Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1874-03-30
DRESS REFORM.

In New York and Boston, Dress Re-
form Societies have been formed by the
ladies, and during the last few days the
subject has been agitated in public meet
ings, and the ladies who have leoturod
upon the subject have made the state
ment, 'that the present style of fashion
able dressing is rninnus to health, nnhe-
coming to the person, and extravagant
in cost" If these assertions are true,
there can be no good reason why re.
form should not be welcome to the intel
ligent and Christian women of the land.
But what reason had these reformers for
making this statement ? First, in re-
gard to health. We only discuss the or
binary style of dress worn in the coun-
try, as that only concerns us. The late
styles of dressing the hair and the head,
seem to abuse both the hair and the head.
Let US enumerate there is the braid
ing, curling, frizzing, putting, tying
twisting and torturing which the hair
must suffer in being 'done up" In or
der to supply deficiencies, and remedy
the defects of nature, there must be add
ed to the natural hair, false hair that
originated on the heads of-who knows
what ? Chignons, switches and ''rats,"
formed of materials not wholesome, col
ored with poisonous dyes, and often alive
with creatures that burrow and breed in
the scalp, and further adorned with rib
bons, flowers. brass butterflies and ter
rife combs. AS if this were not enough,
there are colognes, pomades and oils, to
catch the dust and fill the air with prop
err perfume. The fashion requires that
this amount of material be elevated to
the coronal region of the head, and that
a broad zone in the latitude of the ears
be left unprotected and unadorned.
When it becomes necessary to clothe
this bi-head for out of doors, the monde
script hat or bonnet is nearly absorbed
in covering the false head, and affords
but little protection from the heat or the
cold. Need We ask the question, why
there are so many aching heads, diseased
scaips, and so much decaying hair ?
Let US take the extremes. The feet
how are they clad With boots or gait.
ers-shoes are obsolete. The materials
of which they are made are thin cloth
and poor leather, and the soies of all are
thin. and generally of a material thai
absorbs water as readily as pasteboard
The boots selected are usually one o.
two sizes too small, are buttoned or lac
ed as tightly as the strength of the own
er will permit and the few drops O
blood that get below the elastic refus,
to attempt to force themselves to tn,
foot, and that tortured organ is as blood
. less and lifeless as the science of foot
dressing can make it. High heels Grove
the toes into the front of the shoe cavit,
and make the torture of corns and in
growing tOe-nails sufficient to keep VI
an equilibrium of misery with the othe
parts of the body.
But the body-is that clothed in sucE
manner as to promote health and com
fort In this rigorous climate, no ligh
protection Of the limbs, the upper por
ton of the chest, the neck and throat i
sufficient. Whoever abuses SO much o
the body. suffers from the abuse. If ma
ture made no mistakes, the size and pro
portions of the body are just right Blu
this progressive age demands more, an,
undertakes to improve upon nature
Some portions of the body are too small
Others too large and to remedy thes
defects, art steps in and finds means
compress, OF to enlarge, according to tn
caprices of fashion. When it is though
best to diminish the size of the waist Q