The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1880-04-08

his purpose to deprecate good fashion
in dress. He thought it was the duty
of every one to cultivate good fashion,
and that every woman ought to make
herself as becomingly beautiful as she
possibly could.
Corsets, wristbands, carriers and tight
shoes were specially denounced. The
dress should be loose, and the weight Of
it should be borne by the shoulders.
In mems modern dress this was fairly
accomplished; but in women's dress,
dragging from the waist, there was pro-
duced such q waste. of physical power
that if women were in all respects free
as men they could never approach to
the position of men as active workers
until they had emancipated themselves
from this physical bondage.
The reform he suggested in the dress
of women was that it should in all prac-
teal details have the same advantage,
and should be in fact the same, with
the exception of the exterior robe or
gown. The long dress for women,
which even trespassed slightly on the
ground, was the most becoming for
them. This should play the same part
as the outer coat of the man, the rest of
the dress being the same except that it
might be made of rather lighter mate
rails. The great surgeon Cline, when
once consulted by an anxious mother
what she should do to prevent a girl
from becoming deformed, answered,
Let her have no stays. and let her
run about like the boys" He would
indorse this wise rule, and would add.
" Let the mothers of England clothe
the girls precisely as they clothe the
boys, permitting Knickerbockers if they
like, and let them add the one distin-
gushing mark of light, loose flowing
gown, and the girls will grow into
women as vigorous, as healthy
and as well formed in body
as their companions of the
sterner SEX" In the next part of the
lecture the quality of clothing was con-
sidered, and the amount at various
seasons. The necessity of special care
in adapting clothing to season was illus
trated from the physiological rule, first
discovered by the late Mr.. Miner, that
the body, independently of any will of
its own, underwent two pounds of
waste and of increase of weight, the
waste commencing toward the close of
September, and the increase in the first
weeks of April. Warm clothing ought
to begin in September or early In Octo-
Der, and ought not to be left off until
the close of April. For under-clothing
next the skin he strongly recommended
silk, and with that light, fleecy flannel.
Thick, heavy flannel, and every ma
terial that absorbed and held the watery
excretions from the skin, were at all
times bad. Heavy clothes were bad,
and had really no necessary connection
with warmth. For outer garments in
cold weather those that were light and
feecy were best, and furs were excel
lent.
After describing the dangers that oc-
cur in cold seasons from sudden changes
of dress, and the flimsy dresses in which
young ladies go in and out the heated
ballroom during inclement weather,
the lecturer touched on the ventilation
of dress. He criticized severely the per-
manent waterproof which shuts up the
rain that distils from the body at the
same time that it keeps out the rain
which falls from the Clouds distinc-
ton with difference not in favor of the
wearer of the permanent waterproof.
Then he dwelt on the color of dress,
contending that the Lancet was quite
right in stating that white color was the
best even in cold weather, while it was
admittedly the best in the summer sea-
son. The objection to white was, of
course, the readiness with which it
showed the dirt, an objection which was
strictly an advantage in a health point
of view, but which would be met prac-
tically by modifying the color to gray.
For all ordinary occasions light gray
ought to take the place of black for
outer coverings of the body. Black was
in fact of all colors the very worst, and
those poor ladies who thought it neces-
sary after bereavement to immerse
themselves for months in Grape were
indeed to be pitied. After the suffice it
was almost the saddest of miseries in
ficted by society on the already miser-
able.-London Telegraph.