New Britain herald., 1915-06-01
(By Ann Sinaonton in New York Fri


 bune.) ~.-
 The corset must go!" Beatrice Forbes R obertson Hale, in quite the voice of old California crying "The Chinese must go!" has said 1t. 'The corset must go. It is already on it's way. Its retreat in these last years from woman's ribs has been no strate- sic ruse of fashion. It is permanent omen that the narrowed heart and compressed lungs of the bellies of past decades excite our horror in remeln- brance. But freedom is not here. The corset still is tyrannous. It's un- natural stiff confinement of the hips forestalls all chance of the long limbed swinging walk that is the walk of beauty
 The consolation of a corsetiess fu- ture for the feminists who are to come into possession of the feedom of their bodies is the elastic abdominal band. That and that alone.
 Clothes Fundamental Barrier.
 Clothes says Mrs Hale, who e1n- barks ths fall on a lecture tour on health and beauty, "are the fundamen- tai barrier before the emancipation of women. The vote, almost, might rest where it is. But nothing real will ever happen to make women free agents ex- cept passage of the vagaries of skirts that play with us confning our feet to a twenty four inch slavery one year and hanging eight yards of cloth from our waists the next and an end of the bondage of the shoes that are the mode on Fifth Avenue today.
 Dress reform says Mrs. Hale, "is the heart of the woman's movement. The other disadvantages that women live under can be met by the changing spirit of women. They need in no way interfere with her work. But clothes they are always with her, irrational. uncomfortable, lining. The coat and skirt suit of few years back was step in the direction of freedom. It was simple. It was not, however, par ticularly beautiful. You sec I do not want the new clothes of women to ape the masculine mode, for that mode, too, has faults of discomfort and ugli- ness.
 Chinese Most Rational.
 Personally, I think the most ration al clothes In the world are those of the Chinese women. But to our Vest ern eyes they are not beautiful. The cylindrical trousers and the cylindri- cal coat sleeves of the tunic have not the grace that Western women de- mand. But some modification of that idea, some compromise with the essen tially beautiful trousers and blouse of the Turkish women-there lies the way to the most important reform with the future of women" l
 Her Better Than Skirts Costume.
 Mrs. Hale herself is having house i, and garden dress designed this sum 1 mer which is an experiment in Tur- l kish trousers. not the coquettish prod 1 uct of last seasons Paris, but trou- sered solely for comfort and not at l all for bewitchment. She doesn't l to wear it any place but at l her home Forest Hills, Long Island 1 She plans no radical and comfortable l walk of demonstration down Fifth 1 avenue as certain other dress re- formers hint they will do before Sep tember.t but she does propose to adopt this better-than-skir costume for home wear and to demonstrate the practical beauty of tho sane style in her lectures next fall.
 Mrs. Hale is not, as she herself so frankly admits, a pioneer. The prophets eye for what must come along the path of freedom, the dar- ing to speak while all ears are timid she agrees is work for women of the movement like Mrs. Gilman. .
 Health and Beauty.
 My business and mission she says, lis to point the way when it has been found to women more tinoid than myself. This fall, to audiences of women only, with the use of model garments, I shall dem monstrate the necessity of a wider movement tow ard basing dress on the twin prin- ciples Of health and beauty
 Mrs. Hale is most determined in the matter of shoes. Tho sandal she con- acedes to be the sanest fcotgear ever worn by the human race, bat not per- l1aps so suited to our modern life as a regular low shoe with q heel not over A half inch in height.
 Will Reform the s'Middy" Blouse.
 The middy blouse is another of the garments that may come into fu- ture through Mrs. Hale's advocacy. It's usefulness has made a place, for 1t