The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-07-16
THE BOSTON DRESS-REFORM
MEETING.
Reported by . RashfnI nael,slss

Reported by . BashfaI Baehslsr.
From the Daily Graphic.l
The Woman's Club" which met last
evening to discuss reforms in female
wearing apparel, is composed of ladies of
various ages, and really includes several
pretty women. The latter have not yet
taken any active part in the advocacy of
the reform, preferring to permit the older
and more bony of the members of the
club to monopolize the subject. They,
however, profess themselves to be in
readiness to adopt any style of dress
which is becoming, and are not without
hope that something can be found as a
substitute for skirts, which will give free
dom to their-I should say movements,
and at the same time meet the require
ments of good taste.
The meeting after being called to or
der, was addressed by lady who advO-
Gated the use of suspenders. She exhib-
tied pair Ofthese useful articles. They
were 50 arranged as to permit all the
skirts and things an ordinarily lady
wears to be fastened to them, and thus
supported by the shoulders. 1t was OBJ
jected by young lady present that
these suspenders would interfere with
the develOpment---that is to say, would
have tendency to flatten---that, frankly
speaking, they would press directly upon
TO tell the truth, don't quite know
how to express this young lady's views,
but l was clear that she was entirely
right, although several elderly ladies in
stantly hooted at the idea, and said that
suspenders crossing the chest had never
given them the slightest inconvenience.
Next a married lady, whose husband
is well known as the maligner of the
spines of all Boston women, exhibited
several articles of underwear which she
said could be worn with only two pins
did not quite recognize the character of
the articles, but believe that one of them
was sort of head-dress known among
ladies as "corset." She did not make
much impression, however, and was sue
ceeded on the platform by an ardent OPP
ponent of carriers. She claimed that
garters DISTRACTED the circulation and
were responsible for the thin---in short,
that they were the real cause of the
shapeless and fragile. She claimed, l
say, that tight garters had deprived the
women of Boston of that rotundity Of
In fact, these were her views. She pro-
posed to remedy the matter by support
ing stockings by halyards, which should
lead up to the waist and be made fast to
the suspenders. The elderly ladies evil
IDENTIFY app owed of the plan, and one of
them audibly remarked that "she now
hoped to be able to keep her stockings up
for the first time in her life"
But the chief interest of the occasion
centred around an invention by which
all sorts of undergarments were COM
bined in one single garment. The up
per part of this singular afr was like
the upper part of an ordinary chem--I
shouldsay like ruffied and short-sleeved
shirt adapted to feminine purposes. In
stead of being long and flowing, as was
told the ordinary chem--ruffied under
garment is, this affair terminated i'm a
pair of--Weli; it-ended in something in
tended to cover the. Hang it! 1t ended
in underclothing for the lower limbs.
There! The two legs Of this garment
were joined by very close row of but
tons, which were pointed out by the in
ventor---a maiden lady of at least forty
five---as being of uncommon value in
Confound it'll she said the buttons were
useful and ought to he worn III every
family. Another lady of about the same
age took the ground that the garment
would be improved if it were made with
stockings permanently attached to it, and
if instead of buttons, it were SO made
that there would be no necessity for any
fastening whatever, both legs--I mean to
say both diyisions---of the garment be-
ing made of a single piece. A younger
lady objected in scornful way to the
last speaker whose remarks she said did
not deserve an answer. AS for the but
tons, however, she was opposed to them,
on the ground that it would be very diff
6cult, unless the button-holes were made
large---for the wearer to unfasten---
Extract from private note to the
editor by the writer of the above: If you
want this thing reported you must get a
woman to do it. i can't do it decently.
You see for yourself that the enclosed re-
port will never do. At all events, if
you want the thing described by man,
send married man. have neither the
| &C oboaIy - NOR tho facb ninal Gnnwlo1no