Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-11-11
READING FOR THE WOMEN.
Sensible Talk ON Various Subjects,
DR.. White In Good Health.l a4s

properly maze ana Htteu 10 tne lOfm tney
do much toward taking the weight Of the
skirts off the waist, and their use is TO
be strongly recommended; single waist
can be made so as TO support all the
skirts but that Of the dress, and this
should be so loose as to be supported by
its own waist. OF course if the under
waist is made so tight at the bottom as
to closely compress the abdomen it will
be quite useless for the purpose de-
signed. Womans taste and ingenuity
can devise plans for making them so
neatly that they will add to, rather than
detract from, the appearance Of the
form. Those waists were much more
generally worn formerly than now, and
it is pity that they were ever discarded
as their continued use would have pre-
vented much injury to the health of wo-
men.
THE coRsETs.
This question of appearance brings us
at once to the consideration Of the cor
sets, for it is undeniable that these arti-
cles Of dress are now worn mainly for
appearance sake When and by whom
they were devised no one knows. 1t is
said they were first introduced as means
of furnishing refractory wives, by lacing
the ladies up in them in the days when
the husbands will was absolute. and wo-
mans rights were unknown. If this is
true, woman, with her usual skill, has
converted the weapons employed against
her to her own use. For every other art
icle Of female attire we can find some
smodel, either in nature or art, however
far fetched the comparison may be, but
the most lively imagination can trace no
resemblance between the corset and its
use and anything else in creation, ex-
cept in the form of the wasp, or in some
Of the ancient statues of Pallas, where
she is presented wearing breastplate of
scales, the shape Of which somewhat re-
sembles the modern corset; but the
learned and war-lke goddess wore this
for defense, not for the production of a
small waist; and, indeed, had she Sc
cured this great desideratum Of modern
times, she would probably have been
safe from the solicitation of Vulcan, for
with the ancients-gods as well as men
the wasp-like waist of to-day would
have been considered deformity.
HOW ooRsETs SHOULD BE WORN.
That corsets are always injurious |
have not stated, for there are cases in
which, when they are properly nodded
and fitted to the form, they may be Of
great comfort and benefit to the wearer,
such as cases of weakness or deformity;
but the moment you lace it so tight as to
compress the chest and abdomen, it
ceases TO be of benefit, and is productive
of injury. A corset might be constructed,
nicely fitted to the form, nodded at the
top so as TO receive and support the
breasts when necessary, and the lower
portion so shaped as to rest on the hips
mot on the walst--an elastic strap
should pass over the shoulders, and be
made adjustable to different lengths by
buttons or buckles: Some means OF at
tachment for the skirts might be devised
that would suspend them from the cor
sets, by button. or otherwise, and yet
allow their weight to be suspended
mainly from the shoulders by reason OF
straps passing over them. These straps
should supportrthe corset, and prevent It
pressing too heavy on the hips; and If
the corset is properly htted to the hips,
these will easily support what little
weight comes on them. Remember there
is distinction between the waist and the
hips, and that the corset is TO be so con
structed that the weight OF the skirts
shall fall mainly on the shoulders.
When women will wear corsets, some
improvement OF TINS kind can De easily
devised by the mod'sfe, and single trial
VIII be all that is necessary 70 convince
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,c9 OPEN NECK DRESSES =
One of the most glaring faults notice
able in the style of dress of women, in
vogue Just now, is the open neck dress
and sacque of the past season or two,
which learn is to be the fashion again
next season.; thus compelling women
foolish enough to adopt it, to expose the |
chest to the inelemencies Of the weather
at the season men protect it by addi- |
tional clothing and chest projectors
The bad results Of this style Of dress
we're seen in the large number of pull
complaints in women which re-
- = .Ial- a