The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1873-05-07
5 nc. SO.
Physical DegeHsracy Of American
Women.

A woman with abonnding physical
health, to whom the mere joy ofexis-
ten"e ia an intnxication, has become en-
crptionahle, not 10 say ,1he!iompnai.--
Most women call themselves well, if
ttIeyare not Ill enough to be driven 10
bed. And for every one woman who
coddleS imaginary ailments and thinks
it Interesting to be !; little Celicate, one
hundred! women 60 through the weary
toll OF daily onsn-heeping, who live
and labor through force Of ambition and
not through force OF. muscle. We take
lln,-l credit to ourselves because we do
not permit our women to do field labor,
but it is sute to assert that no field Ia
Dor is so eXhauSting as the endless toll
OF Il smart" American houSckeeper
who is poor, Int who, being Anerican,
must he geute"I. She is cook, maid-of-
all-work, seAmstrcss. tailoress, child's
nurse. She feels it right that the girls
should have ruiiied 'petticoats, and the
boys pien5y oi, changes, and the sewing
society four kinds Of cake when it meets
Al her honse, and hers,own gowns such
trimming as appeafsss i'll her tavorite
monthly fas II ION magazine. What
Dute!i or Irish peasant woman who ca
silly titTs her field could stand this pitt
less strain. Many causes arc assigned
for the degenerate physique OF mo,iern
American WOiann, but this is Que folly
Of ovcrstraining nerves and muscles in
this climate, which itself overstrains al
sensitive organisms, is the chiefesJ
cause, we tl.ink. Corsets and a weight
Of skirts no doubt shay or MAIN their
thousands. But we should remember
thar the corset Of to-day is cObwcb
vest compared. let us say, 10 the strai ght
Jacket Of t,uchlam and iron which is on
vieW.at Pilgrim hall rs a relic OF that
tar Puritan, Mistress Alice Bradford.
| Aud the fashionable limpness OF our
| ieliOd has notably reduced the load OF
tinu1Hn which the lnote o. twenty years
!ag0 made indispc usable. While it muse
! I've remembered that our grandmotiiers,
! who were held up rs examples of rosy
| health, endured boti, the buslea stays
and the pounds OF pendent lrapcry.-
TOO many hours, study in and out Of
/ school, and NEGLECT OF oHt-ofdoor exer-
i else. are doubtless bleaching aud desic-
icatin@ Iheir victims. Complex and bad
i.iy cooled. food. too much sewing and
! too irtie shouting, too lnuehsdancing
/ ana Too iitie WHINING, ak nave t!ltlt
! evil part But the very fact that our
girls eau dance a whole night, OF sit ut
/ the machine AMI hem tie meastreless
I web of tarlatan in whirh they dance,sor
/ live Oh the culinary stones shat are Of
iered them in place Of bread, or study
! ten hours Il day Huu practice three, and
! 10 not die. shows that women iaye'a
+ tremendous reserve Of power, a tremcn-
! deus resistance to disease, which can
easily bc transformed into health. It's
apparently true that, the simpler the
! food, the less luxurious the lie. the
! treer the exercise, the stronger the body
ami the more capable of resisting ia
/ iigue. Fortunately, the road to health
is cheap ami easy. Am! it behooves tie
! women to ask for work in han,iicrait
| and trade to take this road forthwith
/ Intelligent disease Will DO less in the
world in the long run til an stupid
! health. American. women are seldom
! stupid, but they are very generally dis
easpd. IL, with that torcei'i.'icss which
lis part OF their fine endowment, they
will reconstruct their bodily constitu-
ti9n, then both stupidity and disease
will vanish, and intelligent health, de
7 mandii,9 OF all doors of occupation that
they open, will be obeyed. = Hearth
and Home.