American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-11-14
Warm UnderclOthing.

w NEITHER II snail be made OF flannel or
not, who shall say? Some strongly ad-
wise flannel next the skin for all seasons
of the year, others advise it only for
winter, and others think flannel too irri-
tating to be worn Immediately next the
skin of the whole body at any time. Hav-
ing decided this matter for ourselves ac-
cording to our own best light upon the
subject the most important thing is to
pursue an even course, not wearing a
flannel undershirt one week and cotton
one the next, with no special reference
to the time of year and its probable
changes. The skin gets accustomed to
either cotton or wool, so different in
their texture and feeling, and changes
from one to the other require consider
able judgment. Careless changes from
wooden under garments to cotton ones
may cause diseases of the lungs or of
the digestive organs.
1t is certainly reasonable that warmer
clothing should be worn in winter than
in summer and it will soon be time for
mothers to be putting winter garments
on the children. The little boys should
all have warm under drawers of wooden
or of cotton-fannel. These may be cut
by the long trousers pattern but without
any seam at the sides and with more
fullness around the body, as the two legs
need not be sewed together except a
part of the way in front. Such drawers
should button to IA warm-sleeved under
waist or be attached to the same when
made. They should be gored at the
ankle both ON the inside seam and on the
fold opposite, SO that they may fit well
under the stockings. Left open at the
bottom a few inches they lap over more
smoothly. Some mothers cut the under
garments of their small children like
night drawers or with waist and drawers
in one piece. Ii short trousers are worn
warm under-drawers reaching to the
ankle should surely form part of the
same costume, and leggings or high-top
boots should be added in cold weather.
A fundamental principle is, g keep tie er-
tremittes aoarm,." Many children, per
haps the majority of the little folks, are
stunted in their growth by insufficient
clothing, especially upon the lower limbs,
during winter.
Consider the barbarism shown in the
winter clothing of little girls. Imagine
yourself walking to school, with the Their
mometer in the neighborhood of zero, or
lower, and nothing covering your flesh
between your shoe-tops and the bottom
of your dress skirt-a space of several
inches perhapS-eXcept one thickness of
stocking. Wooden stockings, perhaps
you may have thought your duty done
when you substituted home-knit wooden
stockings for sale ones of cotton. But
just think how little protection that
really is, and, as | said before, imagine
yo,uself or your husband dressed in that
style in cold weather. Your skirts, AT
least, afford you some warmth, but look
at the little girls skirts. They seldom
protect even her knees from the blast
and when she sits down hurriedly upon a
cold bench or chair there is often but
one thickness of cotton between her flesh
and the freezing board. 1t is not I'M
common to see little girls under touI
years of age sitting upon the cold floor
with their skirts spreading out in such Il
way as to leave only their drawers foI
protection from cold beneath them
Very little dependence should be placed
| upon skirts except for ornament, while
| drawers and trousers should be well
looked after, as actual protection from
exposures of all kinds.
1t will not answer to leave our little
girls without long under-drawers because
they wear leggings when out of doors.
One thickness of stocking on the lower
part of the leg is really not enough for
indoor wear. Put yourself in the little
girls place and how would you like it?
Don't tell me that little girls have
dressed in that way these many winters,
and it hasn't hurt them. All that talk
iDOut ludl lOi nav III <
done hurt, because one has managed to
live in spite of 1t, does not convince me.
Why is it that more than half of the
children die under the age of five years =?
Why have we no healthy women?
The clothing should be evenly dis
tributed over the body. The average
schoolgirl under ten years of age has
perhaps four, possibly five, thickncsses
of cloth upon her waist-supposing that
she wears Il high apron and IA low -necked
chemise and skirt waist. Probably she
has not more than three thicknesscs be-
tween her elbow and waist. the lined
dress sleeve and the apron above. Be
tween her waist and knees we will sup
pose four or five thicknesses; lower than
that, above the shoe, only one thickness.
Is it reasonable? Dare YOU risk it an
other winter while diseases of all sorts
are abroad? They usually make their
victims of such persons as have preparei
their bodtes to tahe diSedse by lowering the
vitality in some way. OF course, then,
all of us who have given thought to the
subject will straightway provide long,
warm undcr-drawcrs for all of our
children. While we are about it, let us
put them upon ourselves; for every
woman needs them.-Foith dorchester, IN
Amertcoa Agftcuituria.