The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-02-17
THE HEALTH OF WOMEN.
Some Of the Troubles Of Women Now.
ndnya.
saturday Review vi


Some Of the Troubles Of Women Now-
adays.
saturday Hsvjewl
In the current number Of Tho fontem
pgrnTv Repie,B. Miss Cohbs bswails 1.-The
little health Of ladies'" She says many
wise and sensible things which have
often been said before. and which will
often be said again without producing
the least effect upon the people to whom
they are addressed. II IL the voice Of
one crying In tho wilderness. This is
particularly the case with regard to u
fertile source Of the general feebleness
OF fashionable women unhealthy
modes Of dress. Miss Cobbe naturally
sees the folly OF her weaker sisters, from
the serene attitudes Of common sense.
She is, happily. thanks to benetioent
Providence. far removed above all
temptations to ornamental frlYolity by
the possession Of a constitution morally
and physically robust. She sees with
painful elearness the despiohble little
ness Of women who consider their com
plexions more than their muscles, and
spend more time with their nilliner IN
Bond street than at the Royal lhstitu.
ton She deplores their "laek OF
healthy animalism.' aud EXCUSES the
Legislators who classify women with
criminal, lunaties, Idiots and minors. y
II would no doubt be well for the gen
eral good Or mankind II the whole
female population were not only. al
most. but altogether such az Miss
Cobbe. with her health. enete
uy. shorto pettieoats. broad s1les,
high opinion Of beer. and low
opinion Of doctors. But go blessed q
contamination cannot at present be
ever contemplated. Evolution ise not
setting Ia 80 wise q direction. for the
sion refuse Ias n rule TO 10 wives and
mothers, and then have 10 fall back
upon the silly sirens who weara "feathe
and an artificial flower by way OF q
head gear and boots which torture
them until they are nearly insensible.
and who, according to Miss 0ebbe,
bedisen themselves like ,naeawa aud
labo. along the streets. In swaddling
clothes. notwithstanding all that
can DO said by psychologists, pretty
women In society wnl we fear. 90 on
wearing trims "a long as they are 10
fashion, and not ~ reasonably full,
simple cut silk Or cloth skirt reaching
to tho ankles. and no longer" They
will show their sweet faces shaded by
cunniugly lined parasola, not hide them
In mushroom hats, They will positively
refuse to haye their little feet measured
Ia the proper way by laying them wet
and sbare on d piece OF brown paper.
and ordering the Holes to be madeean.
oording 10 the Impression Of the spread
foot. They are ready to bear any,
amount OF maltyrdom for the sake Of
wearing a boot a siae too small. This
js nil. Of course. very wrong and silly.
and II is not to be expected that a person
ofoMiss Uebbe's superiority could tol-
crate such ftivolity for b. moment. but
fashion II too Formidable, foe TO be-
easily vanluished with the arrows En-
her culver.
Miss Cohbe does not say enough about
what after all. causes the largest peto
osntage OF aeni-invalidisin, from which
the greater number Of those who Ihhabit
the ) vast low lying field Of dull wretch
edhess'' suffer namely, idleness. 1t is
difficult for tho boy Of u family to got
advantageously PLACED Ia, life, but n
great deal Of effort ~ made for them.
Nothing Ia done for tho girls. In tho
face OF statistics. they oan no longer BIO
expected TO marry. They eau only
rarely inherit good fortunes, The con
sequence ID that women beoome@op-
pressed with sense Of failure with
feeling that no ono wants them. 10
their parents they are an aYxiety, to
their skaters they are rivals, TO soeety
they are o. burden, not, desired as
wives. without place In the busy
world. whiehewould. they know. get
on better without them. Miss
Cobbe speaks OF disease which ehe
diagnoseS early in life and ehristened
tho bad. husband headache There
ID also the "no-husband headache" and
the "do.nothing headache" as we'll,
which are almost rs severe and as in.
durable. The wretched, empty. aim
less. unhealthy life led by thousands Of
women In this country Is most sorrow
ful subject. We do not feel inclined TO
joke about It, for it Ia 7. sud feature Of
Our times. and one on which little light
has yet dawned. Bad times for Ymen
mean doubly bad times for women,
and tho Sky ut present looks
dark. Mothers OF large families with
narrow incomes can scarcely fail
to suffer from the petite sa,,tc cSmmon
to their sex. They attempt too much.
and thus often become permanent In
valids. A great deal might DO done for
circumstances would, with II good
grace, and without any sense
Of humiliation. give up the
little fripperietewith which life has be-
come encumberedo ohieay owing to our
late commercial prosperity. Ao more
simple. frugal mode of living would re-
store health to many mothers who are
now straining every nerve to keep d po-
sition among people as foolish as them
selves, but who would be wise enough
to follow suit II they had the encourage
ment of an example which they could
quote to their friends. %
The Dartlnncllcs.
Tho treaties or compacts regulating
the entrance of foreign men-of war