The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1892-05-20
DRESS REFORM.
Mrs. Jenness-Miller Entertains Small
Audience and Scores Point
Against COrsetS.

Mrs. Jenness-Miller entertained
about one hundred and fifty ladies at
the Baptist church Friday after
noon, with her lecture upon Health
and Beauty" The church should
have been crowded, for the subject
and the lectures were both worthy of
it. Mrs. Miller rs pleasing talker,
and illustrated her discourse with
several changes of costume of beauti-
full pattern and rich material, which
well displayed her fine form.
She stated that custom, with some,
is equivalent to law, and in the Gus
toms of dress lies the danger of destroy
ing the last vestige of the Unborn Wo-
man. In speaking of the subject,
certain physiological facts, and GER
tain false modesty render it difficult
to properly treat of the matter. The
speaker scored the habit Of avoiding
the mention of that important por-
tion of the body, the legs. Had God
meant that only man should have legs
He would have invented something
else for the benefit of women. There
is no intention to favor the adoption
of divided clothing on the outside.
You should not exchange your own
unattractive dress for mans more
unattractiYe trousers.
The principal objections to wo-
mans present dress is it's lack of phys
ical comfort and it's lack of grace.
The correct dress is without bands,
ligatures or strings; without cOrsets
aud without lacings at vital parts.
Women naturally have tremendous
power at their waists and need no
corsets to hold them up. Put the race
of mankind in corsets and in ten
years they would be dead or race of
gibbering idiots. They have inferior
strength to woman: if you don't be-
lieve it, cage man up and corset
him.
Each arm and leg should be warmly
clothed in conformity with its shape.
My system of dress is much better
than mems, especially as regards IN
derclothing, The undergarment
should be all in one, and there should
be no superfueous strings or anything
else unnecessary. They are now be-
ginning to make union garments fol-
men-I am so glad, as so many sus-
penders must be be a heavy weight
upon their shoulders. The second
garment should be a perfect fitting
divided waist or chemilette, and
the third and last a divided skirt. ]
regard petticoats as relic of barbar-
ism. l pity you poor women who
must stand on the street corners when
the wind raises them, who must trail
them through the mud in wet wealth
er thus catching cold from the wet
edges, and who must stumble over
them in going up stairs. A petticoat
allows a great circulation of air and
little warmth. With the divided skirt
each leg is warm.
The present dress causes a contin
ued nervous and muscular strain. II
eXerts the same influence at the thigh
that three-pound bags of sand would
upon man if tied to his thighs. He
would not stand it, and you ought not
to. Our dresses are common sense
remove the resistance and do away
with back aches. Our ground found
alton is to make all dresses in one
piece, adjusting fashion to this, anC
having artistic fashions besides
There is an arrangement of cross
seams, and no Princess with tie-backs
Ii you are welded to fashions, keeI
them and make the essential changes
Mrs. Miller then proceeded to show
several gowns adapted to different oc.
casions. She urged that bulges and
shelves in all directions be gotten rid
of. The old Greek and Egyptian
dresses are the only ones that appeal
to the artistic sense of the ages.
The second dress was pink one OF
a shape designed for a school girl
loose and easy. Mothers put theil
daughters into tight fitting dresses al
the age when they are undeveloped
and unshapely, and they look I'M
shapely and awkward. In order to be
rid of the bullying abdomen the Cir
or woman should expand her chest
and stand erect. This will also raise
tile breast to its proper position
This cannot be done with a corset
The girl can also take vital physica.
exercise in this dress, the one exercise
which all women should practice tC
keep them out of the hands ofspecial
lists, and that is the making a pivot Of