The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-23

!nfleNible wrapping ana in a series II
heating and restricting belts. The de-
Velupmeut that might come from bend
ing. STOPPING and twisting in the or
binary activity of the day is interfercd
with by this artificial swathing around
the waist, which practically cuts the
abdominal muscles in two in their ac-
tion and prevents the contraction of
the back muscles.
Dependence denotes weakness. whether
it is upon our morning coffee that We
depend or upon corset. and the
amount of dependence in either case is
an index of the amount of weakness
that has been produced. In other
words, the weaker woman is muscu.
Larry the more she feels the need for
support. and the longer she wears "A
support To- do the work for her muscles
the weaker her muscles grow. Many
women have reached degree Of fiabhl.
ness which. for the sake Of the position
and proper action of the internal or
gans, neccssitatcs support OF some
kind, but to consider the average stock
corset in the light of a support is "A
fallacy. for, slopng in as it does under
the bust and going in sharply at the
Waist me, instead bl btluS a support,
it produces an actual downward pres
sure on the abdomen and the organs
within.
The prevalence of belts and bands in
the costume of our women is, no doubt
to some extent, responsible for the
prevalence of Corsets. Belts worn
without a corset or other boned pro-
lection are decidedly uncomfortable
I'D oil b. hnV n h,
are worn several inches larger than
the waist measure and supported from
the shoulders or allowed to rest on the
hips. 1t is a mistake to think that the
weight of women's skirts is ordinarily
borne by their hips. The pressure
comes, instead. at the waist line, which
girth-with most women two or three
inches above the hip bones. The only
reasonable place to wear IA belt Is not
directly over vital organs, as custom
at present requires, but where its pres
sure will come on bone and heavy
muscle four or five inches below the
point called the waist line. Sarah
Bernhardt, avoiding the unnatural and
inartistic line directly around the mid
die of the body, has consistently omitted
anything which deliberately defines the
conventional waist line. Her costume
is short wasted in the style of the
Empire; or 1t has girdle dropping
loose and low, which follows more pr
less the line of the bony girdle of the
pelvis.
To begin with, denomination, or
union suit, Is preferable to undervest
and drawe as il does away with one
belt and one layer from that unwhole-
some accumulation of material below
the waist. Women seem rather gener-
ally to fear abdominal chill. and give
that as a reason for the many thick
ncsses they wear over this part of the
body, but the infinitely more common
complaints of constipation and conges-
ton which are aggravated by the un-
even distribution Of clothing and heat
are apparently never considered. II
drawers and vest must he worn for
any reason, the top of the drawers may
be cut down four or five inches and
narrow elastic run into the hem as
n substitute for belt or tape
For any one who does not wear n
corset the question of keeping up the
stockings is always difficult. Stocking
,suspcndcrs which go over the shoulders
are very firing. and really "A mistake
where the back and chest are not
strong, for very few of us find 1t easy
20 keep the chest well pushed up and
the spine straight even under the best
conditions without suhjrtting ourselves
to the added drag Of clothing.
While the princess pettiCoat ss theo-
rctiCally all that could lie wished IT has
it's drawbacks, and the bcltcd skirt
Sc ms for practical purposes almost un-