Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-03-22
HOW C0RSETS ARE WORN.
A FASHIONABLE MAKER DlScOURSEs
UPON THE SUBJECT.
Bad Effects of Tight Lacing Most Women
Wear Corsets Too Small for Them-rhe
Young Lady Who Neasks Died-The In
humanity of Moth. rs-s.ays for ,,.,

bad Enects OF Tight Lacing-Mos Women
Wear Corsets Too small for Them-rhe
Young Lady Who Neasks Died-The In.
humanity of Mothers-stays for Men.
Just off of Broadway on Eighteenth street
there is modest little house which differs in
no essential point but one from its neighbors.
The point of difference is that it bears proudly
on It's stony breast q badge which tells the
passers by that within fashionable corsets
are made A reporte- for The Press called
| on the propretress
We'll, what can l tell you about corsetsg'
she asked after she had read the reporters
open sesame.
VI want to know all about them" was the
modest reply, but first tell me, please.
whether ladies of the present day lace as
tightly as they did few years ago"
They do not, that S certain Tight lac
lnS, you know, has a tendency to elongate
the waist, and us short waists are in style at
the present time, the fashionable woman does
not attempt to shape hers to that degree of
waspLlse attenuation so sought for in the
days of tho boardlike stays. Then, again.
women are undoubtedly becoming more SEN
slble, and consequently more careful of their
health. Frankly, the woman of the period
cannot stand the tight lacing that her grand
mother could. She hasn't the constitution.
and believe her weak ness is a result of the
abominable pinching that the waists of her
maternal ancestors received"
SENSIBLE CORSET A REAL NEED
'YOu do not believe II corsets. thenp
But indeed do when they are used Judi
ciously. They are mos certainly great con-
venience and comfort, and cannot see how
the health can be I'M ed by their use, if, as
I FL
Some ladies', to be sure, get along without
them, but heavens, what dumpy, shapeless
figures such have. l do not sec what posi-
BILE objection there can DC to loose well fitting
corsets What, for instance, could stout
ladies do without themi They not only grid
the waist and support the bust, but they keep
the clothing from cutting into the flesh.
Fleshy women, however, make one great
mistake. Almost invariably they wear cor
sets that are too sma for them Now if
flesh is squeezed away from its natural posi-
ton 1t Is bound to go somewhere else where ma
ture never intended it u go; and the result is
naturally an uncouth figure But tight lacing
Is lndulged In by stout end thin, in fact fool
lsh women of all sizes and conditions will in
dulge in it. 1t is hardly necessary for me 10
say that | consider tighJ lacing an abomfna-
bic and suicidal habit
lis 1t not q fact that most women will in
slst upon wearing a corset that is too small
for themr
That is unquestionably so, although, as
have before stated, very tight lacing is no
longer INDUCED in to any extent. As long as
slim waists arc admired by the sterner sex
women will have them, cost what it NAV
There Is scarcely one of my customers who
does not wear a corset which is at least one
or two inches too small for her. For in
stance, a woman of - or ~ inch waist meas
ure usually will have 20 or - inch corset
made 1t used to be that foolish myself until
| learned by accident that Il fairly loosely
fitting corset really gave the effect OF slim
ness much better than one made smaller than
it should be. am rather stout, as you see,
and in common with many other members of
my sex decided that Il tightly fitting corset
would improve my figure. | was taken sick
with painful disease which made it impossi-
BILE for me to wear a corset at all In fact.
my side was sensitive, even after had
almost entirely recovered, that | couldn't
bear the slightest pressure on it. When be-
gan to get around again | found that must
wear some support for my back and picked
out the largest corset | had in stock and put
it on. Much to my surprise my customers
have ever since remarked upon my slimness.
This simply shows that for "a stout person a
loosely fitting corset is better In every way.
HER RIEs ovERLAPPED.
But aside from the question of health
which, of course, is the prime consideration
after all, tight lacing is certainly destructive
of good looks. II imp0verishes the blood,
impedes the circulation, and thereby induces
the consequent blemishes How many pretty
women you see every cay whose beauty is
absolutely destroyed by the redness of the
tips of their noses. There is charming
young lady who comes here whose pretty
little nose is always dist cured in that way
Unnatural pressure on the body tends to i'm
pede the circulation, and red noses and
swollen hands and feet are the result |
do not dare to say anything to my customers
who are victims of tight lacmg, for would
only lose their trade, gam their dislike, and,
after all, do them no good, for nothing |
could advise would change them one whit
1t is a shame, though, that family physicians
don't warn their patients more than they do
against the inevitable evi results OF contin-
uance of the habit. Several years ago. when
the preposterously slim, long waist was the
fashion, knew of a young lady who was
suddenly taken so violently i'll that for long
time her life was despaired of Her case com
pletely puzzled and batflel the doctors. When
she was convalescing al examination was
made, and it was discovered that SO extreme
had been the pressure brought to bear upon
her body that the ends of her ribs overlapped
each other in front. Her youth and naturally
good constitution were al that pulled her
through The young lady must have suf-
fered untold agonies when she was up and
about, for the ORE ans of her body could not
possibly have performed their proper func-
tions"
as it customary for children to wear cor
setsf'
Yes, it is, and there IS no habit which is
doing more to injure the future OF the Ameri-
can nation. Children should have the free
and untrammeled use of all their organs
am glad to say, however, that the habit is
not growing one In TACT, hardly think
it is SO prevalent as it was ten years ago The
dress reform movement has accomplished
wonders and well informed mothers are now
aware that corset wearing children cannot
grow up to be healthy women. There is no
shadow of excuse for young girls and chill
dren wearing stays, and no woman, unless
her mind is diseased by catering to what she
thinks is the fashion, would allow her daugb-
ter's life to be injured in such a way"
do you have any gen tlemen customersl'
Yes, but they are all derby business men,
who wear corsets as u support for weak
backs l understand that there is one firm In
town who make speciality of manufacturing
mems corsets, but l have never been able to