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| Keywords: TheFamilyDoctorNov30 1889page218.png CORSET DISCIPLINE TO THE EDITOR OF THE FAMILY DOCTOR SIR -Like your correspondent Science and Art I am an ardent admirer of a very small waist and I fully agree with him that the fact of its having to be produced by tight lacing only adds to its charm Curiously enough as a coincidence exactly the same principle is enunciated in the letter in the same number from Ringlock who speaking of earrings for ladies and the opinion of some people that piercing the ears is barbarous most happily observes that it is just this little bit of barbarousness which gives the earring its piquancy considered apart from its gracefulness This is emphatically true and it is to this delightful piquancy that is due the perpetuation of certain modes whilst others which are elegant only pass away as quickly as those which spring from some passing caprice There is no more piquant charm than that of a fashionably-booted foot A well made dainty boot is exquisitely pretty but had it this recommendation only the style would change incessantly as it does now in certain particulars; whereas the high heel and narrow toe have a power which keeps their charm fresh from year to year however much the ideas of Madame La Mode may vary as to material colour and so on The stylish heel imparts an attractive poise to the foot which nothing can equal whilst the narrow roguish toe also is infinitely smart It likewise is an element of smartness Everyone knows how vastly superior is the witchery of a kid glove for being so tight that it seems like a skin that by some magic is prevented from contracting 1he least vestige of crease or wrinkle And it is just the same with a pretty boot With a slovenly carriage a thick waist and bad boots and gloves the most expensive toilette may appear dowdy in the extreme; whilst a comparatively simple and cheap dress will look wonderfully smart upon a well-corseted figure whose owner is well set-up and who attends to the important details of dressing her hands and her feet in the nattiest manner Such being my view of dress it of course follows naturally that I am a great advocate of giving girls the advantage of frequent drilling and dancing lessons and of insisting upon every requirement of the instructor being met with accuracy and precision Most girls require some standing in the stocks to make them turn out their feet equally and also to accustom them to sit or stand without shuffling their feet about An occasional movement is of course well enough and desirable but constant shuffling and shifting must be rigorously put down The backboard and collar should be used regularly to ensure a good carriage the collar being sometimes used at a very high level indeed; and girls should be accustomed to perform their drill thus whenever required Although I have never been through any personal experiences of these things myself I have had ample opportunities of observing their effects in the person of my wife who had only just before our marriage now five year ago left at the age of nineteen a very strict finishing school where all means were adopted such as those I have referred to for securing to the girls the most elegant and fashionable appearance possib1e Every day there was either a dancing or a drilling lesson and every day the backboard and collar were worn for at least an hour and often for two or three hours The stocks were the certain fate of any girl who had to be twice spoken to as to her feet The corsets were of course of the best and stiffest and laced extremely tight and the chaussure and gloves always of the best and most fashionable To improve the hands it was the invariable rule that every girl slept in her gloves and also that she never went out of the house without them One rule which was no doubt a severe one certainly operated with great success This was to invariably punish any girl who under any circumstances got her gloves or boots soiled and dirty The result was that In time the girls acquired under this dispensation the power commonly supposed to be the special property of Frenchwomen of doing anything without getting glove or boot soiled in the least To this day I often marvel after one of our long walks how it is that my wife has contrived to traverse any quantity of muddy pavement without getting a speck on either boot The health of the girls at her school was excellent and notwithstanding her waist is still but 20 inches when corseted although 27 inches would be nearer the mark when free she has never had a moment's ill-health since I have known her I hope we may soon now have the promised further letter from Carl who deserves great credit for the care taken With his daughters when Moderation last wrote she told us she should be particulal1y careful to be well corseted and shoed on the occasion of her marriage It would be very interesting now if her husband Science and Art would tell us what was the size of her waist and would accurately describe her chaussure both at the ceremony and for the going away Could we also hear what are her views as to gloves -- Yours c RAYMOND Tightlacing The Family Doctor 1889 to Science and Art from Raymond PD-Art Artworks missing infobox template | ||||
