The evening times., 1898-12-12
CORSETS BARRED.
Russia Forbids Women to Wear the
WHIST Comprcssors.
From the New York Journal.


The Russian minister OF education. NJ
Bogoierow, has issued an order against
the wearing Of Corsets in any OF the edu-
cational institutions within the Cars do
minion
This remarkable ukase has created a
much greater commoti0n than would have
been caused had a wagon load of dyna-
mite bombs been exploded by nihilists in
various parts Of the empire. Feminine
howls reverberate from ST. Petersburg to
Irkutsk and from Archangel 10 the BlacK
Sea. And to think that this arbitrary
manifesto comes Immediately after the
appeal for universal peace by the most
autocratic sovereign OF the old world,
Here is marvellous realization of Jere-
miahs prophecy. They have healed also
The hurt Of the daughter OF my people
slightly, saying. Peace, peace; when there
is no peace"
Remember that this innovation was not
framed in the shape OF a cOmmendation on
the part OF the minister of education, nor
is it given as paternal counsel by the
Little Father in ST. Petersburg. 1t is
an irrevocable edict, an immutable law,
the transgressors Of which incur severe
punishment.
The new law is the direct result of IA
long tour of inspection made by Minister
Bogoierow of the schools IN the Russian
empire. He found that the rivalry of the
girls and young ladies' especially in the
female seminaries, for the possession of
the smallest waists is eXe-ting incalcuia-
bic damage on the health of Russian fem
ininity, and he has concluded that the
continuation of tight corsets would mean
! the degeneration of the muscular Musco-
yite race.
The new order has invoked a noisy
! controversy throughout the land. Many
| Of the parents are loud I'm their praises
! of the minister's wisdom, and as chill
| dren in Russia are usually an obedient
| set, there is little trouble in the Juvenile
! institutions. But Minister Bogoierow
did not precalculate the pandemonium he
would stir up, for the Russian young
! lady has recently been imbued with some
of the woman's rights doctrines from the
| Occident and is getting to have n mind
! of her own. With other words she
shakes her head defiantly and puts her
! foot down on the ministerial edict. She
! threatens to boycott the young ladies'
| seminares and all schools Of higher ed
ucation for women. She says to NJ. Bo-
! goierow: "If you will insist on prohibit
! ing the wearing of stays in the female
schools, there is an end to the rapid evo-
/ luton which our sex has assumed during
/ this decade from the down-trodden peas
/ ant slave in the rural districts and from
/ the parlor ornament in the cities to the
effete young ladies of modern culture.
! If you will remove our stays or unloosen
our corset strings we will no longer
| evolve"
The controversy has only begun. for the
| great scientist, Prof. B. Gerson, has been
| Instructed to thoroughly investigate the
| effects of the corset, and now he has ad-
| dressed brochure TO all educational au-
thorities, to school superinteadents and
| to all societies for the education of worn-
en-. In this he points ominously to the
| terrible dangers which menace the hu-
man race through the wearing of corsets
| and lays ii on the conscience of all to do
! their utmost TO effect the abolition of the
| curse
Prof. Gerson declares that the corset
| prevents free respiration, in consequence
OF which the passages in the lungs cannot
| possibly get the benefit of the air This
| has a perilous effect on the blood. causing
| blood poverty and chlororis, or green
| sickness, with their various subdiseases.
| Prof. Gerson further maintains that all
| other physical faculties for the sutenance
and development OF life suffer through the
corset. Hence the lack of healthy diges-
ton. the frequency of headache, laziness
and blase qualities in modern women In
fact. the scientist traces half of the mod
ern evils to the corset.
The Russian young lady however. will
/ have none of Prof. Gerson's counsel and
! a boycott of the Russian schools Is i'm
/ minent.