Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1870-11-23

WAISTS


The waists with bands over the should
ers and buttons for the attachment of the
skirts which some ladies wear are a very
useful means of support, and when prop
erly made and fitted to the form they do
much toward taking the weight of the
skirts off the whist, and their use is to be
stror gly recommended; single waist
can be made so as to support all the
skirts but that of The dress, and this
should he so loose rs to be supported by
lis own waist. Of course. if the under
waist is made so light at the bottom as
to closely press the a5do,n an, it will be
quite useless for the purpose designed -
Womans taste and ingenuity can devise
plans for making them so neatly that
they " u add to, rather than detrsct from
the appearance of the form. Those
waists were much more generally worn
formerly than now, and it is a pity that
they were ever discarded, Ms their con
tinued use would have prevented much
injury to The health of women.
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 fol
appearance sake. When and by whom
they were devised no one knows. 1t is
said they we're first introduced as a
means of furnishing refractory wives, by
lacing the ladies' up in them, in the days
when the husbands will was absolute
and woman's 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 article of female attire we can find
some model, either in nature or art,
however far fetched the comparison may
be, but the most lively Imagination can
trace no resemblance between the corset
aud its use and anything else in creation,
except in the form of the wasp. or in
some of TIE ancient statues OF Pallas,
where she is presented wearing breast
plate of scales. the shape Of which some
what resembles the modern corset; but
this for defense, not for the production
of a small waist; aud, indeed, had she
secured this great desideratum of mod
ein times, she would probably have been
safe from the solicitations of Vulcan, for
with the ancients, gods as well as well
as men, the wasp like waists of to day
would have been considered deformi-
ly. -
now CoRsETs 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 cLest and abdomen. it ceas
es TO lie Of benefit and is productive of
injury. A corset might be constructed,
nicely fitted to the form, nodded at the
top 80 as to receive and support the
breasts when necessary, and the lower
portion so shaped as to rest on the hips
not the waist-an elastic strap should
pass over the shoulders, and be made adj
Unstable TO different lengths by buttons
or buckles. Some means OF attachment
for the skirt might be devised that would
suspend them from the corsets. by but
tons or otherwise, and yet allow their
weight to be suspended mainly from the
shoulders 10y reason of the straps pas
sing over them. These straps should
support the corset and prevent its pres
ing too heavy on the hips; aud if the
corset is properly fitted to the hips. these
will easily support what little wei bit
comes on them. Remember there is a
distinction between the waist and hips.
and that the corset is 10 be so CONSTRUCTED
that the weight of the skirts shall fall
mainly OH the shoulders. When women
will wear corsets, some improvement of
this kind can be easily devised 10y the
modts.e, aud a single trial will be all that
is necessary TO convince any one of their
superiority over the OLD style.
COTTON"
Ladies generally are anxious for full,
graceful development of the bust, an
appearance which adds much to the beau
ty of a woman; yet many of them Zig
norantly of counsel adopt means which
prevent the very effect they desire to Sc
cure, by allowing the pressure of tight
corsels and tbi Ok cotton pads on the del
icate organs which mainly give 1t form,
while IT should be left free and unres
strained, that it may attain to all the
beauty and grace which naturally belong
to it. Where these artificial abomina.
tions will be used, let some of the light,
elastic, gauze material now being intro
duced, be used. 10 preference to the old
fashioned pile of cotton; but the best of
them are likely to do harm. AS for
their deceivipg the other sex (for which
purpose they are usually WORM, | am
pretty sure that they often fail of their
intention, for men are not so verdant in
such matters as woman pay them the
compliment of believing they are.
GARTER AND BOOTS.
1t is no unjust SANDER on the women
Of our country, to say that their lower
limbs are wanting in the beauty and de-
velopment of those of women of most
other nations. The causes of this are
various. Want of exercse-for a part