The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-08-27
Dressed to Death.

Dressed to Death. ''''i 20
A thoughtful man who was through.
ing 1t" In the mountains, whose attire
mere consisted only of flannel shirt,
pair OF pantaloons, hat, and shoes
and stocking, who, on arising in the
morning, was cup and dressedn within
enree minutes, thus reflected regarding
Sne shackles of male dress imposed upon
MN in the city by custom and fashion: |
How many bandages am required to
put on every lnorningPe i will COM
mence at the feet. Tight shoes, stock. |
lngs, trousers, drawers, undershirt; shirt,
vest, coat, collar and necktie. Shirt
boom and collar starched as stiff as a
botrd, and about as comfortable. How
.lpAny bandages in alp Ten. Do they
SaskS| to my comfort, especially in warm
weaher? Assuredly, they do not. My
hrst move on warm morning on get
tlnSto the Office is to remove my coat,
andsometimes my collar and necktie.
why should l wear at all garments
whiclare so uncomfortable Again.
Do thse ten bandages in which custom
says lAust daily envelop myself conduce
to my health and strength think
not because, dressing as do now in
loose trousers, loose shirt, with
neck aid throat uncollared, l
do certainly experience a vigor and
freedom o motion unknown in my city
garb.. Respiration passes off quickly
and does MT oblige me to wear all day
sodden, VT piece of linen in the shape
OF shirt. think my skin has better
chance to ac, and as 1 am told there
are thousand on thousands of minute
lungs In the sin which both absorb live
elements andShrow off dead matter, it
strikes me tina the garb prescribed by
custom is not d all calculated to assist
nature in the machinery of the cuticle.
Regarding ny feet, find them far
more comfortable in pair of canvas
slippers, and if bu please without stock
lngs, than in my city CATERS. l can
now easily wash them as many times a
day as | do my hands, and l find they
need washing as many times. It strikes
me that these feet Of mine have all their
lives, or rather during all my life, been
too much swaddled and cramped. Look
at them now! They are sore and out of
shape with corns and bunions. What
has done this? Shoe shackles, leather
fashion and the shoemaker. What life
long barbarous treatment of two such
useful members of society! believe now
that our modern swathed up, bandaged,
tight-fitting style Of male attire
is fruitful cause of bodily weak
ness, and of diseases dire coming
fbro1Ob c,,nh xuoalznara xx,h;ob J;,onooo
doctors dignity and render the origin
more obscure by giving thoun loarnod
and Latin names. [ do not, through
one or another bodily discomforts, heed
the demands of nature. When l am
overheated, feverish and out of sorts
generally, it is in many cases call from
the body that | take off the bandages
and wear less of them. Do obey? No.
Usually take glass of beer; and then
another. So the needless wear, tear
and abuse of my fearful and wonderful
anatomy goes on from day to day, from
week to week, from summer to summer.
And at last the wear and tear and weak
ness attacks some particular organ;
maybe the head, the bladder, the kid
neys, the lungs, the stomach, and the
doctor comes after the damage is ire
parable and tries to bolster me up, sad
died as am with my WORKOUT internal
machinery by his advice and his drugs.
And at last l am dead, and an autopsy
is held on me and he finds the part that
gave way and writes about it, partly in
English, partly in Latin, and feels wiser
than ever. But died partly ofignorant
dressing, partly of ignorant eating,
partly of persistent breathing of bad
house made air, partly of other simple
evils not as yet recognized as beligerent
powers laying constant siege to our
health citadels." ad .-. 81 a,i9l
Such were the thinkings of the man in
the flannel shirt and trousers.-N. Y