Oxford Democrat., 1896-09-15
PAINTING IS NOT FASHIONABLE.
HISTORICAL WOMEN WILL RE COM
PEELED to LOOSEN THEIR coRsETs
SOMEWHAT

SOMEWHAT.
"Yes, there was a time when n woman
could faint whenever she took notion"
said the doctor. at was form OF
hysteria and was largely due to tight
lacing. There seemed to be something
fascinating to the average woman In
losing consciousness Mt certain times.
She never dreamed of fainting In the
quiet of her own room. No, indeed. She
waited until she got to the theatre or
church or at q ball or reception. IL was
only the fashionable women who had
nothing to do and took no exercise.
Workingwomen had no time to get hys-
| terical. You take woman to-day and
let her live very high, take no exercise,
get little sleep and squeeze 25-inch
waist into II or Is n n cors t and In
three months she will be In such an hys-
terical state that the slightest thing will
upset her So that she will become inser-
sible. Painting did not go out OF style
until the wasp waist had had its day. A
revolution In corsets worked wonders
for women, and it IL due to two things.
American women to-day display more
common sense than they ever did before,
and t1ey take more interest In physical
development. | haven't seen Woman
faint before in two years. Common
sense Is prevailing commodity among
the women, old and young, Of to-day"
Tight iacing was at the bottom of
my fainting," volunteered the m ltron,
rubbing down her pretty waist, land,
for my part, think IL was the real root
of the evil. Ten years ago women GER
tainly laced. No. II corsets were sold
In great quantities them now that num-
ber IA extinct, and my corsetmaker tells
me that she never has call for an Is ex-
cept when some little being comes in and
has one made TO order"
"What is the average number now:
asked the college boy, with as much in-
terest as girl would display.
Number %. was the reply.
40 and - are consi cred small, and
she has one customer who boasts of 4
waist that Is an even yard, and her figure
l. magnificent, too. She carries herself
like queen. Corsets used to bc straight
er in line than now, and you men should
be thankful that YOU never knew the
agony of being bound up in one. They
|
room for the lungs. heart aud liver, and
II they are laced little tight at the waist
the wearer doesn't feel any discomfort
The stomach also has absolute freedom
; in properly reconstructed corset, and
there Is no pressure across the kidneys
as formerly. Nothing will cause s
woman to faint quicker than having !
steady pressure on the stomach. Why
I've known women who couldn't keel
their corsets on more than three hours IA
time In the I'd days"
"Corscts were evidently built stronge
than they are now" remarked the younl
woman, land am sure none OF thes'
fainierS were educated At my college.
"les, TO both questions, but II WA
before physical culture and athletic
came into vogue for women. The cor
sets used TO bc perfect armors. The!
y were exceedingly heavy and almost q
!. still as steel"
mot many women wear stays nova
days, | believe" modestly venturcd tn
. young man.
"Oh, yes" spoke up the youn!
woman. That Ia altogether mistakel
: idea. There are very few women VIII,
: do not wear stays, and, indeed, there ar
very few who could leave them oil viii
any degree of comfort or grace. Fo
while women rushed madly afte
health waists, but the corset dealers an,
makers report that far fewer substitute
for corsets are sold to-day than formerly
u 4 garment like that becomes fad. bu
= soon goes out of vogue. Women aren'
J, going 10 stop wearing the corset. The
u discard stays when exercising in
u gymnasium or when playing field game
= and many OF them leave them of whe
: a wheel, but as for giving them up whe
! 'dres sed up few women are emancipate
" tG that extent. True, the corsets of "a
y day are not so straight, stiif or heavy a
u formerly, aud they are not worn so tight
but all the same they are still very i'm
: portant part OF woman's wardrobe
q :, and there is nothing In wcll-construc'
II ed. loose, light corset that could possibl
make anyone faint"
{, "Oh, pshaw," exclaimed the doctor
u mpstiently. Il tod YOU that faintin
II was out of style long ago. Ny opinio
is that In 20 years, even in 10, very fe'
: women will be wearing stays. Bicycle
e aud basket ball aud hurdlng and run
e ming and broad aud high jumping wi
= drive out whalebone and steel.
i" Il, for one, hope they will, said th
i college girl, as she drained her sma
V cup of coffee.
e They won't, all the same, and il "
= live we shall see" remarked the mltror
y ), with equal earnestness.-NeS York sur