young girl, it supplants the functions of the abdominal and back
muscles, which is to hold the trunk erect, and these muscles gradually
grow weak and waste. And so the liability to the various spinal
curvatures is increased.

The original object of the corset was to give greater prominence to
the hips and abdomen. But fashions change! In "the French figure" or
straight-front corset now in vogue the pelvis is tilted forward,
producing a sinking in of the abdomen and a marked prominence of the
hips and sacrum, necessitating a compensatory curve of the spine which
increases the curvature forward at the small of the back-- a deformity
which, a few years ago, women were going to orthopedic surgeons to
have corrected. In this attitude the line passing through the centre
of gravity strikes the heels, the knees are hyper-extended, and the
muscles of the calves and thighs are rendered tense.

By interfering with the muscular development and digestion, the girl
is very apt to become angular, flat-chested, anemic, and to have a
muddy complexion. And so the corset really defeats the object for
which it was put on-- that of giving the girl a good figure and
enhancing her beauty.

There is no objection to girls wearing any of the various forms of
hygienic waists now on the market.

Shoes.-- The feet are the part of the body to come in contact with the
greatest degree of cold, whether on the floor of the house or the
pavement of the street. Hence it is a matter of prime importance to
the entire body that the feet should be properly clad.