Amongst the causes, however, which produce spinal deviations in young ladies there is none that is more general than improper clothing. Fashion has superseded utility to such an extent amongst the rich, that the limbs of the young are contracted by their dress; and amongst the poor a want of skill in the adaptation of the materials to the form of the body is so common that it is a rare thing indeed to see anyone who can be said to be properly clothed. We boast much, and we have reason to do so, of the superiority of the West over the East; but in the proper art of dressing, that is, in the adaptation of the materials worn to display the form and beauty of the body, we are far behind many of the rude nations of antiquity, and also of the partially civilised Asiatic races. Look at the figure on the opposite page, and then say if any dress can be more unnatural than the present costume.
The construction of the clothing, however, always a matter of the highest importance in every period of life, is more especially so during the time of its growth, and just before the body reaches maturity. Economy dictates the wearing of the clothes so long as they look well, and if they should become too small for the elder, that they should be passed on to the second and third, if need be, until they are worn out. The only objection to this is, that they may be said never to fit. It is true that our idea of the fitting or adaptation of clothes differs very much from that which is ordinarily prevalent. With us, it is necessary that they should not only look well, but they should also BE well suited to the requirements of the wearer. Now, it is well known that when the body ceases to grow the bones become fixed, and it is consequently more difficult to correct any deviation, or restore the figure to its normal state, after this period. It naturally follows, therefore, that the period of growth being that in which the body is more yielding, it is at that time more subject to deformity than at a later period of life. We must therefore insist that at this time there must be no cutting with strings or garters; no compression of the centre of the body by badly constructed corsets; no slipping off the clothes from the shoulders and resting on the arms; no contraction in any part of the whole costume, but absolute freedom of action for every organ and muscle.
With so many commands not to do, the gentle reader will naturally ask what she is to do, in order that her charge may be healthy and accom-
