The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1881-08-26

DIR. Richardson 10 one of the most
eminent physlciAns Of London ,snd his
opinion on any snbjeet connected with
health or disease IL worthy of respect
When, therefore, he announces that
the corset sdesdens the mental capa-
bility of women" he furnishes . new
and powerful argument against that
almost universally-worn article.
There has been, % the most pro-
found dressmakers assure US, won
derful progress in the construction of
the corset during the present century.
Sixty years ago Ii was modelled in
shape and method of construction
upon the common barrel of commerce.
1t consisted Of . series Of boards and
slaves, set on end around q nucleus OF
girl. and held together by cordage in
stead of hoops. This remarkable
structure vas In general use in New
England in the days Of Puritanism,
and undoubtedly was closely connect
ed with the general prevalence of
austcre morality In the Puritanic
community. IL constituted an i'm
permeable defense against fires, and Ii
chilled the ardor of the worldly
minded lover, who found no delight
In the contact Of wood and coat-sleeye.
The New England small boy would
sometimes borrow the corset of an
afiectionate sister prior TO q personal
interview with his father In the wood
shed, and there Is no doubt that when
worn abnormally low, il afforded eff
ficient protection against the parental
rod. Ii was, however, . source of
great discomfort to the legitimate
Mearcr, and the unyielding nature Of
the stiff, straight boards of which
ii was composed, efiectually prevent
cd 1t from coming into use outside of
New England except in isolated AMI
peculiarly bony cases.
To the wooden corset succeeded tine
w~halebone corset, which was intro
duced into the country in the year
1881. The Characteristic feature of
this corset was the substitution of
w~halebone for wood. Unquestiona-
bly, this was an improvement, since
the w~halebone was to some extent
flexible. Experience showed, how
ever, that the whalebone was liable
70 break, and had to be frequently re-
newed. In fact, the wearer was
obliged to furnish herself q new set of
s'bones," ~ they were technically
called, once every six months. A
still graver fault was the tendency Of
all occasional bone to work upward
and outward. Accidents rivaling In
horror those formerly caused by rail-
way "snake-bends," became painfully
common, and the young husband who
had succeeded In passing through the
period of courtship without sustain
ing an injury In the cheek or eye was
exceptionally fortunate. Tho whale
bone corset was succeeded in 1840-42
by tho steel corset, which has since
been frequently and greatly improv-
cd. The steel ''bones," when first
used, sometimes broke, and pierced
the woman In vital parts Of her per-
son, but accidents OF this kind have
now become entirely obsolete. OF
late years 1t L. understood that the
corset has been modelled 50 as to fit the
figure, ut least to ON extent, and
hence the usual physiological argu-
ment against the corset has lost much
obvious difficulty In obtaining the ex-
act truth in regard to this matter,
since there Is o great and manifest diff
ference between archaeological and
contemporary investigation. The old
assertion that the pressure of the cor
set forced the ribs inward, or that
they ultimately emerged at the back
and wore out dresses and upholstered
furniture, was true only Of the board
and whalebone c~orsets, and the mod
srn dress reformers, when they meet
In convention, rarely denounce the
corset, and prefer to spend their en-
orgies in attacking other articles of
iresa
. DIR. Richardson's assertion will have
the effect to rcvive the war against
the corset.