Evening star., 1901-12-14
CRIMES OF THE CORSET.
Efforts in France to Prohibit the wea,
of the Article.

of the Article.
Paris Letter to the New York Tribune.
In the four hundred years that have
elapsed since Catherine de Medicis intro
duced corsets into France criticism of the
article and of the women wearing 1t has
not been lacking. Indeed, 1t was not long
after the death of Catherine when a cele-
brated French savant gave public lecture
in his dissecting room at the Hotel Dieu to
demonstrate the crimes of which the
corset was guilty. These lectures raised
much discussion at the time, and they, per-
haps, and not coquetry and the feminine
love of change, were responsible for the
loose, floating lines of the Vatican pleat
or, century afterward, for the costumes
OF the Directoire. Now another celebrated
French doctor has returned to the charge
and. not content with lecturing and demon
strating the evils of corsets has gone so
far as to form bill which it is his inten-
tion to present to the chamber, and which,
in the case of its becoming a law, would
most effectually put stop to what this
doctor terms 1.-The crime Of womanhood."
DR.. Marecha1 is physician whose repu-
tation would not lead one to accuse him Of
mere sensationalism, yet the charges that
he brings against corsets IN his recent lee
ture are perhaps more stringent than those
ever uttered before by any member Of the
anti-corset brigade Dr. Marechal makes
the astonishing assertion, and pretends TO
back it up by statistics, that out Of hum
dred young women who wear corsets only
thirty retain perfect health. The law that
DR.. Marechal is endeavoring to have pass
ed Is divided into three articles Article I
forbids any woman under thirty to wear q
corset of any description. Any woman
convicted Of doing SO shall be punished by
three months Of Imprisonment. If the de-
linquent should be a minor her parents or
guardians as well shall be condemned to
pay fine OF from 100 to 900 francs.
Article II permits any woman over thirty
to wear any corset she wishes.
Article III provides for the most rigorous
formalities surrounding the manufacturing
sell corsets shall be obliged to take the
name. address and age Of every buyer, and
shall be subject to fine and confscation of
business in case Of an Illegal sale.
Although DIR. Marechal asks that legisla-
ton shall only take cognizance of the
evils Of corsets at present, he is by no
means to stop there in his desire for dress
reform. He has good deal to say on the
subject Of high heels and pointed toes, of
tight gloves and long skirts. In short. he
claims that women's dress has caused a
frightful physical deterioration In the hu-
man species. While the Uranium of the
Merovingian woman had a capacity of
1883 cubic centimeters that of the mod
ern French woman has a capacity of only
1,837 cubic centtmeters, and this loss. the
doctor declares. is due to the habit of
wearing heavy headdresses. AS to whether
or no a modern French head weighing only
1887 cubic centimeters Is worth more than
a Merovang1an Uranium Weighing somewhat
more Is a subject on which the learned doc
tor does not care to enter. He Is convinced
that corsets, hats, wells and various other
items Of the feminine wardrobe are bad, and
has cops TO the conclusion that II women
viii not b persuaded to discard them they
should be forced to DO 30.
DR.. Marechal Il an ardent supporter Of the
woman's rights movement in France, and
yet 1t is to men and the law that he appeals
to bring about the reform which he has 90
much at heart. He tacltly admits that the
yenity ef che eyeraae woman VIII not allow