Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-10-12
THE ARM CLUTCH.
An Undue Familiarity Which All Decent
Women should Repel-More Objection
able Than Round Dancing.

We constantly find ourselves under OBJ
legations TO somebody, and to-day we
make our Acknowledgements to the Rich
mond State and Lynohburg Virginian
both OF which able journals have antici-
pated US in timely rebuke to that most
abominable custom, the EARN clutch, -
which so generally prevails to-day in
certain fashionable circles, and which is
as much to be decried as any other GUS
tom that should never attain prominenc g
among people.
Who the originator was of so un grace-
full and indelicate a method of walking
we do not know, but we venture to as
sert that he or she belongs TO the same
old family to whom we are indebted for
decollete, and for certain extrnvagant
extremes in round dancing, at sight of
which every true woman ought to hang
her head in blushing shame. Why any
sensible man and woman should want to
appear IN promenade in posture as
repulsive and unnatural as that of the
Siamese twins, we are certainly at loss
to conjecture, and it is no uncommon
oc urrence nowadays TO see a young
couple walking the streets in the contor-
tionate bend of the EARN clutoh,' and
looking for all the world as if their sides
we're bound together ty some invisible
ligament which made 1t impossible for
either one to stand alone or walk erect
without the consent and cooperation of
the other.
Girls, don't do it. Don't encourage
or consent to any such absurd and inde-
corous sway of your lovely bodies. Re-
member they are the heaven ordered
temples of the Holy Ghost. Reverence
and respect them as such. Say to your
escort, keep your diStance,'' or il
assistance is necessary in the old fash
toned way, prescribed by decency and
good taste, and my word for it he will
respect you ten thousand times more
than if you allowed him the questionable
liberty of the 'clutch. - Female deli
cacy is but another name for female
purity, and the most delicate thing in
the world. Like the Magnolia, it must
be self supporting; touch the beautiful
flower and the snow-white petals, sensi-
tive even to a breath, will fade and fail
under the blight of swift decay. God
hasten the day when in A mericau So
ciety, at least, all such questionable
customs will have had their day, and the
Farm clutch,' decollete and all dubi-
Gus dance figures have passed from popu-
lar favor, like Judas; to their Gown
place.
In regard to the first named abomi-
nable habit the Virginia State says:
"The silly and indelicato method of
grabbing a young lady's arm, known as
the arm-clutch, is more objection able
than the round dancing, and is certainly
more ungraceful. The man squeeZes the
Young lady's arm and clamps her figure
to him in such way that any forward
movement gives to both figures q mis-
timed, pendulum-like motion, render
ing both parties decidedly ungraceful
and giving to the lady's figure
especially an awkwardness that is very
unjust 10 her. No lady should allow a
man to grasp her IN this way. 1t is not
nice. 1t is not the polite thing. Plainly
speaking, 1t is undue familiarity without
evr the reprehensible excuse of being
effective as street parade measure -
To which the Virginian adds: "There
is good sense IN the above, and We hope
the ladies will get up reform move
ment on the "arm-c clutch habit. It
ought to be discouraged and discon-
tinued. lex.