The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1900-11-21

of discussion is tho publication Of an
extract from the unpublished autobl-
ueraphy Of the great truEedienne'H life.
ThezneXt is that she is accredited with
having changed the feminine figure in
single night Both distinctive In their
own peculiar lines and sufficiently Inn.
portan, 10 set society and the profess
sional world a-gossipping
The Venus de Milo and all her old
time relatives have been shown us fai
years as the high and true type OF
feminine form. hut. while we looked
and admired, we did not believe that
beauty lHrked In such broad lines
Then cnme the meal bag period. Wo-
mon went corsetlcss and tied a string
around their middle Thoy wore
blouses. aud widr loose sashcs dlvid-
ing them In half with often the string
visible. 1t was dreadful Women who
wore .hcse gowns looked at you brass
lily with the courage Of their convlc-
lions. others looked on and laughed,
and drew their corset strings n little
bit tighter.
Then came the long straight line, tho
drhped gown, they called It. It began
AZ the shoulders and ended at the feet
without break Women presented
solid fronts of silk with lace appliqued
all over them. Velvet fen from neck to
floor. looking all the world Hike "A por-
there.
Then came the reaction Corsets were
made stronger and tho strings were
pulled tighter IT really took two maids
To get n woman into her gown. and
then II took an extra hand to hook the
wnistband. which came around the
waist underneath the gown, while care
ful fingers smuothcd and puttcd tho
subject and finally turned her out n
perfect tailor made woman, moulded
into her gown. Whit she endured from
the agony of those tightly drawn
strings. how she felt above and below
them. how she breathod. and In what
manner she kept her organs working,
no one but herself knew, for women do
not hetray tho condolences of the corset
strings
At night. In grim Silence. she smooth
cd the marks Of the side stcelg from her
ribs ami congratulated herself that thc
strings had done their self appointed
task Of maintaining AN appearance.
As for the organs. they wore sqne"z
cd either NJ On down. aud In either
case they planned revenge. Did thcJ
get IT. ASK the woman who found
time n occasion to battle with thu
problems Of life Just ask her Whdl
thoae organs said when the iinc cnmf
for them to cxert Themselves. Not al
home. out Of their sphere. dissatisfied
weak and inefficient they got even
with the tailor made woman. all at
onCe
Iernhnrdt. that wonderful woman
who has laughed at human emotions
for n quarter Of century. looked on
with the rest Of the world Of women
leaders ana saw II All 1t Is said that
when the project Of changing the fem
inlne ideal was In her mind. she spent
whole days at the Louvre studying
each curve and becoming acquainted
with each detection OF the feminine
muscles She saw whore the lines
should be, where the cut off mark o
the figure naturally came. and she aIs'
saw the chance for an idenl. Tho tai
slender boys. with figures Ike girls. as
sisted her in their unconscious grace
and she watched them and slowly de
veloped her ideal.
And Uernhardt did IT, She who wonT
no corsots at all. but who In so exquis
lteiy4muscular that her form maintnin
Itself, ciasped her belt low around thu
abdomen and smiled when she saw
othersidoing the same Her belt meas
ure was the same as her bust measure
but. she got the curve inward at thu
middle Of tho back. and that was VIVA
she wanted