The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-06-17
An Evil.
BY MRS. J. j. ANSLEY.

An EVIL.
BY MRS. J. ]. ANSLEY.
The slavish obeisance which many
otherwise sensible women make to the
barbarous dictates of fashion is q
shame upon a Christian civilization.
They present their bodies a living
sacrifice to the Mede and Persian
law, and deem it reasonable SER
vice.
A young lady said not long since,
ut is the fashion to have slender
forms, 80 all of the girls are lacing."
She also told of a girl in Christian
institution of learning, who slept
with her body compressed in order to
mould it to the fashion, and at the
same time had created an ulcer from
tight lacing. Could the worst form
of binding be more barbarous
This college girl was a member of a
missionary society, helping to send
some one to teach the heather the
sin of foot-binding.
We have looked upon deformed
waists in this Christian land Of ours,
until they are really, by some, pro-
nounced "good fgures.n Is there
beauty in deformity? Can we set up
8 more perfect standard of the beauti-
full than our Creator?
Just as the Australians admire the
nose peg, and the Malays black teeth,
we have come to admire distorted
waists. There is no difference; the
aste which we condemn in them we
practice in worse form.
When men and women of sound
Judgment look upon pointed toes and
bound waists, they have feelings very
nearly akin to those of our mission
aries in looking upon bound feet.
The same motive which prompts
heather mother to bind the feet o1
her child, prompts Christian moth
er to bind the waist Of her child
1t is the fashion there, and the fashion
here. Christians are on level with
heathens in this murderous prac'
tice.
Has women, sensible in all else nc
reason on this subject? Is she willing
to make unborn generations suffer fol
the fashion of to-day? We have only
to 90 to those skilled IL the laws o
health to find the multitude of evils
which result from waist binding. Ar
eminent physician said that if he wa:
asked what one agency stands at th'
very head of morbific influences II
causing frailty and malformation, h'
would answer, woman's dress.
What effects the body, affects tht
mind. Waist-binding impairs tn
health and prepares the way to MAKE
our girls Intellectual weaklings. l
destroys their power of endurance II
the very bud OF womanhood, and rem
ders them unable to grapple will
things which quicken the intel lice
and afford broad culture. Thus thei
usefulness is crippled and they ar.
forced to so along in o "hum drum
way, the servant of others.
We hear much of women being tn
intellectual equal of man whethe
she is or not, one thing is settled, 81
long as she remains the slave of fash
ion. She is weakened at many point
by this contemplate bondage. -,
Who is responsible for this evil
Are not the mothers to whom Go(
has committed the government o
their daughters? They are the one
to stay this barbarous custom. SOM
may say they cannot control thei
daughters on this point. Then le
them hide their faces in shame. l
they cannot govern their own OH
spring, they abuse the sacred trus
Imposed upon them and openly ac
knowledge that they are wanting. II
all of the chief elements OF mother
hood.
Mothers, more than all others, know
the innnmerable ills which grow ou
of waist-binding; how unpardonabl
therefore in them to allow their daugh
ters to 20 on committing gradual sui
eide. A beautiful and gifted youni
woman died not long ago from gallop
ing consumption brought on by waist
binding. 1t was as much suicide as
she had taken knife to her throat
Innocent she doubtless was, but tina
is the very reason we should "cr.
aloud and spare not" Our girls ar
ignorant of the danger. The compla
cency with which Christians disre
gard the moral side of this question i
alarming. Very few frown upon 1t
others accept it as an evil so strongl.
|intrenched that it is in vain to Wag
war against it. Thus we 60 on Will
it is destroying the very vitals of
large majority of women, and hand
ing down weakness and disease Il
future generations.- Wesleyan Christ
tian Advocate.