The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1885-10-29


Baron Won Humboldt who had
studied men and women in every quar-
ter of the habitable globe, used to say
that the notion that the female figure
was of better proportions and more
graceful outline than that of the male
was q delusion. Women did not be-
lieve it, averred the great scientist, and
men only said so out of natural gal
lantry. Humboldt was right on o great
many points concerning which his
views were secuted by the wise men of
his day, and perhaps he was equally
correct in thus attributing superior
physical beauty to men. But since his
time nobody has ventured to urge or
defend his theory, and it has naturally
fallen into disrepute. Besides, the
modern world really has no use for
@sretty men" as such. They may be
counter-iumpers and animated tailors'
blocks. and infest at will the public
promenades and places of general re-
sort, but the present masculine fashion
favors the strong, square-built, quick
witted, and agile fellow who never
thinks for an instant whether he con-
forms to the model of the Apollo Bel
vedere or not.
With the softer sex the question of
form is quite another affair. The POS
sibilities of dress have been developed
to such an extent that within reason
able limitations woman may take on
pretty much whatever outward shape
seems best and most becoming for her.
While the creations of the modiste have
stimulated taste for the beautiful,
they have ministered also to the
love of admiration and harmless
instructive vanity appertaining to
every feminine nature. They have also
created ideals If contour that are de-
cidedly at variance with classical ideas
of perfection and these departures
from the antique standard have been to
many theorists and few otherwise
sensible women a source OF profound
disquiet. There has been, it is affirmed,
q departure from the "classic figure"
that is as disfiguring as it is reprehen-
sible; and in many quarters are plead
ings more or less cogent for the return
to the lines of beauty wrought by Phid-
las and Cleomenes long before physical
distortion became fashionable art.
American maids and matrons have
thus been led to study the requirements
and measurements of the perfect female
figure, with results, If current draperies
correctly indicate, altogether distaste-
ful to the classicists, who point with
pride to the master works of the ancient
sculptors as embodying the beautiful in
feminine contour. A living counterpart
of the Venus de Medici would be less
than five feet in height, while wearing a
No. % corset and No. shoe. This, to
the woman of to-day, would mean hope
less clumslness. The Popular Science
Monthly, in a recent issue, descends to
particulars, and affirms that to meet the
requirements of classic figure the
proper dimensions should be: height, 3
feet AZ inches; bust, 30 inches: waist,
"a inches; armpit to waist, 3 inches.
This is further improved upon by Civ
ing the proportions of "queenly" fig
ure, thus height, feet inches; bust,
81 inches; waist, 26s inches; over the
hips 36 inches. These figures are inter-
esting only as they illustrate the vaga-
ries and contortions of the purely scien-
tifc mind wher fioundering thrrugh the
uncongenial realm of taste. 1t will be
difficult to persuade ladies of an inquir-
ing turn that the scientific constructor
of these classic proportions has not been
endeavoring to perpetrate solemn joke
upon the select circle of literary females
whom he addresses. The "queenliness
of tall woman with hollow chest and
an exceedingly thick waist is an attri-
butte likely to be discovered only by an
observer whose head is perpetually
among the stars.-PhiladelphiG Rec
ord.