The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1891-09-11

Here is a costume taken from French
fashion journal for September, 1891.
What fault is there to find with it2 Isn't
it simple and sensible and pretty and at
the same time elegant9 1t is made to
wear over a corset, no doubt, but the
corset need not be tight. Very few wo-
men lace nowadays. High heeled and
narrow pointed shoes are not considered
at all in good form.
The high collar has been cut down and
opened in front, 50 that woman can
move her head freely. Tennis and boat
ing dresses and tea gowns form an I'M
portant part Of every woman's ward
robe, and they are always made 30 as to
allow perfect ease Of movement. There
are no senseless hoop skirts. no unsightly
bustles. no ridiculous shapes in hats,
and isn't all this in the right directionY
Then why not admit the progress and
encourage it2 All dress reformers call
upon Us to study the exquisite figures
left by Greek sculptors, and they hsve
great deal to say about the gr Iceful
draperies worn by the Greek women
1900 years ago.
Well, these marble women are unde-
niably beautiful, but all sculptors Of all
ages have followed the same model for
perfect figure. No one ever dreamed or
reproducing as work of art the fash
ionable figure of the period.
An artist follows the design Of the
Creator, not of the modiste. And we
| have no reason to conclude that all
| Greek women were like the Greek Slave
or the Venus de Milo. The time when
the women of Greece were supposed to
| be SO artistic was before the era or the
newspaper press, and fashion writers
were not numerous in those days, but
| the little that ancient history does tell US
| about these matters proves that the
women in those days. spent most OF their
| time ut their toilets A Greciap dame OF
high degree was attended by whole
retinue of slaves, whose sole business 1t
was to keep her precious body in order.
| Cosmetics were used to an extent never
known in any other age. Mental culture
was almost entirely neglected-the end
and aim of Greek womap's edncatton
was the amounting of her body. y
It Is a mistaken idea that the Greeh
women did not wear corsen> they olo,
but they were most carefully made ana
followed the lines of the figure lnstean
of making the figure conform TO the cor
set. They were of leather and came up
high under the arlnpits and far down
over the hips, being laced in the BACK;
A Greek woman's corset was nodded
upon her figure very much as surgeon
molds a straitjacket- The leather was
applied In a thoroughly soaked con
dition and stretched to fit every curve II
the body. Modjeska wears very much
the same thing. and so did Mary Ander
son. Both these ladies claim that theJ
are healthful and comfortable. We ar
told that the wearing Of this broad
leather girdle is what prevented th'
women of Greece. from having larg
breasts and abdomens. Everybody know
that both these undesirable results vii
follow tight lacing.
The flesh must go somewhere ana
Il Is pressed away from its normal po
sItion It is bound to appear where ]
| doesn't belong. The drapery worn o,
the Greek women was uniformly tn
same. The style Is shown 'hete and con
trasted With the style for Septembet
igpi, Most any sennible woman wonl
decide chat fuE seAAhoee % eInheAng,
: dast AID EAiA. q leAvellnN d ShUEe g