Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-09-06
THE TOPICAL TALKER.
Mrs. Jeuness miller Talk. Abou, Dre.s.Re

proach of soma unusual event. Behind the
exagger ated blazer which passes for a curtain
| at the Opera house, was Captain William Full
wood, several stage hands who addressed him
as "Bill," and-the cause of all the excite
ment-Mrs. Jenness Miller, the leading, loving
apostle of dress reform.
| By and by with remarkable punctuality fol
an event essentially feminine, that is about q
minutes after the announcement, the anti
| quated blazer slowly curled itself up, and dis.
| closed very sad interior scene, two chairs and
| table. For a moment there was silence
| then six or seven hundred fashionably dressed
ladies settled themselves in the springback
seats, two men ventured to take more or less
prominent seats in the parquet, and five or six
other masculine intruders modestly subsided
| in the shades of the back row.
Without a solitary flourish from the orches-
tra-owing to the absence of Mr.. Swartz's mu-
sicians-Captain William Fullwood stepped on
to the stage, closely followed by tall graceful
lady in a pink dress. With an eloquent flourish
of his left hand, Captain Fullwood said: la
dies and gentlemen, have the honor to intro
duce to you Mrs. Jenness Miller, who will now
| address you"
The lady in pink bowed to Captain Fullwood,
Captain Fullwood bowed to her, the audience
got bows from both of them, and voice not
loud but silvery and clear told that the boosting
of dress reform for women had begun.
s.s
WHEN the audience had taken a good look
at Mrs. Miller they found that she was above
the average height of women, although so
evenly proportioned that she did not appear
tall. Her shoulders were broad. her waist
high and the lines of her figure full and very
symmetrical. She stood erect, with her well.
shaped head thrown back the least bit.
1t was a comely head, crowned with
a mass of dark brown hair and poised on a
neck very smooth and white Dark eyes, a
straight, rather thin nose, mouth and chin
showing strong nature, completed a face that
somehow reminded one of the men in the
audience of Mary Anderson, before the light
went out of that beautiful woman's face.
Mrs. Miller came pretty close to the footlights
and stood or moved about easily while she
talked Her dress was of rather bright pink
material-very loose-ftting evidently, yet fall
ing in the graceful lines the unrestrained form
of woman takes. 1t had prodigiously high
waist. There was light lace trimming at the
neck, where a small diamond brooch also
glittered. Afterward she explained that this
was dress particularly adapted for school
girls; cut so as to give perfect freedom to a
maid of gymnastic tendencies. One man in the
audience thought it rather ugly, but then he
was only one man among hundreds of superior
beings in silks and heaven.knows-what fash
ionable raiment, who could be plainly heard ex-
claiming upon the loyeliness of the pink dress.
so
Will Mrs. Miller was in the pink dress
the writer fully expects to be told by score of
indignant correspondents that the dress was
not pink at all, but some color with French
name and a meaning hard to discover-she did
most of the talking. For about an hour and
half she talked about her dress reforms in
undergarments and the making of dlesses.
Even to man her address was continuously
interesting It abounded in wit-very often at
mans expense-argument strong in logic, apt
illustration and clear conclusion, and very
admirable refinement and delicacy which
enabled her to discuss certain subjects with
ease to herself and her auditors. Her voice,
though not great in volume, was clear and
agreeable.
SHE began with a reference to the grand
Biblical story of the creation, which she used
to introduce the truth that breach of the law,
be it physical or moral. entailed certain dis
aster to the lawbreaker. 1t was easy for her
to pass from this TO the evil results of the sins
against physical law committed by the human
race in the name of fashion and custom in
dress. Of course it was her province to call
attention to the sins of women in this respect.
Not that she approved mems garments,
certainly not. Neither had she any de-
sire to adopt masculine dress. But she
forcibly phrased her objection to the dress the
woman of fashion wears to-day in these words:
IF men had always worn the woman's dress
they would be gibbering idiots eer now." Her
attack was centered on the corset She showed
exactly how the steel of that internal machine
bore down with murderous pressure upon the
most important vital organs of woman. For
artistic reasons she abused the corset. too. 1t
changed the beautiful curve of nature-the eye
delights in curves-into an unlovely angle, and
made it impossible for woman to stand erect
and to display the beauty of her neck and bust
All these horrid offenses of the corset she made
plain by diagrams. as it were, on her own un-
armored form.
BUT the remedy was at hand she mercifully
showed. While the time for divided exterior
garments for women had not come. she had
radical change to recommend in the way of
undergarments. Then she described the
Union garment, which combined in
one the present upper and lower
articles of attire used by women. 1t could be
made of silk, wooden or any of the woven
goods now in use. Fitting closely to the shape
from shoulders to ankles it did away with all
need for several upper garments and the petit
coat and skirt. She struck sympathetic
chord In every woman's heart by recalling the
awful habit the petticoat has of winding itself
about the feminine understandings on street
corners on windy days, and its penchant for
tripping up its wearer on the way upstairs.
For this enemy of womankind she offered her
new garment the Leglet. as she had after
much debate called it. Other rames had been
suggested for this boon TO the fair SEX but she
preferred to speak of them as "leelets" rather
than little panties" or ''little skirtlets."
Then she showed how the corsetted woman
sits down in a heap, and how very much more
grace is possible to the free woman. II don't
own petticoat," she said. Il haven't for four
years; four years of precious freedom. The
petticoat is relic of barbarism," and then she
went on to draw an amusing picture of the
human race driven by fashionable dress to To-
comotion on all fours.
Sc
BEFORE she dismissed the corset-all in
tatters. poor thing she explained that under
certain conditions women might find it necessa-
ry to have some support to take the place of
the corset and to them she recommended a
little waist suspended from the shoulders. ut
is not the bones of the corset that do the in
jury, but the STEEL" she said.
In every one of her arguments against the
corset and other fashionable denominations
Mrs. Miller was'very careful to put the artistic
ahead of the physiological, be-
cause she said her sex was apt to be Influenced
by the thought of beauty before that OF health.
For this reason she was careful to lay stress on
the fact that with her model garment en- |
throned upon the female form divine it was |
not necessary for the dress to be loose any, |
W here but ar the waist The body must be free