The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1891-09-02
A DRESS REFORM CRUSADE.
The Movement Already Begun ut Chau
tauqus with Mrs. Parker ss Leader.

"A great uIooo T0IOTm uOVoucut ID
about to be inaugurated in the United
States, and it shows that the women re-
formers are on the warpath and really
mean business. The great trouble up to
the present time with the women has
been to get leader, sort of Martin
Luther, who could work a great refor-
nation in the fashion world. This leader
has been found in the person of Mrs.
Frank Stuart Parker, of Chicago, who
so bravely nailed her dress reform thesis
to the gates of Chautauqua. On May
30, 1891, the general officers Of the Ma
tional Council of Women held an i'm
portant meeting in indianapolis and
passed resolution that crusade should
be waged as soon as possible against the
prevailing style of dress among women
The first thing aimed at was to secure
the adoption of a more comfortable and
sensible form of dress for women engag-
ing in business avocations. This was to
be the beginning of the emancipation Of
women from skirts, garters, corsets, high
heels, high collars-in fact, from every
thing that handicaps them from compel
ing with men in the various professions
and occupations.
The women say that corsets, bustles
and skirts must be abolished; hence they
have just selected as a central commit
tee the following prominent women:
Mrs. Frank Stuart Parker, of Chicago;
Mrs. Frances z. Russell, of st. Paul.
Annie Jenness Miller, of New York,
Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward, Anna G.
Bracket, DR.. Mary Putnam Jacob, Miss
Grace Dodge and Margaret Sangster.
Chautauqua seems to have been hit
upon as the place in which to inaugurate
the movement. The new reform was
unfolded by Mrs. Parker. This lady is
one of the most charming of persons,
and is the wife of Colonel Francis Park
er, the principal of the Chautauqua
teachers retreat and president of the
Cook county normal school in Chicago.
She is an author, lecturer and elocution-
list; is very pretty, with classic features
and expressive eyes, and is most en-
gaging conversational. She was pro-
fessor some years ago in the Boston
school of oratory.
The new reform touches almost every
article of woman's apparel. Before Civ
ing the details Of the new system it
should be said that Chautauqua has four
styles of dress-namely. the mo skirt"
the "solid skirt" the "divided skirt" and
the apology for skirt" Tor trouseret),
the last named being worn by the gym
nasium girls The radical reformers go
in for slight modification of actresses
tights, while others are less extreme,
preferring some improvement on the di-
vided skirt, which, they say, is too
roomy, while the tights are not roomy
enough. The new crusade is very sweep
ing, and the curious thing about it all is
that Miss Frances Willard has wheeled
the whole National Temperance union
into line in support of the movement. In
her bright address, entitled "a White
Life for Two" she made some very strik-
ing and suggestive remarks
when we heard what Mrs. Parker
had been saying to the Chautauqua la
dies about dress reform, we gave three
cheers for her." said the great temper
ance apostle, Miss Willard, and she fol-
lowed this up by some startling state
ments. "This death line" said she,
drawing in the air with her finger the
outline of woman's waist squeezed into
the shape of an hour glass-"I call it the
death line" and here her voice became
strong and resonant, her gestures ami
mated and her eyes hashing-"this line
has filled more graves than whisky"
And the great audience in the amphithe-
a%a cd hav 70 t,a hn
She then told the story of the man.
darin's wife, who, when some Americans
expressed horror because she pinched her
foot, exclaimed, 1--WE pinch the foot, but
you pinch the life"
The reformers will endeavor, by photo
graphs, statues and lectures from promi-
nent artists, to change the present ideal
of proportion in the human figure. They
recommend that each woman supply her
self with good photograph of the Venus
of Milo. They also suggest the study
of such figures as the Venus Genetrix,
Juno, the Flying Victory, Amazon,
Thorwoldsen's Eve, Richter's Queen
Louise of Prussia coming down the
stair, and the ascending figure called
the "Fates," by Sherman-in fact, a
study Of all the most approved statues,
in order to get the female eye accus-
toned as the artists eyes are to the right
position.
The reformers will try to make Ameri-
can women understand that barbarians
in every age, with their limited ideas OF
real beauty, have deformed the body in
various ways-the Flathead Indians, who
endeavor to change the shape Of the head
the tattooing of various artistic designs
upon the human body; the savages who
put rings through their noses and sticks
through the outer rim Of their ears
those who hang heavy pieces Of wood OF
ivory on the lower lip, cut off the eye
brows, slit the nostrils, and file or black.
en- the teeth; the Chinese who deform
the foot, or permit the finger nails to
grow to the length of yard; shaving
the head or training the hair into gro
tesque forms, and last, but not least
the browning deformity of the compress
sion of the waist; the 80 called civilized
patiope haiuo tho only nations nc vei