Oxford Democrat., 1885-02-10
ITHR USEFULNESS or CoRsETs.
NJ JENNIE 4. ROBINS.

OF books whose utles are tiothlhk eho
Dress Heal,hful Dress and Dress Re-
form. There src also many others which
have the same end in view For Girls
For Mother. and Daughters; aud What
shall We do with Our Daughters are all
intended 20 tear the Corset from the az
fec,ions Of the people. Books Of this
kind. together with unhumbered tracts
and magazine articles. have no, been
wi,hou, their influence. Our college
girls have renowned the corset. many
other girls are doing the same, and even
the fashion magazines are forced 10 pro-
claim that smell waists are no longer
fashionable.
The writer. against the article in ques-
ton have appealed TO the common sense
Of their readers. TO their knowledge of the
laws Of health. and TO their conscience.
No one has taken up i,s defense. bat !
think Il can be proved 10 have been Of
iresiimAble benefit. Ba, frat lei us con-
sidcr the ordinary Arguments on the sob
iec,. The wearers of oorseis say that
they could no, discard them. their dresses
would no, q, and they would feel a. II
they were falling TO pieces. Here the
dres.- reformer steps in ,rumPhanily and
says, "lou are mistaken. II your undef-
garments are nicely fitted there will be no
wrinkles. We can show you young ladies
whose dresses are fitted as nicely a. those
of any corset wearer Amoag you"
"Oh. bot. sAy. an anxious mother.
"my daughter i 20 large she must have
something 10 hold her ""
Exactly" rcsPoads the dres..fsform.
er. "Bui. my dear woman, have yoa
never seen the corded waist, and the
waists with = few flexible bones. which
give jg,i the support ,hA, you wan,
Many large firms are manufacturing them
and you can fnd them in All our cities
In iAe face Of the latest decree q FASH
ion. no one dafcs urge a. an Argument
in their favor that corset. make the ~ais,
smaller. Looking AZ Individual cases,
ihosc Who oppose wearing them seem 10
have the bsst Of the Argument There
j., ho~svcr. broader sie~ Which con-
.idsrs not The individual only. bat the
world a. whole This broader ouilook
| maintain. will show ihA, oorse,s have
been Of the greatest service TO ihe human
race, and | am l,d to this conclusion by
the very facts which are broash, fofward
by those who oppose wearing them.
The Agiiaiors on this subject say that
a very Sigh, pressure will cause an in
ward curvature Of the rbs that the
wearing Of tight. firm clothing oomPrcs.
ses The lang.. and that thus the blood '
made impure. They say that even II
corset. are worn loosely. there y steel
in from, which pre'.ss IN again', The mos,
delicate parts q the BODY and produces
violent chronic diseases. They asssft al
% tha, the resting Of these afiielss on the
hips deiorm, and misPlsce' the internal
organs. and. in consequence. disease is
developed. They charge uPoa eor.e,'
no, only consumption and dyspepsia, bat
the mos, varied kind, of suffering kno-n
20 delicate women.
Medical student. have come 20 reoog.
nize. IN their pos,. mor,sm examinations.
VIA, they call the "oorsei liver. A
story = on f,coid Of German gifl who
came 70 ihi. ooun,ry 10 DO hoase~ofk.
She began 20 wear eofsets, wearing them
both nigh, and day. and finally died With
them on. Il ~As found bya posi-mor-
tenn examination that the ribs were I'M
bedded IN the lungs. A dressmAker tells
Of young lady whose ambition ii Was
20 get her waist measure down 20 sixteen
inches when she reached seveniocn
inches. she died. A Pos,-moriem exam
inA,ioa revealed the FAC, that the internal
organs were all on, Of place
These are only few of many instances.
and in them We hnd the truth fof which
We seek A certain Per cent. Of oar ~o-
men die every year For the elevation
of the human race Il ~oald be well that
the stupid and frivolous should die young,
and iha, the wise and pruden, should
live 10 bles, the world with their wisdom
aud their prudence. Here the corset
CONES IN 10 the help of humanity Every
year women die from the tight s,rings.
from the steel in ffoni, aud from the
weight on the hips. There are many ex-
eep,ions. bat a. = rule these women are
those the world can DO well without. A.
~e become wiser. this will become mark.
edly true the foolish alone sill be swep,
OF by oorsets.
Nature doc. not mean that folly shall
BE- perpeiuA,ed. snd he gusrds Asains, !,
in It'll another way. May Of these
women have no children The ehildren
Of many others are born With constitutions
20 weak ,ha; they cannot survive in the
struggle fof existence. On the other
hand. there are the children who are born
crippled and idio,ie As resul, Of eorse,s ;
but We mus, consider only the general
working Of the rule. and generally the
children DO no, 1--we. Nature says "ln
the day that thou laoest. thou shAl, surely
die. OF thy race shall perish with thee. "
The wise obey the warning, the foolish
disobey. and the world is wiser. happier,
and bet,er.-C0agregatiOnalia.