The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-09-09
WOMAN'S
WORLD.

deals with the curveless woman as fol-
lows:
Ia America one isn't likely TO ind the
leading article OF great daily paper de-
voted 10 the latest fashion In corsots. In
Paris that very thing has just happened.
There Is a lot OF talk ebout the emanci-
pated condition OF American women. As
matter Of fact, the importance OF an
American woman in the body polite OF
her country isn't 10 be compared with the
Importance OF French women in France.
they take women much more seriously
over here. They have given her a really
superb role TO play and they concern
themselves nightly about her manner OF
playing H. Women have tremendous
deal of power and men seem jealously
anxious that the power should stay in
the woman's hands.
The latest fashion in corsets may seem
a FAR cry from this serious business. but
from the Frenchman's point OF view. It
isn't The woman's power Is largely hers
because OF her charm. her grace. her
femlninity. NJ. Paul Adams. one of the
leading Journalists OF Paris. finds that
these qualities are threatened by the new
fashion. ard therefore he speaks up
promptly In three columns beginning
with eorsets and ending with anarchy. He
handles the corset subject without gloves
much as he says the lady's maids have
70 handle the corsets.
Without the aid OF a robust maid and
remarkable biceps." he says. no woman
can hope TO attain this platitude."
Platitude in this case Is TO be taken
literally. II means hatness; fiatness ply
steal. without the curves which have
hitherto been regarded as the proud pos
sesslon OF woman. An these curves. ac-
oordlng 20 NJ. Adam. are forbidden by the
new fashion. aided and abetted by the
brawny iady's maids.
She laces. she pulls. she buckles. she
ties he laments. And the most attrac-
tive Venus finds herself transformed into
Ganymede. She Is like a lead soldier Ia a
six-oent box"
M Adam declares that the fashionable
Young woman OF the day y like a boy
parading Ia girls clothes and that one
looks instinctively 70 see II a downy mus
tache Is not 20 be discerned on her upper
lip He also carefully makes the inevita-
Die thrust at England There Is more
ground for Il IN this case than there gen
orally Is The average English woman
aomehow seems as Il she had been cut
cut by an amateur and one whose ma
terial was in awkward shape 10 begin
with
Because they havent them In Eng
land" cries NJ. Adam, referring 10 these
curves. must we go without them. toof'
This sad possibility OF a curveless future
for French women naturally makes the
matter take on more and more import
snce.
And this beautiful ardor OF patriotism
which animatss the society OF large cities.
win It not at least serve 60 make Us
cherish the beauty OF our racer demands
the distracted Journalist. alarmed for the
future OF humanity. He appeals In fren-
zied language 10 the French women OF
bygone days who charmed not always
wisely but very, very well. TO 10 some
thing TO loosen the hold OF the new cor
sets on their descendants Behold how
these descendants abominably renomce
the charme which have capuvated our
writer's. Our wives. our daughters. our
sisters efrace themselves in the English
fashion IN spite OF all our diatribes
against cosmopoliianism and the foreign
ar Can Il be that in our country the cult
OF the boy is replacing that OF the dryad
OF beautiful form7
The woman who initiates a man In ap-
.4setic crime. The excellence OF every crea-
cure consists IN perssvering In It's own be-
Ing and in accomplishing the most com
plete expression OF its own qualities Inc
woman who initiates a man In appearance
produces a hybrid and the result scarcely
jusiiaes the tortures Il necessitates. Let
these women, therefore. give us back the
beauty OF our Celtic and Latin races"
The most ingenious part OF Mr.. Adams
argument Is sim TO come In fact. what
has already been given is scarcely argu-
ment II Is lamentation and entreaty. he
now goes on 10 show how this deplorable
state Of affairs has come about.
Fashions do not depend entirely on ca
price. They express also the unconscious
tendency OF the epoch. Ideas which are
repeated during several months finish by
influencing the whole manner OF life. Here
for years people have been calling the
nation 10 energy, preaching 10 Il with
comper4sons In favor Of England APP
plaudinR the woman's movement In Amer
lea. IN France In Russia; calling upon
wives to cultivate loyalty. intelligence
science and Independence, 90 take part IN
politics. They are more or less persuaded
by all these exhortations. II the coouette
reslsts them she must be reasoned with.
and 70 reason about these ideas Is 10 adopt
them In part
Al the time when people were talk
ing about decadent literature the shops
were fun OF materials OF pale shades. fur
ntture OF fragile construction. Watery
green. faded blue. washed-out red were
the colors for gowns. set of by Byzan-
tine passementerie. -Raphaelitism
crossed the English Channel. In every
salon was a strange flower standing. sol
ltary, in a small rose vase on the table.
To-day che air Is flled with warlike
iumuls The cannon roars In Africa and
in Asia. Diplomatic problems arise.
Strikes follow strikes. Sovereigns re-
ceive the direct attacks OF che anarchist
exccutioneer Social disorder rumbles
as war does between opposing civliza-
uone Struggles are imminent And our
women themselves again try 20 look like
tho Amazons. Enough they no longer have
90 draw a bow. SIN they want To APP
PEAR masculine and martial. not weighted
down by a single superfiuous ounce OF
flesh. They don't dream that by making
themselves less attractive 90 a young hero
they diminish che motives for his brav-
cry II the Latin fights for less beauty.
he will light less flercely."
BY which ingenious reasoning NJ. Adam
hopes to down the new corset and restore
feminine curves 10 feminine favor. II
al sounds very fine but there are more
weak points In NJ. Adams armor than he
would have us believe there are In the
notwithstanding 10 him-Amazonian
stays. II war and rumors OF war make