The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-12-24
LADIES' COLUMN.
Female dDfess.e Has /
se4S4 BY Do LEWIS Mn

II Dress reformers proclaim shor
skirts as the remedy. This ia well
The short skirt is an Improvement
a movement upward, but of a conse
quence compared with the re-adjust.
ment of the dress about the middle
of the body. That part contains the
vital organs. Is man strong? it il
because the middle of the body ia
strong. Is woman vigorous2 It ia
because the middle Of her body is de.
/ Feloped and actively ~. IL al
The changes needed in woman's
dress are the following, and believe
their Importance is in the order
named:
/. The dress about the waist is to
be very loose, without whalebones or
other stifening, and the skirts carried
with suspenders over the shoulders.
z. The arms and legs are to be so
warmly dressed as to maintain a
healthy circulation.
3. The skirts to fall to the knee.
have said that the importance of
these several changes is in the order
named. The lungs, heart, liver and
stomach, which together make up the
fountain of life, must have room, or
the vital forces must halt. With the
corset and tight-lacing, these organs
are reduced One-third In size and two
thirds in motion.
Heatthsand equilibrium of circula-
ton are interchangeable terms. Who
soever, whatever living thing, either
animal or vegetable, has defective cir
culatlon, has defective health. Elan
nels. cotton padding, thick shawls,
cloaks and furs piled upon the chest,
while the legs are covered with sim
gle thickness of cotton cloth surround
ed by balloon in the shape of a
hoop, steams the chest and freezes the
legs. The legs and arms, separated
so far from the centre of the body,
surrounded by the cold air, need, to
say the least, as much clothing as the
body, and ought to have one, or. in
cold weather in this climate, two
thicknesses of thick wooden. Women
complain to me Of headache, tell me
their blood il all In their head and
chest, while their feet are as cold as
ice. With the fashionable dress how
can it be otherwise. Let them cover
the limbs vita one or two thicknesses
OF warm flannel, and the feet with a
warm dress, and the head and chest
will be Immediately relieved.
The short. skirts, although in i'm
portance 10 health the least vital of
these three changes, is nevertheless
very important. The skirt should fall |
a little below the knee. The pants |
should be the large Turkish pants. |
which, made long enough TO fall to the |
ankle, and fastened at the bottom by
being drawn close about the ankle
with slight elastic cord, should then I
be drawn up to the. place usually oc-
cupled by the garter, and pulled down
TO the middle, or little below the |
of the calf of the leg. When
going out into thecold air the exposed |
part OF the leg should be covered with
> patent leather anklet, and during
The cold season of the year that part
of the leg should be covered with two
:hicknesses of wooden. While all this
peculiar arrangement is, in point of
:onvenience and protection, less salts
factory than the straight pants, such
ls gentlemen wear, / nevertheless ad-
seit, becauseit 10 very easy to in
'roduce the short dress with these
pants, and very difficult to introduces
THAT is known as the bloomer Co.'S
ume. For example: in my school at
Lexington, Mass, I had more, than a
hundred fashionable young ladies last
Winter, all of whom wore con-
SANITY during the school year
the short dress, the gymnastic cos
ume, while all of the fashionable la
lies of the village outside of the in
tltution adopted the same dress.
indeed it is almost rare to see in
lexington lady with a long dress. II
IN attempt to introduce the Bloomer
ostume, L am sure, would have
roved a failure, not in our own
ouse, perhaps, but in our influence 4
utside, All through our part of the
ountry, when we go out to ride. we
ee ladies in the short dress. Indeed
ONE of the clergymen who observed
hat our young ladies changed for the
'ngldress on going to, church, came
, me to say that they. hoped / would
low them to come in their short
resses for they liked very much to
BE them. A single lady appearing in Il
lie streets of Boston in the regular IT.
'lOOmer costume attracts agcroWd of !
oys, while twenty of our young la :
les can 60 into Boston without re-
ark or notice. The fact is, we men
nd boys are very jealous of our Z
reeches, but the gymnastic costume
oes not involve that garment, and
we lords. of creation give our con-
mt to its adoption by our sisters.
Eugene is said to be getting bald ON
lie top of her head, 1.-The penalty Of j
he ridiculous dance she has led the a
world, in the making up of :,
he ha.r.s We cannot'say that we are :,
,rry Tor her; and if it shall have the :
feet OF transferring the waterfall" ia
'thetop OF the head, the monstrous F
will at least have the an