The sun., 1903-12-06
ABOLISH The CORSET? POOH!
NEW YORK EXPERTS RIDICULE
A BRITISH NOTION.
It Is Accused OF InJurins Women's Hesith.
but women Are Getting Hssef ana
stronger All the Time-Eudence'
Too, That Men Approve OF Corsets'

I
but women Are Getting Hssef ana
stronger All the Time-Evfdeuce,
Too. That Men Approve OF Corsets'
Enthusiastic meetings have been held
OF late in London, Leeds and elsewhere
IN England to wage war against the ooreet'
The promoters of the movement are making
their fight on the proposition that woman
health is injured by the pressure OF the
corset Something of the same KIND mas
been heard before; but novel statistics
are presented now.
Thus. the pressure Of the corset, accord
inu 10 one leader, varies anywhere from
tventy-one pounds to eighty eight pounds
70 the square inch and the extent to which
1t impairs the organs Of the body Ia ter
rible."
That the Leeds campaigners are in earnest
Ia proved by the statement that they pro-
nose to ask bachelors not to marry women
who wear corsets. Just how tho bachelors
are to 70 to work to settle the delicate
question Of which women do and which
do not wear corsets is not pointed out.
At the risk of making New York women
seem unprogressive it must be confessed
that il there is such thing as an anti
corset league in this city ii is managed
90 quietly that none but members are any
the wiser.
Il can't imagine why those women over
In England are making hue and cry against
the small waist, commented one OF the most
expert New York filters why, the small
waist went out long ago. The hour glass
figure is no more, and all because OF the
straight front which. however much 10
may compress the figure in some places
Is not conducive to fragile waist
Il am not informed as to what sort OF
corsets English women wear, but l do
know one thing-that 1t is not the fashion,
able set which is represented In the anti
corset leagues. To my way OF thinking,
the middle.class English woman Is the
sloppiest-and by that mean the least
stylish-woman on earth. while with us
style is by no means confined to the smart
set.
Instead Of being knocked out, the corset
habit Is growing in America. Even the
Immigrants succumb to it before they are
here six months, and they look the better
for it, too.
For one thing, the corset has reformed.
or been reformed. Nowadays instead OF q
stifay boned structure, cut on lines which
seemed good to the max ers we have dozens
Of models and. moreover. corsets are
made to order and fitted over to suit pur-
ohasers, until wearing the thing is pleasure
instead OF a penance.
The manufacturers are experimenting
all the time, and as a result new models
come out every three months. And even
the very cheapest grades are not badly
cut these days.
1Corsets injurious' Well, 1t can't be
proved by the New York woman. l have
been fitting gowns and cloaks for nearly
twenty years, and every year it seems to
me women get bigger, taller. stronger.
"The younger generation como tower
ing in nearly six feet high. ! was saying
the other day that pretty soon We will
have to get stepladders In order to At
them. As it is, We nearly always have
70 ask the younger women to cit down
while We fit their shoulders.
Yes every one Of them wears q corset
and always has. don't fit three women
in a year who 60 without one. and they
are the sort who don't care particularly
whether their gown Is short In the front
than the other.
etyle Of dress Is responsible for the corset
and not the corset for the pres ent style
of dress. just as soon as Greek draperies
come back again or Mother Hu bbards
come In fashion corsets will probably 60
out, but not before, and 1 don't believe
that will be very soon
The manager Of the custom order depart
ment Of one Of the big stores said that there
are many New York girls who wear only q
modified corset, tn at is, . wide waistband
composed merely Of straps Of ribbon and
a bone behind and IN front Perhaps so
per cent. Of the girls employed In this store. =
she added, awear this style OF corset. which
gives little pressure except just around
the waist. Yes, that is perhaps the least
desirable place to have pressure. but then,
as small waists are not the fashion, don't
believe any great harm is done by wearing
such waistbands:
slim young girls are more or less inde-
pees and o. oder 'ss Women lsauire e ene %
think too, that the American woman owes
much Of the reputation she enjoys for
gracefulness and style to well fitting
corset. 49,.
basque waists, have not been worn for
rule, and yet women have shown no dispo-
sition to take advantage Of that fact and 30
without corset They know better.
4Anti-C -Corset League?' exclaimed an
other expert. Il never heard Of such a
thing. No, there isn't q woman, young
or old, English, American or of any other
nationality, who comes here but wears a
eorset.
AS for getting men to frown upon the
corset. I am afraid those Leeds women
are taking a bigger contract than they
can carry out. unless, indeed the English
man is very different from the American.
why, there are lots Of New York men
Who buy their wives corsets. And every
one knows that 1t Ia becoming more and
more tho custom for men to escort their
wives to the dreesmaker's and preside at
the trying-on.
Il have one customer-an adorable
figure she has, too--who after the first
htting invariably brings her husband along
for the others, The filter always breads
him, for he ID far more critical than his
wife One day he said with frown:
1T seems to me your hips look too
large in that gown.
AT which hie wife became much alarmed,
and before she left ordered q new corset
whose lines were planned for the express
purpose OF shaving down hipe. Don't
talk to me about men not admiring stylish
Ag,irel