Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1880-04-08


Or. Richardson Is one of the most
eminent physicians of London. and bis
opinion On any subject connected With
health Or disease - worthy OF respect.
When, therefcse, be announces that the
corset "deadens the mental capability
OF women" he furnishes anew and pow-
erlul argumeht against thai almost uni-
versally- orn article.
There has been. soiae most profound
lfrss-makers assure lls. a wonderful
progress IN aile construction of the epr-
=. during The present century. Sky
years ago IL was modelled in shape and
method Of construction upon the COM
mon barrel Of commerce.
It consisted Of series Of boards or
slaves, set on end around q nucleus Of
girl. and beld together BY cOrdage in
stead Of hoops. This remarkable struc-
ture was in geaeral use in New Eng
land in the days Of Puritanism, and un-
doubtedly was closely connected. with
the general prevalence of austere mo-
rality in the Puritanic community. Il
constituted an impermeable defence
against fires, and il chilled the ardor Of
the wOrldly-minded lover, who found
no delight IN the hard contact Of wood
aud coat-sleeve.
The New England small-boy would
sometimes borrow the cerset Of an affec-
ticnate sister prior to q personal inter-
view with his father in the woodshed.
and there u no doubt that when worn
abnormally low 1t afforded efficient pro-
lection against the parental rod. II
was, however. q source Of great dIscom-
fort to the legitimate wearer. and the
unyIelding nature Of the stiff. straight
boards Of which it was composed effec-
tually prevented it from coming into
use outside Of New England, except in
insulated and peculiarly bonY cases.
To the wooden corset succeeded the
whalebone corset, which was intro
duced into the country in the year 1881.
(See "SmithsOnian Reports" volume
10, Section 39.) The Characteristic
feature OF this corset was the substitu-
ton of whalebone for wood. Unques-
tionabIy this was an improvement, since
the whalebone was 10 some extent fex-
ible. Experience showed, however,
that the whalebone was liable to break,
and had to be frequently renewed. In
fact. the wearer was obliged to furnish
herself with q new set Of "bones," as
they were technically cslled, once ev-
cry six months.
A still graver fsaIt was the tendency
Of an occasional bone to work its way
upward and outward. Accidents rival
ing in horror those formerly caused by
railway "snake-beds" became painful.
ly common, and the young husband who
had succeeded in passing through the
period OF courtship without sustaining
any injury in the cheek or eye was ex-
ceptiOnalIy fortunate.
The whalebone corset was succeeded
in about ls30-42 by the steel corset.
which has since been frequently and
greatly improved. The steel "bones, !"
when first used, sometimes broke and
pierced the woman in vital parts Of her
person. but accidents Of this kind have
now become entirely obsolete. 0flate
years IL is understood that the corset
has been modelled so as to ct the figure,
at least to some extent, and hence the
usual physiological argument against
the corset has lost much Of ITS force
There is, however, an obvious difficult
ty in obtaining the exact truth in regard
to this matter, since there is q great and
manifest difference between archeolo-
gical and contemporary Investigation.
The old assertion that pressure of
the corset forced the ribs inward, or
that they ultimately emerged at the
back and wore out dresses and Uphol-
stored furniture, was true only of the
board and whalebone corsets, and the
modern dress reiormers, when they
meet in conversation, rarely denounce
the corset, and prefer TO spend their
energies in attacking the other articles
OF dress.
DIR. Richardson's assertion will have
the effect to revive the war against the
corset. II must be confessed that the
unlearned man will fail 70 see the con-
nection between tight lacing and the
action Of the brain. He will say that
the corset congresses only that part Of
the human figure known to anatomists
as the region between the fourth and
the eighteenth button, counting down.
ward from the neck, and that, mas
much as the brain is not situated with
in this region, it cannot be affected by
pressure applied thereto. A little re-
fection, however. wall show that the
blood, when forbidden to circulate be-
low the fourth button, must remain yir-
tually sisgnant in the head and neck,
thus producing congestion Of the brain,
and, cOnsequ emily, tOrpidity Of its iunc-
tions.
II would be easy 10 show that no wo-
man Of brilliant intellect has worn cor
sets. In support of this assertion, Sa-
pho and Aspasis, George Sand and
George Eliot, and host Of other emf
nent women might be cited, but
il is sufficient 10 refer TO women Of our
own lime and country. The long and
brilliant career Of Miss Susan B. An
thony has been marked by her consis-
tent public repudiation oI the corset in
In every form, and Mr.. Stanley Mat
thews states that moi only has he new
er worn . corset. but that, in his opin-
son, IL is an immoral and injurious at