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


DR.. Richardson Is one Of the most
eminent physicians of London. and his
opinion on any subject connected with
health or disease Is worthy Of respect
When. therefore, he announces that the
corset s'deadens the mental capaSility
Of women" nc furnishes new and pow
eFfnl argument against thai almost uni-
versally-worn article.
There has been. sothe most profound
slse4s<tn9kfss assakzBs. wonaekkah
progress in the construction Of the corr
Sc. during the present century. Sixty
years ago il was modelled in shape and
method Of construction upon the COM
mon barrel Of commerce.
It consisted of a series of boards or
slaves, set on end around nucleus Of
girl, and held together by cOrdage in
stead Of hoops. This remarkable struc-
ture was in general use in New Eng
land in the days Of Puritanism, and un-
doubtedly was closely connected with
the general prevalence of austere mo-
raliiy in the Pufitanic community. II
constituted an impermeable defence
against fires, and il chilled the ardor oil
the worldly-minded lover, who found
no delight in the hard contact of wood
and coat-sleeve.
The New England small-boy would
sometimes borrow the corset Of an affec-
tionate sister prior TO personal inter
view with his father in the woodshed
and there IS no doubt that when worn
abnormally low 1t afforded efficient pro-
lection against the parental rod. II
was, however. a source of great dIscom-
fort to the legitimate wearer, and the
unyIeIding 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-
tiOnably this was an improvement, since
the whalebone was to some extent fex-
IDLE. 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 called, once ev-
cry Sixemonths. -----.~
A still graver fault 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 ia the cheek or eye was ex-
ceptionaIIy fortunate.
The whalebone corset was succeeded
in about l830-42 by the steel corset
which has since been frequently and
greatly improved. The steel "bones, u
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. Oflate
years it is understood that the corset
has been modelled so as to fit 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 great and
manifest difference between aTcheolo,
gical and contemporary investigation
The old assertion that pressure o.
the corset forced the ribs inward, OF
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 reformers, when they
meet in conversation, rarely denounce
the corset, and prefer to spend THEN
energies in attacking the other articles
Of dress.
DR.. Richardson's assertion will have
the effect to revive the war against the
corset. II must be confessed that the
unlearned man will fail TO see the con-
nection between tight lacing and the
action of the brain. He will say thai
the corset congresses only that part oI
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, ii cannot be affected BY
pressure applied thereto. A little re-
Election, however, VIII show that the
blood, when forbidden to circulate be.
low the fourth button, must remain vir.
tualIy slagnant in the head and neck
thus producing congestion Of the brain
and, consequently. torpidity OF IFS fonc-
lions.
1t would be easy to show that no wo.
man of brilliant intellect has worn cor.
sets. In support Of shIs assertion, Sa-
pho and Aspasia, George Sand and
George Eliot, and host of other emf.
nent women might be cited, b1
IL Is sufficient 10 refer to women of Out
own time and country. The long and
brilliant career Of Miss Susan B. An
thony has been marked by her consis.
tent public Reputation OF the corset 10
IN every form, and Mr.. Stanley Mat
thews states that not only has he new,
err worn a corset, but that, in his opin.
ION, il is an immoral and injurious al
fair. The example Afforded BY the lives
Of two eminent Americans should b.
brought 10 the attention Of DR.. Richard
son, as afording strong confirmation
Of his theory that where we End grea
mental power among women of what
ever age we also fad total absence 0
corset.