Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-27
WOMAN THE WEAKER VESSEL.
And She VIII Always BE So Until She
FO1lOWs Natare Instead of Custom.

Godfrey Mortimer In the Humanitarian.
II must ever be a reproach againct Eng
fish women that they have systematically
injured their organisms by means OF stays
and high-heeled boots. The civilized woman
Of hundred years hence will read with
amazement that at the outset of woman's
emancipation in this nation the feminine
pioneers Of the movement still chung to the
habit which. perhaps. more than any other
stood In the way OF thei. advance. A race
of men begirt with steel and whalebone
would be scorned Of all civilized countries
Is there. then an imperious physical neces-
sity that women cannot escape? Are they
structurally deficient that they must make
to themselves raise ribs of metal and bone?
Is the malformed waist the type OF civili-
zation? II may be protested that the wo-
save herself
This is an obvious fallacy 1t is the duty
the chief responsibility of every individual
to maintain the highest possible standard
or health. The tl-health o. debility OF one
affects others. Invalidism. malaise waste
OF muscle through inaction-these are the
banes OF the majority of wor.en; and thare
Is hardly a family in England that does not
snner, through every individual member
because of the weakness and recurrcnt in
dispositions of its women / ask again, Is
II an arbitrary and negotiable law Of ma
ture that the proportion of feeble and ailing
sex than in the other?
Another highly important consideration is
that OF women's diet. Many women eat five
unsubstantial meals instead OF taking three
adequate meals day. There is no econo-
my, but. on the contrary waste i'm this way
OF recuperattng the losses OF the system.
The human stomach is net like that OF the
fowl: and II is imperative that the organs
of digestion shall have a due share of rest
In this. as in all othe- matters Of health
there should be no hard and fast rules
Lie on a Rational plan Is not one of pen
ance and asceticism but of full enjoyment
In the performance of function and the
qualification of sense. In order to derive the
satisfaction OF the palate, which is essential
to sound digestion. there must be healthy
munger Too many women eat without nor
maj appetite and are compelled to tempt
hunger by eating dainty but iunutritious
and fndigestIbie dishes.
A common female trouble Is a feeble cir
culation OF the blood. Women. and especial
ly those Of Inert physical habits appear TO
suffer unduly from the 'rigors OF our cli-
mate. The chief reason of this SUSCEPTIBLE
ty to cold is the lack OF proper exercise dur
Ing the winter months. when, for the great
er number Of women. all outdoor recreation
Is suspended. When the thermometer regis
tiers several degrees OF frost you may often
see men working without coats In the open
air, while within the houses women are
shudoering with wraps about thei- Shout
oers, and their chairs drawn close to the
blaze OF an immense fire. This dormouse
hibernation is not conducive to vigor
Why does the winter pull down. so
many women? Because at the very season
when the maximum Of bodily exertion is
necessary to maintain warmth they scdu-
lously abstain from outdoor exercises and
live In the fetid air of unventilated rooms
A woman who wishes to live wholesomely
Will not wait for a fine day upon which TO
saunter on the warm side of the street
She will go gu. every day, regardless of
wind. rain and slush.
Concisely. my theses are these:
ID Women are ply siologically capable OF
attaining the same standard of health and
ordinary power CT resistance as men co
To meet the present demands upon their
strength in the struggle for existence wo-
mer must atm at the cultivation of all their
powers. CD Without this preparation the
women OF the future will not secure true
social equality. The present superiority Of
staying power in men gives them the ad-
vantage in the greater number of profess
sions and trades. "a The reputed ARRESTED
development" of women is the outcome of
custom and not a law OF nature Thus. men
and women start with an equality of
chances, but the chances are lessened for
women by difference of environment