The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1873-04-30
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Physical BegeneraCy Of American
''fj Women: it-.l

/, "A woman with abonnding physical
health, to whom the mere i0v of exis-
tehce is an lntOxication,! has become eN-
ceptfonable,' not to say phenomenal -
Most Women. call Themselves Nwell, if
they are not ill enough to be driven to
BED. And for every one woman who
coddIes imaginary ailments and thinks
1t Interesting to be 4 lutte delicate. one
hundred women 90 through the weary
toll OF daily housekeeping. who live.
and labor through force Of ambition and
hot through force Of muscle. We take
much credit to ourselves because we do
not permit our women to do field labor,
nut 1t Is safe 10 assert that no field Ia
Dor is so eXl,austing as the endless toll
OF & smart " American housekeeper
who is poor, but vino, being American,
must be genteel. She is cook. maid. of
all-Work, >eam>treSs, tailoress, chill's
nurse. She feels it right that the girls
should have rutlie,l 'petlic0atS, and the
boys plenty Of changes, and the sewing
society four kinds OF cake when it meets
at her house, and her own gowns such
trimming us appears iii her tavolite
monthly fas hiou magazine. What
Dutch or Irish peasant woman WHO ca
silly til,S her field could stand this pitt
less strain: Many causes are assigned
efor the degenerate physique OF mohcrn
American Women, but this is one folly
OF Oyerstraluin9 nerves and MUSCLES in
this climate, which itself Oyerstrains all
sensitive organisms, is the ci,eit.st
cause, we think. CorsetS and Il weight
of skirts 40 doubt STAY OF MAIN their
thousands. Bat we Should remember
that the corset OF to-day is Il cobwcb
vest compared, let us say, 20 the straight
jacket OF buckram and iron which. is on
view at Pilgrim hall rs. a relic of that
fair Puritan, Mistress Alice Bradford.
And the fashionable limpness OF our
period has notably reduced the load of
muslin which the mode OF twenty years
ago made Indispensable. While Unjust
be remembered thar orr grandmUtherS.
who were held up as examples OF rosy
health, endured 10th the busked STAYS
and the pounds OF pendent ,Irapery.-
Too many hours study in ana out of
! school, and neglect OF out-ot-,iOor exer-
else, ale doubtless bleaching and desic-
eating their victims. Complex and bad
! ~ cooked food, t0O much sewing and
too little shouting, too much dancing
and too litt!c walking, all have their
evil part. But the very fact that our
girls can dance a whole night, or sit at
| the machine aud hem the meusllreie.s
! web of taratan iii which they dance. or
| live on the cuiin Try stones that are of
fered them III llce OF bread, Or study
ten hours day and practice three, and
| 10 not die. shows that women have Il
! tremendous reserve Of power, 4 tremen-
dous rcsi-tauce TO disease, which can
easily be transformed into health. 1t is
apparently true that. the >imI,ler.the
| food, the less luxurious the lile. the
ireer the exercise, the stronger the body
and the more capable OF resisting IA
tigue. Fortunately, the road to health
is cheap and easy. Aud it behoove> the
women to ask Tor work in handicratl
and trade TO take this road forthwith
Intelligent disease will do less in tho
world in the long run than stupid
health. American women are seldom
stupid, but they are very generally dis
easel. If, with that torcetu.ness which
is part Of their fine endowment, they
will reconstruct their bodily constitu
ton, then both stupidity and diseaS,
will vanish, and Intelligent health, de
handing Of all o rs OF occupation tina
they open, will be obeyeu. - Hearth
and Home.