Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-02-09
IRIS. G. O. BAKERS LECTURE,

FROM private letters we are in
formed that Mrs. c. 0. Baker is
meeting with excellent success in
her work in the southern states.
We take the following compli-
mentary notice from the Atlanta
Journal which explains itself
She takes DIR. Gaillard Thomas's
statement that ninety-nine women
out OF a hundred are physically
weak, are afflicted with some
form of ailments peculiar to the
sex, and attributes these conditions
largely to the prevailing methods
OF dress; especially in under gar
ments-corSets, skirts on bands
and high heel shoes. She showed
by illustrated charts, the digestion
of the food, in its passage through
the alimentary canal. the trans
piring of the chyle from the small
intestines by lacteals and lynn
phaticS by theoracic duct to sub
clavean vein, thence to heart, from
there to lungs to meet the air
breathed, and is thereby vitalized
or oxygenated, making pure arte-
rial blood, ready to go out on its
life-giving mission She then
briefly and plainly traced the circu-
latory system, explaining to her
hearers how the blood was con-
stantly building up and replacing
tissue wasted away by the action
or work done by each and every
organ of the body. We quote
from Mrs. Baker: owe are con-
stantly dying and taking on new
life. The only thing to maintain
good health is to keep up the
balance in the system. We waste
or die faster than we recuperate
or build up Or take on new life,
and finally become weak, sick, pale
and emaciated. Corsets, tight
bands, heavy skirts interfere with
the proper formative, circulative
and assimilative systems and
should therefore be replaced by a
method of dress more in conform
ity with the laws of health. The
present method Of dress in vogue
prevents proper development of
muscle powers. The consequence
is, as rule, woman have weak,
flabby muscles"
Mrs. Baker showed charts illus
trative of the organs in the normal
position, as also in displaced posi-
tons of the nervous system, as the
intelligence of the muscles, liken-
ing it to a Geographic system
carrying and transmitting messages
to every part of the body. There
are about three thousand nerves
in the human body, and she said
that by accident she was COM
PEELED one hour to be encountered
with the burden of one petticoat at
one time within the last five years,
since she has been dressing in con-
formity with the Jenesse Miller plan
and that the whole of her three
thousand nerves cried out against
the annoyance, caused by this
twisting, dragging, heavy garment,
that she had rather subject her
nerves to the strain of standing be-
fore an audience of six hundred
ladies six times a week than be
compelled to bear the strain of
wearing that kind of a garment
spoken Of
She spoke of the sacred privi-
leges of motherhood and said that
the beautiful truths of sex and
procreation can be best taught
from the mothers lips. Taken all
in all, Mrs. Bakers lecture give all
women higher ideals of life, a
better appreciation of their duties
as wives and mothers. To weak
sickly women she gave special
directions how they can recover
and keep perfect health.
This system is one now being
carried on in your midst, Endorsed
and adopted by leading society
ladies. Mrs. Baker was an invalid
for thirteen years, therefore, she
has cause to speak both feelingly
and enthusiastically of the merits
of this treatment: "Way to Life,
called VIAVI."