The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-27
ARE GIRLS GROWING SMALLER
Reasons Which Compel an Observant
CitiZen to Believe That They Are.

Reasons Which Compel an Observant
Citizen to Believe That They Are.
From, the Missouri Republican.
The girl of the period ranges from 140
pounds down, in some cases to eighty pounds
or less. Between these two limits may be
found almost all the healthy loveliness of
the fair sex in America. In England and
Germany the figures are higher; in France
and Southern Europe they are the same as
in this country or smaller.
Eighty pounds of femininity is, of course,
not much, viewed from a material stand
point, although it was probably about the
weight of Cleopatra, if archaeological re-
search may be depended upon, and she was
rather more than too much for any of the
champions of her day. Cleopatra is the ex-
ception which proves the rule as TO pro-
gressive thinness All the other bellies of
antiquity were large, ample ladies of gen
erouS proportions and great health. Semi
ramls was taller than most of her guards
men. The mind fails to consent to a petite
Boadicea. Charlemagne's mother was nearly
six feet tall Margaret Of Anjou was large.
Elizabeth could not be described as small,
and, in fact, most of the historic danes of
whose size we have any vague idea, were
big beyond all mod IN ideas of what
woman should permit herself to be, begin
ming with our great Mother Eve, who was
| gianteSs. according to the Arab tradition,
which still points out her tremendous tomb.
| The facts are meagre, but even within the
| experience of men now living, the move
m5nt toward osSOusneSs has been apparent.
All of these reflections were caused by a
| statement made 10 a Republican reporter
by the Oldest inhabitant. wlO was at his
usual task of depicting the glories of the
| Colsulship of Planctis. Il Just came across
H. = ,,. Eox- In 81,
corset that has history. 1t is a souvenir
of the girls of half a century ago. 1t be-
| longed to one of the pretUie-t young ladies
! who lived in st. Louis in 1886. She was an
acknow edged belle, and by common con-
sent her form was a model of beauty. | tell
| you, sir, she was none of your ethereal
| c eatures, but magnifcepJ woman that
weighed 100 pounds, and vet in those days
| she was Considered small. She was certainly
below the average size of the girls
| knew
How did you get the corsetW
THAT would be a long story. II was
sold to me by the lady's darka maid. Oh,
we had some notions of gallantry in St
! Louis in the old times. That, however, is
neither here nor there. What | want you
| to do is to compare the solid and severe
| simplicity OF the garment OF 1886 with the
| meretriciouS ornamentation and modelling
of the one worn by the ladies nowadays
| Not alone is the older one modest and pretty
| and plain, but it means health and vigor
| You naturally associate it with rosy cheeks
and black eyes and slightly tumbled hair
aid a general atmosphere of gayety and
| good -beartedness The modern sophistica-
ton looks 30 me almost imm raj. 1t implies
all the demands of society, late hours, idle
ness and fashionable dissipation. 1t tells of
| headaches and backacheS and all manner Of
| physical and moral shams.'
But about the comparative sizeF
"Well don't these corsets show it? Say
that they are both averages of their time,
and one is fully six i.ches greater in circum-
fGence than the other But that isn't al of
| it. The mothers of the present gene alton
were built, as r. lie, more nearly to the old
Roman model They were large-lmbed and
strong. with healthy chest capacity and
ability to draw a long breath. Here is an
| other proof of it."
And he produced two carriers, one of the
| good old time, marked exhibit "a" the
| other a recent one, marked ''B." The longer
| one was of a so. t of felt cloth, the other OF
silk 1t was but one more curiO out of the
| oldest inh bitant's museum, ana he gazed at
| it proudly as he drew it out of the bureau
drawer.
''Pve got lots of that sort of things" said
| he, with a sigh. 'When ! was a young
man we used to collect them and keep them.
| llaG garter DelDDBel W Il ldtly VIII IL SOlll
| living and she has had eight children and a
dozen grandchildren. The smaller garter
was worn by one of her granddaughter,
who is now a woman grown. Now. If any
thing could prove the case more strongly l
| would like to know what it is. Bo were
worn by their owners when about the sam
age. and got the second one only month
or two ago. But what else could you eX-
pect? When was young man tie ladies'
! used to eat something. a common lunch in
| 1910 was a piec, of cold beef eff the round,
a lot of bread and butter, and a couple of
| glasses of porter or Wine The girls we're
not ashamed of it. They would very hon
estly get away with a substantial snack,
and do it as though they liked it, God bless
| them.
but nova days a lunch is a very differ
| emf thing indeed The common menu is a
little sour lemonade, small piece of cake,
| and some chocolate candy, or some other
| sort of indigestible monstrosity that people
ought 10 be put into the penitentiary for
| feeding to their girls. You can't expect to
build up muscle aud health on lemon juice
or pie. and the result of it all will be that
our women will go on getting thinner and
thinner until they disappear IL has hap
| peued in Boston already The American
| stock. born of such mothers as we are Guilt
waiting, can't hold It's own against the big
boned, strong-buit foreigner. The irish
have crowded the Yankee out of New
England, and the German and the Yankee
! will crowd us out of the valley If we don't
change our ways. / tell you, sir, when
look round at the way this present genera
ton is managing things | sometimes actu-
ally feel glad that can't, in the course OF
| live very much LONGER"