button, some easy and etfectual manner by
which all this may be accomplished. A
corset manufactured by Douglass and Sher-
wood, of this city, answers this end in
most complete manner and so for the
last time we will utter the warning implied
in the watchword of 'Shoulder.straps =
FACT TO BE SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED.
One other fruitful source of the many
nervous and debliating causes of woman's
present degeneracy cannot be passed by in
silence, for it is so widespread over the
land, so early developed, so nsiduous in its
growth, so utterly incurable, for the disor-
dered mind is less able to follow the prompt
ings of its own better judgment, or even
the threats and entreaties of friends. 1t
IS delicate matter to broach, yet when it
is subject which is Of such vast import
ance, which is noted as fearfully prevalent
In the American community, and to far
greater degree propably than among the
women of any other country in the world,
why should we shirk the subject why
hesitate to say plainly and without quibble
that personal abuse lies at the root of much
OF the feebleness, nervousness, pale, waxen-
facedness and general good-for-nothingness
of the entire community 1t is indeed
convincing proof Of the actual chastity of
the American females but its physical re-
suits are far worse than those which would
proceed from criminal immoralities.
This is one of the greatest evils of our
boarding g-schOo educational system, where
the advent of one girl thus corrupted will
introduce a moral epidemic into this large
family Of pubescent, hot-bed brought-up
girls, worse for the ultimate well-being of
this little community than the virulent
scourge of scarlatna; for while the latter
takes its quota and at once consgns them
to an early grave, the former but toys with
its victims, destroying the mind and un-
nerving the body. Foreigners are especial
ly struck with this fact as the cause of much
of the physical disease Of our young wo-
men. They recognize it in the physique, in
the sodden, colorlesS countenance, the lack
lustre eye, in the dreamy Incidence, the
general carriage, the constant demeanor
indicative of dstrust mingled boldness and
timidity, and a series of anomalous comb, |
nations which mark this genus of physical
and moral decay.
This is not matter within the scope of |
general investigation; truth is not to be ex-
pected from its haJitues, parents are deceiv-
ed respecting it, believing rather what they
wish than what they fear Even the ply
sician can but suspect, till time deyelopeS
more fully by hysterias, eplepseS, spiual
irritatons, and train Of symptoms unmis- |
taxable even if the finally extorted confes-
sion of the poor victim did not render the |
matter clear Marriage does indeed often |
arrest this final catastrophe aud thus APP
shifts the responsibility upon other
and to the injurious effects of
early marriages, to the ills of maternity |
are ascribed the results of previous person
al abuse.
For statistics and further information on
this all-important subject, we must refer
the reader to the opinions of physicians
who have the charge of our retreats for
The insane, lunatic asylumns and the like;
10 the discriminating physicians Of the
amilies of the upper classes, stimulated
alike by food, drinks, scenes, where ease is
predominant, where Incidence is the habit
md novel-reading is the occupation, for fur
her particulars on q subject now but bare
y alluded to.
POSITIVE SINS OF COMMISSION.
Bat now having treated of venial errors,
ins against ones own self, for which self is
punished, and for which self may perhaps
70 allowed to stand forgiven, if the suicide
5 to be forgiven, We must turn to sins of
eeper dye sins which admit of no palia-
ion, sins not only against self, but sins
gainst God, which no plea of ignorance
an avail, for they are not the sins of the
Al. bo |