The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-08-06

The Use Of Corsets, Bustles. Collars and High
Heeled Shoes Must Be Discarded.

CHAUTAUQUA. Aug. 5.-A great dress re-
form movement is about to be Insugurated
In the United States. The crusade against
the prevailing fashions which was begun
at Chantauqua about a week ago, was the
hrst intimatlon of what was coming but
to-day the secret leaked out. and it shows
that the women reformers are on the war
path and really mean business The great
trouble ND to the present time with the
women has been 60 get a leader. q sort of
Martin Luther. who could WORK a great
reformation 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 Chautsuqua about week ago.
and has since that time been receiving del
egations OF women from all over the conn
try IN her suite of rooms here. and has de-
Tended her position In a way that has at
tracted the widest attention
On May 81, 1871, the general officers of
the National Council of Women held an
important meeting IN indianapolis, and
passed resolution that a crusade should
De waged as soon as possible sgalnst the
prevailing style of dress among women.
The hrst thing aimed at was TO secure the
adoption of more comfortable and sensi-
pie form of dress for women engaging in
business vocationa This was TO he the
beginning OF the emancipation OF " omen
from skirts, garters. corsets. high heels.
nigh ooliare-in fact. from everything that
Dandlcaps them from competing with men
IN the various professions and occupations.
lhe women say that corsets. bustles and
skirts must be abolished. hence they have
Just selected as central committee the
following prominent women: Mrs. Frank
Stuart Parker. of Chicago; Mira Frances T..
Russell. of 81. Paul; Annie Jenness Miller,
OF New York; Elizabeth Stuart Phelps
Ward. Anna G. Bracket. Dr. Mary Putnam
Sangster.
Chautauqua seems to have been hit upon
rs the place in which to inaugurate the
movement A secret meeting was held here
week ago. and several men W no stealthily
crept in TO get the latest intelli gence on
the subject were summarily bounced
The new reform was then unfolded by Mrs.
Parker. This lady 10 one of the most
charming of persons. and is the wife of Col
Francis Parker, the principal of the Chau-
tauqua Teachers Retreat and president OF
the Cook county Normal School in Chicago.
She is an author. lecturer and elocutionist:
10 very pretty. with classic features and
conversationalist She was q professor
some years ago in the Boston School of
Oratory.
The new reform touches almost every
the details of the new system il should be
said that Chautauqua has four styles of
dress, namely. the mo SKIRT the .-old
skirt" the divided skirt" and the "apol-
ogy for q skirt" Tor trouserette). the last
named being worn by the gymnasium girls
The radical reformers go in for q slight
modification of actresses tights. while
others are less extreme. preferring some
Improvement on the divided skirt. which.
they say. rs too roomy. while the tights arc
not roomy enough. The new crusade 10
very sweeping. and the curious thing about
1t all 10 that Miss Frances Willard has
wheeled the whole National Temperance
Union into line In support of the move
ment. In her very bright address here on
Saturday entitled "A White Life for Two"
she made some very striking and suggestive
remarks.
when we heard what Mrs. Parker bad
been saying to the Cbautauqua ladies
about dress reform, we gave three cheers
for her," said the great temperance apostle,
Miss willard. and she followed this MP by
some startling statements. This death
line" said she. drawing In the air with her
finger the outline OF q woman's waist
squeezed into the shape of an hour-glass,
II call it the death line" and here her
voice became strong and resonant. her
This line has filled more graves than
whisky" And the great audience in the
smphitheater applauded her to the echo.
She then told the story of the Mandarin's
horror because she pinched her foot ex-
claimed; I'VE pinch the foot, but you pinch
the life"
The reformers will endesvor. 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 a good photograph of the
Venus of Milo. They also suggest the
study of such figures ss the Venus Gene
trix. Juno. the Flying Victory. Amazon.
ThOrwoldsen's Eve. Richters Queen Louise
of Prussia coming down the stair, and the
ascending figure called the "Fates." by
Shermsn-in fact, q study of ell the most
approved statues. IN order to get the fe-
male eye accustomed as the artists eyes
are to the right position. The reformers
will try to make American women under
stand 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 va
rious 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 or ivory on the lower lip,
cut of the eyebrows, slit the nostrils and
file or blacken the teeth: the Chinese who
deform the loot or permit the finger-nalls
TO grow to the length of q yard; shaving
the head or training the hair into grotesque
forms. and last, but not least, the crown
ing deformity of the compression of the
waist; the so-called civilized nations beng
the only nations as yet who have attacked
q vital point.