The Republican journal., 1904-02-18

become a matter of course. And even
if it does take few minutes more is
not the game worth the candle? When
one sees the good figures that have been
evolved from shapeless forms by the
use of good corset, does it not seem
that little extra care is very small
price to pay for the gain?
The corset once on, the woman must
proceed to live up to it. She will find
straight and her body erect. She must
ing her weight on the balls of her feet
and resisting the temptation to sway
backwards. That is tendency which
grows upon women as they advance in
years and in flesh. If they do not
'stand so straight that they lean the
other way" they let their shoulders
droop until the middle of the back is
like hump. All about the country
one may see women in the late fifties
who have bent their shoulders until
they look almost as though they were
defurmed This could have been spar
ed them if they had taken little pains
in early life. And even an elderly
woman can do much to correct such a
stoop If she is willing to give herself
trouble about it.
TO stand straight is neither to bend
backwards nor to droop forwards. The
prominent abdomen is as unsightly as
, the bumped up shoulders. The woman
with d trend towards either should eX-
ercise herself every day standing i'll
front Of a mirror. She is wise If she
follows the advice OF one sensible house
keeper and hangs a looking glass III her
kitchen where she can see herself as
she steps back and forth about her
work and bring herself up with round
turn if she slips into amy siovenly trek
of carriage.
The corset will give good figure for
a time. but a woman must work to keep
it. f she is too thin for beauty the
task will be simpler for her than for the
woman inclined to put on flesh. The
! latter has her work ahead of her. The
thin woman may have to take exercise,
as tie stout one must do, but she has
less to carry about with her while she
is doing it. For both it is essential that
exercise should be taken in doors and
out The latter is vastly preferable,
for obvious reasons. But the exercise
indoors is far better than nothing.
One woman who would be called old
if her years were known has never, for
fifteen years, failed to go through a GER
tain course of what she calls her gym
nastlcs," on rising in the morning. For
ten minutes daily, she bends and twists
her body, STOPPING until she sits on her
heels and rising without laying hold OF
anything to assist her. She leans for
| ward until she can touch the floor with
her finger tips, without bending the
knees, and backward until her forehead
is in contact with the wall. She swings
her arms about, kicks the air vigorous
ly and in every way she can brings all
her muscles into play. AS result of
this she is as brisk and agile as women
many years her junior and asserts that
she never means to grow old but to
keep her strength and vigor to the end.
AS she probably will.
When such exercises as this are taken
it should be with the window open, even
in cold weather. There is no use in in
tlating tie lungs unless you fill them
with fresh air. For this reason as well
as for many others, outdoor exercise is
preferable to that taken in gymnasi-
UNI, no matter how well equipped this
may be. At the best, it is only sub
stitute. Long walks, horseback rides,
bicycle spins, golf or tennis, all do their
share in developing the muscles, reduc-
ing adipoSe tissue or strengthening the
body to gain flesh. One at least of these
is needed to keep the figure in shape, or
failing this, one must follow the exer-
cises | have outlined. These may be
aided by such appliances as lifting
machine, dumb bells, Indian clubs, and
the like. Because of the many muscles
called into play by it, ping pong is one
OF the best house games known. 1t en-
courages bending and STOPPING and
reaching and stretching, and by all
these means develops and improves the
figure.
But, says some one, Glow can this
be done in the long, straight front cor
set pictured everywhere" 1t cannot.
But there are corsets which come to be
worn on such occasions. The ribbon
girdle corset, made either in heavy
satin ribbon or in wide tape, or the
short equestrian corset is adapted to
all sorts of vigorous exercise. 1t is
also excellent for the women who do
/ a good deal of housework which re.
quires bending over and STOPPING.
While it does not hold in the over
plump figure as a heavier, longer corset
would do, it is far better to yield a
little restriction than to break corset
steels and suffer discomfort at the same
time.
A woman can never allow herself tC
become careless about her corset. Hav
ing gone to the expense and pains OF
procuring one and learning how to veal
it she should not let the gain slip away
from her. When her corset becomes
old and out of shape she should have il
re-boned, as it is worth while to do witt
good corset. Never should she relax
her vigilance over her figure and hel
way of carrying herself. Perhaps for {