have often wondered why the important organs of the
abdominal cavity should not have been better protected."

"It was needful to leave the front of the body covered only with
muscular structure, or it could not be bent and twisted about as we can
now bend it, and that would have hindered our activity. Just imagine
yourself going about encased in bone from your shoulders to your hips."

Helen laughed merrily. "I shouldn't like it," she said, "but that is
just what is done by the corset, and folks get used to that."

"Yes, they become accustomed to the pressure because the nerves lose
their sensitiveness and no longer report their discomfort to the brain;
but the injury continues, nevertheless."

"Mother, I wish you'd tell me just how tight clothing is injurious. So
many of the girls laugh at me because I don't wear a corset, and they
declare it does not hurt them. They all say they wear their clothes
perfectly loose and they think they prove it by showing me how they can
run their fists up under their dress waists."

"Certainly, that can be done even with a very tight dress, by just
pressing a little more air out of the lungs; but that is not a true
measurement. To learn if the dress is tight, one should unfasten all of
the clothing, draw in the breath slowly until the lungs are filled to
their utmost capacity. Then, while the lungs are held full, see if the
clothing can be fastened without allowing any air to escape. If it can,
then it is not tight; but if the lungs must be compressed, ever so
little, in order to allow the clothing to be fastened, it is too tight.
You see, the power we have to breathe is the measure of our power to do,
and to lessen our breathing capacity is to lessen our ability in all
directions.

"I saw a statement yesterday that will interest you. It was a recital of
an experiment made by Dr. Sargent on twelve girls in running 540 yards
in 2 minutes 30 seconds. The first time they ran without corsets and
their waists measured 25 inches. The pulse was counted before running
and found to beat 84 times a minute. Again, it was counted after
running and found to have risen to 152. The second run was made in the
same length of time, but with corsets on, which reduced the waist
measure to 24 inches. Pulse before running 84; after running 168,
showing the extra effort the heart was obliged to make because of the
restriction of the waist and consequent lessening of the breathing
power. He also found t