The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1870-07-01
IS TIGHT LACING INJURIOUS 2
Discussion at Ladies' Meeting.
From london Punch

Discussion at Ladies' Meeting.
From London Punch
A meeting of fine ladies was held the
other evening at Phillis's Rooms, in Or
der t , discuss this interesting question.
In virtue of possessing the most fash
ionable figure her waist only measuring
fifteen inches and three-quarters, Miss
Waspe, by reclamation, was voted to
the chair.
In opening the proceedings, the Chair
woman remarked that, as her breath
was rather short, she would beg 10 be
excused from making a long speech.
Hear!l Fashion, they all knew, was
Omnipotent with ladies, and now that
fashion had revived the custom of tight
lacing, ladies were obliged to cultivate
8 fashionable figure. They might not
all arrive al the perfection she had her.
self attained. [Cries of Question y
and "We1l try, dearP'l The advantage
of acquiring so slim waist as hers was
only to be gained by hours and hours OF
actual torture. GSensation.l Mas ii
faut soufrir postr etre belle; and if they
did not mind few fainting fits at first,
followed by continual debility and head
ache, many ladies might enjoy the pleas
ure of possessing waist not much ex-
[Cheers.
Miss Pinch said her experience entire
ly agreed with that OF the fair Chair
woman, though, unhappily her suffering
had not yet been rewarded by the rap
ture of obtaining quite SO fashionable a
figure. Still, her waist barely exceeded
eighteen inches and half [shuddersl {;
and she hoped, by perseverance and a
good strong lady's maid, to reduce it
before long to more genteel dimensions.
Applause.
Miss Lovelace said she also had suf-
fered much from headache since she
wore tight stays, and once or twice had
tainted at the dinner table. Her doctor
had told her she was running her health /;
but she didn't mind her doctor while
she obeyed her dressmaker. BraUo!]
Miss Casper would like to ask, what
could doctors know about it? They
didn't wear stays, did they? How,
then, could they tell what ladies suffered
from tight-lacing
Mrs. NJ. Bonpoint observed that, al
though she tried her utmost, she could
not reduce her waist to less than nine
teen inches. ["Poor dear!"] Even this,
however, made her wretchedly uncom-
Portable; and after eating good dinner
she was frequently obliged to have her
ihCe5 cut, " save Y.
Her doctor tried to brighten her, by talk
which had often proved fatal. But she
would rather die martyr than to dress
out of the fashion. (Applause.
Miss Wheyface said she feared that by
acquiring small waist she had injured
her complexion. Her nose was getting
red now, and her cheeks were pale and
pimply. Some one had told her this
was owing to impeded circulation. But
she was consoled by having a fashion
able figure.
Miss Tucker said the worst of wear
ing tight dress was that it took away
ones appetite. Since she had reduced
her waist, she could not eat one half OF
what she used to. [Sensation.] Now,
this was a great misery, for she was
fond of eating. Still she had rather
give up her custards than her corsets.
(Cheers.
Miss Gosling thought it was not lady
like to eat much. Rude health was a
most untemiuine possession. A person
to be fashionable should be always rather
delicate; and nothing insured this so
nicely as tight-lacing.
Miss LaZie remarked that another OF
its benefits was, that it prevented any
muscular exertion. To lie upon a sofa
anu eau alI was iCi
idea ofalmost perfect earthly happiness
and, as tight-iacing unfitted.her for any
useful work, she had borne like mar
tyr the torture it has caused her.
Miss Waddles said she could not walk
well in her stays, they made her feel so
stiff and wooden. But her waist looked
well on horseback, though she never
dared to venture at more than foot
pace, for her habit was SO tight that she
could scarcely breathe when trotting.
Miss France observed that, much as
she loved dancing, she found it impos-
sible to waltz in her new ball dress. She
felt SO squeezed and faint that the MT
most she could do was TO walk through
the square dances. l"Poor thing!"1 In
consequence she had lost n number OF
nice partners, and that odious Miss
Whirler had sadly cut her out, although
her waist was nearly two feet in cir
conference. [Shudders.j
Mrs. -Wiseman said her husband
would not let her wear stays [Sensation,
and cries of what wretch ~ and she
would advise young ladies to leave off
lacing tightly if they wished To get good
better than small waists ["Gracious
goodnessi"], and no one but q fool
would link himself for life with a wo-
man in bad health, however much she
might pride herself on having a fine
figure. l"Question!"1 She would pro-
pose a resolution:
THAT this meeting, being satisfied.
from most abounding evidence, that
tight-lacing is injurious to happiness
and health, will do its very utmost to
discourage and discountenance SO bar
barous fashion"
Here several ladies, interposing, be-
60 l. eli Il l.
sued a scene of violent excitement.
Many of the fair combatants tainted
from exhaustion; and it was not until a
number of corsets had been cut, that the
sufferers were able to be taken to their
carriages.