The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1874-03-08


posed TO n continual draft, chilled
through, how can it be otherwise than
that severe cold will follow as n
penalty of such exposure ? The vigor
Of manhood in Austria is squandered
in military service, and this throws
much manual labor upon women. You
will see in the early morn
ing a rank and file of 200 men and
women intcrsperscd awaiting the roll
call that shall apportion to each his or
her labor for the day. Side by side
with the men women lay railroad iron,
dig sewers, and carry on their heads
and shoulders bricks and mortar up
ladders FOR the laying Of walls. Their
dress, in length at least il we'll adapted
to the work assigned them, il reaches
but little below the knee. and is there
usually met by long boots You see at
q glance that the broad peasant waist
has never been curbed into corscts, and
you rejoice in the belief that they are
free from the inward distortions that
bone and steel are known TO work. 4
while was u the hospitals; brick
block of houses fell, killing and man
Cling fifteen women, who were employ
ed in building them. Now, thought,
as ] entered the pathological rooms,
where n post -mortem examination was
to be made upon them, | shall once at
least have an opportunity of seeing the
internal organs of woman normally adj
justed. In one case the liver had been
completely cut in two, and was only
held together by calloused bit Of It's
sue. Some ribs overlapped others. One
had been found to pierce the liver, aud
almost without exception tina, organ
was displaced below instead of on
q line with them. The spleen in some
cases was much enlarged, in others il
was atrophied and adherent to the per.
itonial covering.
| acknowledged that they were over.
burdened by hard labor, but many OF
the abnormal conditions were Deepen.
dent simply upon this Heavy quilt.
cd or homespun skirts had been worn
by them since childhood-always rest.
ing upon the hips, each brand snugly
drawn about the waist and tied Will
strings. Although they did much hard
work with nature SO violated, still i
stands to reason that they could no
have had the same strength and ondur
ancc that normally organized body
would have given them. 1t is Away
observed how much earlier they grow
old than the men. This waste Of force
this friction upon self, with the variou
added burdens they bear, no doub
caused it.
| However loosely corscts ale worn
and the woman is yet to be found witt
acknowledges to wearing them tight
the bones and steel must adjust them
selves to the various curves and dc
pressions OF the body, and must b'
felt, else the sure death that women St
often declare would follow their aban
donment, would not be anticipated
Just SO soon as the muscles give warn
ing in weakness that they are no long
er adequate to the support Of the body
it is high time they were given ever,
chance to recuperate, instead o
being still held in inimoreblo bond
foresight Of a seer to diagnose chron
ic case Of tight lacing, and of weight,
dragging skirts. You know in the
main what the result must be. Yor
knew that when the abdominal an,
pelvic muscles become inert, almos
wasted, that one Of the important dali
functions of the body is rarely if eve
normally carried on, and this is bu
one link in the long chain that has VOL
the disgracctul appellation Of women
diseases, when it should be termed wo
mems follies. The authorities who's
opinions we most respect because the,
are formed upon observation and re
search, and not upon blind and stupi
prejudice, assure W. that girls com
out from the trying ordeal OF coetluc
ton unscathed. In mental calihr
they are universally recognized tn
peers of boys. Now that they are be
ginning to have equal advantages ia
mental culture, is it not high time fo
the dawn Of their physical develop
ment? The only pleasurable and in
MIGRATING out of door exercise tina
they have ever had has now fallen int,
disiayor. Because the dress was i'm
proper colds were contracted, and skat
ing for girls seems doomed to be class
ed among the lost arts. ] do not thinl
that this one healthful exercise SHOULD
be denied them until it is tried unde
proper conditions. A startling fac
preludes all gymnastic exercises in gu
schools. 1t is that girls are so ham
pcred in every ligament, joint an,
muscel that in order to have perlec
use and command of themselves for tn,
, brief space of an hour, this straight
jacket, the clothing in which they ar,
encased sixteen hours of the day, mus
be laid aside. What if our young me,
ioInd 1t necessary TO make an entir
change in their apparel before the,
could drill, play base ball, coast o
row. They would soon find it cx
ceedingly irksome, and seek, as girl
have, their level ofmuscular inactivity
With the cessation Of school life end
this one hour occasional chest infat
. ing, arm extending, back beuding ex
: ercse,
, Time and money cons;derod moth