Year: 1870

No n1uCu tOWdIu bdk1uR TIE NeiR0b Ol


the skirts off the waist, and their use is


to be strongly recommended; a single


waist can be made so as to support all


the skirts but that of the dress, and


this should be so loose as to be support
ed by its own waist. OF course, if the


under waist is made so tight at the bot
tom as to closely compress the abdo-
men, it will be quite useless for the pur-
pose designed. Woman's taste and in
genuity can devise plans for making
them so neatly that they will add to,
rather than detract from, the appear
ance of the form. Those waists were
much more generally worn formerly
than now, and it is pity that they were
ever discarded, as their continued use
would have prevented much injury to
the health of women.


THE CoRsETs.


This question of appearance brings
us at once to the consideration of the
corsets, for it is undeniable that these
articles of dress are now worn mainly
for appearance sake. When and by
whom they were devised no one knows.
1t is said they were first introduced as
a means of furnishing refractory wives,
by lacing the ladies up in them, in the
days when the husbands Will was alb
solute, and woman's rights were un-
known. If this is true, woman, with
her usual skill, has converted the wea-
pons employed against her to her own
use. For every other article of female
attire we can find some model, either In
nature or art, however far fetched the
comparison may be, but the most lively
imagination can trace no resemblance
between the corset and its Use and any
thing else in creation, except In the
form of the wasp, or in some OF the an
cient statues of Pallas, where she is
presented wearing breastplate of
scales, the shape of which somewhat re-
sembles the modern corset; but the
learned and warlike goddess wore this
for defense, not for the production of a
small waist; and, indeed, had she Sc
cured this great desideratum of modern
times, she would probably have been
safe from the solicitations of Vulcan, for
with the ancients, gods as well as men,
the wasp-like waists cf to-day would
have been considered a defoImity.


HOW CoRsETs SHOULD BE WORN.


That corsets are always injurious,
have not stated, for there are cases in
which, when they are properly nodded
TO the form, they may be of great com
fort and benefit to the wearer, such as
cases of weakness or deformitv; but
the moment You lace it so tight as 10
compress the chest and abdomen, il
ceases to be of benefit and is productive
of injury. A corset might be construct
ed, nicely fitted to the form, nodded at
the top so as to receive and support the
breasts when necessary, and the lower
portion so shaped as to rest on the
hips-not on the waist-an elastic strap
should pass over the shoulders, and be
made adiustible to different lengths by
buttons or buckles. Some means of at
tachment for the skirt might be devised
that would suspend them from the cor
sets by buttons or otherwise, and vet al
low their weight to be suspended main
ly from the shoulders by reason of the
straps passing over them. These straps
should support the corset ard prevent
its pressing too heavy on the hips; and
if the corset is properly fitted to the
hips, these viii easily support what lit
tie weight comes on them. Remember
there is distinction between the waist
and hips, and that the cor ct is to be so
that the weight of the skirts
shall fall mainly on the shoulders.
When women will wear cOrsets, some
Improvements of the kind can easily be
devised by the n1odiste, and single
rial will be all that is necessary to con
1nce any one of their superiority over
he old style.


ssCor-roNr =


Ladies generally are anxious for a
ull, graceful development of the "bust,"
IN appearance which adds much to the
beauty of a woman; yet many of them
ignorantly of course) adopt means
which prevent the very effect they de-
ire to secure, by allowing the pressure
If tight corsets and thick cotton pads
IN the delicate organs which mainly
yive it form, while it should be left free
md unrestrained, that it may attain to
III the beauty and grace which naturally
belongs to 1t. Where these artificial
viii be used, let some of
he light, elastic, gauZe material, now
,eing introduced, be used, in prefer
nee to the old-fashioned pile of cotton;
,ut the best of them are likely to do
larm. As for their deceiving the other
ex (for which purpose they are usually
vorn), am pretty sure that they often
all of their intention, for men are not
10 verdant in such matters as women
,ay them the compliment of believing
hey are.


OPEN NECK DRESSES.


One of the most glaring faults notice
lble in the style of dress of women, in
rogue just now, is the open neck dress
md sacque of the past season or two,
which / learn is to be the fashion again
lext season; thus compelling women
oolish enough to adopt it, to expose
he chest to the inclemencies OF the
Weather at the season men protect it by
additional clothing and chest protectors.
The bad results of this style of dress
we're seen in the large number of pull
nonary complaints in wonen, which re-
,eived the attention of physicians dur
ng the past season Women should be
warned in time, and remember that it is
put short step from " a slight cold to
/ merciless disease, which Will cause
hem to regret their foolishness when
90 late.


GARTER AND BOOTS.


IL 10 AO Ol luc WOlutu
,f our country, to say that their
over limbs are wanting III the beauty
md development of those of women of
most other nations. The causes of this
are various Want of exercise-for a
part that is not used decreases in size
light, small boots, which prevent the
Tree movement of the muscles, and cause
4 dread of setting the foot down square
", so that their walk degenerates into
more of a frightened, mincing style,
than is necessary. These causes are
pretty well known; but there is another
prolific source of unshapely limbs, Wis:
tight garters. Every woman is familiar
with the vivid red mark on the skin left
by the garter, after being worn in the
usual manner, even for q short time.
Now garters should never be worn so
tight. The stockings should be worn