Democratic messenger., 1888-03-10
MEN WHO WEAR CORSETS
NOT ALL AMERICANS, AS A FOR
eIoN PAPER lNTiMATEs.

Engiishmrn nmi German Military Onleers
Wear Corscts-Thc Sorts ef Men Who
Resort To IirscIng of This KInd-Three
| Glasses of wcarers.
An English newspaper recently pub
| lislicd n long article ON the subject ~ stays
or curscis for men. The little information
| the articlr contained was credited To an
American interviewer, and only American
| mcn of fashion were accused of having q
| weakness for this feminine necessity. The
| fact that many men wsar corscts has been
known fer some time, but the statement
that the habit IL confined To Americans Is
entirely new and utterly false. IL Is and
always has l,ccn difficult 10 gvt any posi-
tive information ON this subject from tho
persons who make the corscis or the men
who wear them. The former are rcticcnt
from u business point OF view, while the
latter vchcmently deny that they wear
stays because they arc ashamed VI IL,
which Is to their credit. There u large
business done In this line, not only In this
city, but IN many foreign cities.
ENGLlsHMEN WEAR THEM.
Many Englishmen wear corscts, and
these gentlemen suffer more inconvcni-
| cncc from this source, where they arc far
from home, than from any other. Tho
places where men can buy corsets are
limited IN number, and known only to %
few, who Keep this knowledge to them
selves. y stranger, therefore, has to rely
entirely upon his own resources. \ well
known manufacturer of corscts OH Broad
way was recently visited by u dappcr lit-
tie Englisliiian who was only nbuut five
u high SAX hat, n surprisingly tall collar,
n red nccktic AMI n pair Of white leg
| giugs. lie was not shy about his needs,
ms an American would bc, but mincing up
| to a pretty young saleswOman, said:
"Can get u corset here!"
''For your sistcr!"
"Nor' exclaimed the young fellow, lift
Ing his eyebrows In surprise; 'for my
self"
"You will please" said the young wo-
man, drawing herself up until she looked
seven feet tall, mot attempt TO joke with
me. You will find the bookkcepcr In the
Office"
The poor little dude would have been
panied II IL were possible, hut as IL was
not he was only astonishcd. lie spoke TO
| the manager. and was informed IN frigid
manner by that gentleman that the firm
had not yet found enough idiots in this
country TO make IL worth their while 10
construct corscts with the front the same
shape as the back.
"Wcll, can't you make Onc." he asked.
! "No, sir, we cannot, and that settles
it."
The firms that make corsc,s for men
have only one difficulty. II Is that of pro-
curing u clerk with tact enough To hold u
customer when hc gets him. In this
country men like To appear masculine, IL
they have anything manly about them. \
clerk must not smile whsu he Is nrtlcsS!y
told by customer that he wants to order
corset for u friend who Is precisely the
customers shape and size, AMI who Is too
modest or too much cngrosscd In business
To attend to the matter himself. Some
times the friend In the background is de-
scribc,l rs iriug an invalid and in need nf
the corset I" hold him together when he
coughs. Nome of these statements DE-
ccive the clerk, but he goes To work at
the o:,!rr just us IL he believed Ike GUS
toner, frequently making pathetic In
qurics regarding the precise physical con
ditiun Of the ailins friend.
| THREE GLASSES oF wEAIEIs.
/ There nrc three classes of men who wear
cOrsct.-thosc who wear them for their
health or physical cnn:in'i. the idiots who
wear them with the i'lca that H. improves
their shape, and the dudes that wear them
so that their coats will set upon their
backs without n wrinkle. The first nrc
usually very corpulcnt mcn, TO Use the
expression Of q fashionable tailor, would
wabblc too much without them. The
second sort are the simple minded fellows
who believe that u slim waist causcs the
breast tO bulge ont, and that this, with
pronounced hips, Indicates SURPRISING
strength. Some Of these men are so slim
that their waists any way could be
spanncd with the hands, but this is not
considered, and they wear corsets that arc
drawn NJ tight that they look like u sau-
sage with string tied around the middle.
| The men who wear corscts for the sake of
their tailors arc usually Of that contempt
iblc class known ns niashers.
! When u man bcgins wearing corscts IL
Is hard to tell where he will stop. II he
lcgins careful inspection Of his person
| he Is apt to grow very dissatisfied with
| the han,liwOrk Of nature, Rn,l attempt, In
/ his clumsy way. to improve upon her.
lie will end, probably. In making himself
! look like freak or monsirosity of
some kind Many man of gOod shape
has begun IN "a simple way to improve
himself In the matter of physique and
ended IN becoming n mononlaniac on the
subject. a well known tailor not fur
from the Hotel Brunswick said that he
! had never seen corset an any of his
customers, but he knew very well that
several of them wore this article. c0r;.cfJ
/ are not known hy this name among the
| men who wear them ar 10y the inanufact-
urers. The masculine corset l. called the
''comprcssnr." or the patent elastic sup
porter" Military men ARE fond ul surscts,
| II IL said, and many of the rcgimcntal
swclls consider one of these articles
necessary adjunct 60 their wardrobe.
| Many of the Corscis worn by men are
I male IN Germany, where they are In great
! favor among the officers ~ the German
army 4 great ,icnl uf trouble l. taken
/ by some III the men to have their cnrScIs
made IN rich and ilowery designs. same
are ma,le of brightly cnlorrl silks nnd
trimmed with rich lace \ woman II
/ more apt to learn whether "a man wears
corset than one of his avn sex. Especially
I IN this tlle ease when the man IL waizin:.
I whalehnnc. II Il sail. will creek au,libly
when any un'lGc strain j. hr'r-h; Ia lwar
uInn u. \ man with II II ;hily lac Il
! corset II hound to be discovered hy TIE
woman hc waltzes with, provided she has
sharp ears and il not In 1--we with him.
( New York sun.