The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1885-11-10

The Old Question Of TaSte ROviTed-Hum'
boldPs BiuntneGs.
Philadelphia Record
Baron Won Humboldt, who had stud.
died men and women in every quarter Of
the habitabIe 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 believe it, avefred the
great scientist, and men only said it out Of
natural gallantry. Humboldt was right on
great many points concerning which his
views were secuted by the wise men OF his
day, and perhaps he was equally correct
in thus attElbuting superior physical
beauty to men. But siDcs his time no.
body has yentured 10 urge or defend his
theory, and it has naturally fallen into
disreput4. Besides, the modern world
has really no use Tor "pretty men" as such.
They may be counter-jumpers and AMI.
mated tailor's blocks, and infest at will
the public prOmenades and places OF gen
eEal resort, but the present masculine
fashion favors the strong, square-built,
quick-witted and agile fellow who never
thinks fer an instant whether he conforms
to the model OF the Apollo BelVidere or
not.
With the softer sex the question Of form
is quite another affair. The possibilities
OF dress have been developed 10 such an
extent that within reasonable Limitations
q woman may take on pretty much what
ever outward shape gcems best and most
becoming for her. While the creations
of the nodis,e have stimulated taste for
tho beautiful, they have administered alao
TO the love OF admiration and harmless
distinctive vanity sppettaining to every
feminine nature. They have elso created
Ideals Of contour that are decidedly at
variance with classical ideas Of perfection
ard these departures from tho antique
standard have been to many theorists
and few otherwise sensible women d
source OF profound disquiet There has
been, it is affirmed, departure from the
"classic tigure" that is az dis6guring 40 1t Is
reprehepsble; and in many quarters are
pleadings more or less cogent for the re-
urn to tho line OF beauty wrought by
Phidias and CleOmenes long before physl-
cal distortion became fashionable art.
American maids and NATIONS have thus
been made to study tue requirements and
measurements OF the perfect female figure,
with the result, il current drapeiies cor
rectly indicate, although distaStetul to the
CtasSicists, who point with pride to the
masters works OF anCientscu!ptors as EN-
bodying the beautiful in feminine contour.
A living Counterpart OF the Venus de
MGdici would be less than FIVE feet in
height, while wearing No. So corset and
a No. shoe. This, to woman Of to day,
would mean hope cas- clumsiness. The
populQr Science Monthly, in a recent issue,
d"scends TO particulars and atirms that TO
meet the requirements OF classic figure
the proper dimensions should be: Height,
feet inches; bust, 80 inches; waist, "a
inches; armpit to wrist, 0 inches. This is
further improved upon by giving the pro-
portions OF "queenly" figure, thus:
Height, 3 feet 5 inches; bust, 81 inches;
waist, 2BI inCbOs; over the hips, So inches.
These figures are interesting only as they
illustrate the va9aries and cont6rtions OF
the purely scientiRemind when founder
ing through the uucongenial realm OF
taste. Il WILL be dIlfcult 10 persuade ladies'
Of an iiiquirlng turn that the scientific
constructor OF these classic proportions
has not been endeavoriug to perpetrate a
solemn Joke upon the seleCt circle 81
literary females whom he addresses. The
"Queenliness" Of tall woman with
hollow chest and au exceedingly thick
waist is an attribute likely to be discover
ell only by an observer whose head is
perpetually among the stars.