The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1902-03-12
Crimes Of the corsets.

La the 400 years th e have elarsed
since Catherine de Medioi introduced
eoraets into France, criticism OF TIE
article aud Of the women wearing il
has not been lacking. Indeed, twas
net long after the death of Catherine
vher celebrated French savant gave
6 public lecture if his disseoting-room
at the Hotel Dieu to demonstrate the
"orimes'' of which the corset was
guilty. These lectures raised much
discussion at the time, and they per
maps, and not coquetry anu the femi-
s:ae love Of change, were responsible
Tor the loose, floating lines Of the
Vatican pleat, or century after
ward for the costumes Of ths Direo.
torie.
Now suother celebrated French doc
Tor has returned to the charge, but not
content with leoturing and demon.
strating the evils OF corsets, has gone
60 far as to form bill which it is his
intention to present to the Chamber,
sad which, Il the case Of It's becom-
ing law, would most effeotually put
. stop to what this doctor terms "the
crime Of womanhood."
Doctor Marechal is q physician
whose reputation would not lead one
to accuse him Of mere aensationalism,
yet the charges that he brings against
the corset in his recent lecture are
perhaps more stringent than chose ever
uttered before by any member Of the
anti-corset brigade. Doctor Marechal
makes the astonishing assertion and
pretends to back it up by statistics,
that out Of q hundred young women
who wear corsets only thirty retain
perfect health.
The law that Doctor Mareohal is en-.
deavoriug to have passed is divided
into three articles. Article forbids
any woman under 80 TO wear corset
Of any description. Any woman oon.
vioted OF doing 80 shall be punished
by three months imprisonment. II
the delinquent should be minor, her
parents OF guardians as well, shall be
condemned. to pay 6ne Of from 100
20 1000 francs.
Article 2 permits any woman over
30 TO wear any oordet she wishes.
Article 3 provides FOR the most rigor.
ous formalities surrounding the man.
ufaoturing and sale OF oorsets. Every
one licensed to sell corsets shall be
obliged to take che name, address and
age Of every buyer, and shall be sub
ject to fine and confsostion Of business
in case OF an illegal sale.
Although Doctor MnrechaI asks that
legislation shall only take cognizanoe
OF the evils OF corsets ct present, he is
by no means to stop there in his de-
sire 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
olsims that women's dress has caused
o frightful physical deterioration in
the human species. While the ora
MUM Of the Merovingian woman had Q
capacity Of 1883 cubic centimeters,
that Of the modern French woman has
capacity Of only 1887 cubic cent?.
meters, and this loss, the doctor de.
clares, is due to the habit of wearing
heavy headdresses.
AS to whether or not @ modern
French head weighing only I ,337 cubic
centimeters is worth more than q
Merovingian eranium weighing some.
what moro is q subject on which che
learned doctor does not care TO enter.
dc is convinced that eorsets. hats,
wells and various other items oe the
feminine wardrobe are bad, and has
come to the conclusion that If women
will not be persuaded to discard them
they should be forced to do so.-New
York Tribune se
Q a