Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-08-19
CRUEL CORSET.
Die Lewis's Argument Against the Fash
ion in Wasp Waists Stories OF
Maternal Cruelty.
Young Girls Tortured Day and Night
An Enterprising WOman-The
Married Flirt.

Married Flirt.
Wiring of woman's figure, The editor OF
Die L<Uis's Monthly in the August number Tor
the present year makrs 4 strong argument
condemnatory of the use of the corset, and
tells come stories OF m aternsl cruelty that re-
mind one Of The hslf-ssvsge 'ort1res Chinese
children are submitted to. The declaration
Is made and based upon numerous studies
from MsrshslPs "Great Anatomical Atlas"
that man's wai-t Is naturally smalier COM
pared with his shoulders than IL won ans
waist cam pared with her shoulders. The
dressmsker, however,ssys that that shape IN
Womsn's dress, which does not taper from the
shoulders down 10 the wais;, as q mans doss,is
in bad taste, and she sighsw with a v weight OF re-
soensloihty when she reflects that after the
Creator bas finished his work upon a WON an,
il takes her twenty years to twist that woman
into SHAPE, Outline figures reproduced from
Gel. br rated work. of art are SHOWN side by
side with the figures in fsshion-pisTes, sn1i in
The latter The w~ssp-w aisle are In queer CON-
tract with the full and perfect forms of Cleo
petra, Taouas, the Venus de Medici and the
Venus de Milo, which the editor of the
Monthly assumes 10 be the clirching point OF
hA5 "a 1' $500
previous u nbsr OF the periodica al called out
q great deal OF severe comment and q verg
general discussion Of the subject, many w-ll-
known authorities
DECLARING THE CORSET BENEFICIAL
to womsn's health, ard DR.. Alfred Chadwick,
of L)ndor, going so far ss TO say that both
boys and girls should, between seven and ten
yesrs of sg-, put on oorsets, and alter that
not allow their waists 10 enlarge.
"a distinguished Chinese writer" says
Lewis, 10 reply, star more learned than DR..
Cnsd wick, In discussing the siza OF a
woman's loot, urges that If the lille girls
constitution b. strong, so that she can bear
the pain and sleeplessness, her foot should be
reduced 10 four inches, and comments with
warm appreciation Upon the courage and
thoroughness which in many cases under his
observation have accomplished greater sue.
cess, mentioning with admiration and pride
on. case 10 which the entire length was le,s
than three inches. While this Chinese Gus
tom is far LEES destructive than tighi-lscinR,
1t intilcts serious harm in many wsys,though
it must be confessed that Chinese doctors
think it beneficial 10 health. The Chinese
woman with the sm Ill Ieet has passed through
many yesrs Of great suffering. One who has
had years of observation says: Daring th-
first year the pain is SO intense that III. little
1 sTi eau 10 HOluipS but lie II cry anu
mosn. For about Two years the fIot aches
contiuualiv. Finslly the parts become
wSs'ed and Bodies and Inc limb inseus,-
ble.'
PERHAPS" Lewis continued, sit is uu-
necessary that l should argue that such
treatment OF the feet is harmfui, though l
do not forget that 800, 000, 900 intelligent
people believe in small feet. We do not.
We believe that our feet, like our hands,
should BE- free to grow 10 their natural sizs
aud shape. I" Probably il would be
difficult 10 find a Chiuamau who can rise
above this cruel prejudice in regard TO snail
feet. II is somewhat difficult TO find anyone
among US who can see besuy in a natural
form while
H wAsP-wAIsT FASHION
prevail. When we return 10 the classic or
natural form, the wasp waist will be hid
eous. . . FIX in your mind Code
piap.' When you come TO believe that the
Greater has good taste, AMI has dore His
WORK in womau's body well, your views oil
the dressmsker's work will chang. You
will think, considering the vital organs it.
VOWED, the corset.maker is womab's most
deadly enemy"
So much for the argument, in which it IL
Clearly shown that the action Of the dis.
phragm is retarded by the tight corset and
respiration is forced TO the spex of the lungs
producing that curious heaving of the upper
portion OF the chest always noticeable 10 al
o~yeI-exeried female. Now for a few short
stories. These are told by mothers who wan
to have spider wsisted daughters. One moth
er says that 10 trying to reduce The sIz, o.
her dsu shter's waist to the proper dimen'
sions che had found it necessary for the m tC
wear their torsets a: night. 1t has been bel
custom, she sage, 10 lace them close on going
4 a. - - I1., l...-. tha rt.kN a.
good which tire corset mas accomplished
during tue day. But her daughters cut tn,
cord in the nj ht, and she found that The
only way to secure nor-interfersnce was t.
whip them soundly on going 10 bed.
Another mother writes 10 express th'
olioion that whipping is unnect ssary. bu
that coming upon the same difficulty, SD,
nsJ tied her daughters hands in front with
Q elk handkerchief and thus kept her iron
interfering with the coras.
Still another mother WRIT 10 cay that chi
has much better method than either o
the. 70, which is TO lace her daughters TO III
p-cl~r dimensions on going 10 bed, which
like The olhers, she has found sbsolutel,
necess sry lac the s%.elling at night spoils III,
work of the day., sHd then she puts a chair
about TIE raist, psdlocks the ca ain and pu'
the KEY in Der pocket, This, she %in'ists, &C
composites all the good that The other meth
DDS do, and is less humiliating 10 the girls.
b coRsEr's HISTORY
The corset has an interesting history. l
had it's origin n Italy, snd was introo ucet
from that country into France by Catherine
de Medicis. Msry' Stuart and Diana de Poi
tiers did no., howe, er, follow the fashion, b.
it was at once sdniu,>d by all the ladies @
the French court that t was indispensable u
the beauty of the fema ie figure, and was
| NJ eraforp adaptaH h. tharf EQp c0rR2t was
however, in those days 10 its infSucy, and
assumed more of the rough charaHt'r OF
knights ~cuirass. The frar1s was eHllrel.
formed of iron, and the velvei which teco
rated the exterior hid a frighlful and CT %
bersome machine. This ststc of things, &C
detrimental TO health, and the cause OF sc
much personal inconvenience, not to say
torture, could not last long; and the arti'
sane of those days contrived TO give more
pliability aud lightness 10 the melai, ano
prepared the way BY degrees for whalebone
But as reformers are always slow, the cold
iron continued to clasp the warm hearts o.
the fair wearers for a long lime IN lis en-
brace, and even contrives TO exist 10 tbs
present day under the name OF bsse-apd
who can blame its p%ertinacity? Tite corset
found favor in The eyes OF Louis XIV. liz
the following reign, however, the corset We:
threatened with banishment from the toilet
Fashion took a rural aud sim pie turn and
wss almost guided by the taste of Boucher
in whose pictures many of the court csiebTi'
ties tgure as shepherds and shepherdesses
But when the painter departed fashion re-
turned 10 the prim fccentriclties OF former
times. During the Revolution The corset
was sgaiu forgotten, and under the Directors
it was completely interdIcted by The fashion
able world. The bellies of the day took q
clsi sic lord, and the Roman dress the ,ogai
sandal, etc. The empire delhroned the clas-
sic fashion, but without taking the correct IN
10 favor, aud la mode revelisd 10 a taste GER
tainly the reverse of prudery. With the fall
ef the empire fell also the waist; and then
CAM, ss a ntcsssify, The return to the corset
The Married Fiirt-
Now is the winter of our discomfort made
g~lorions summer 10 the married HuL-
CoriugaI Jars are forgotten, marital misery
ia banished, household NO IS are hushed. 10
fa,t, ~connurisl cares generally put away Ia
canphor, 50 10 speak, TO be resurrected, IN
fortunately, fresh as ever In the fall.
Though, like death, she has all sessors for
her owo, The m armed EIrt has seized upon
the heattd. term as her especial and peculiar
| opportunltv. As an army 9th banner, she
goes forth %cocguerIng and to conquer. While
ner uniulating Iaces and cool muslins mod
e-tly invite, her feathers and furbelows wall
4 warning, and her RIBBONS rustic den ance.
Sue Is a coquette armed c1p-1-ps.
But there are coquettes and coquettes, and
the married hirt is not to be mistaken Tor
the single specimen OF the same species. From
the Tina of her ahnormAlly LONG gloves 10 The