162 



♦ KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



[March 16, 1883. 



colour through a spectroscope. Take, for instance, blood, 

 cochineal, perniangunato of potash, and chlorophyll. By 

 using a niiiiiaturo spectroscope, blood may be distinguished 

 from other li<|uids similar in colour, and an idea may be 

 formed whether the blood is fresh. This has been of use in 

 examining the clothes of a suspected murderer, and has 

 led to detection. A cpiantity of dried blood that would 

 lie on a pin's head could be analysed by this process. 



One instance in which this method was applied seemed 

 to me of great interest. 



Some years since, a dreadful murder was committed in 

 Cannon-street, in the City. The housekeeper in charge of 

 some offices was killed in the passage of the house about 

 eight o'clock in the evening. Shortly after, a man, a. dis- 

 tant relative of the murdered woman, was arrested on 

 suspicion. On inspecting his clothes, a number of small, 

 dark red stains were found upon them. These were scraped 

 off the cloth by an eminent chemist. This chemist 

 brought half the amount of the dried suVjstance to me. 

 Half of this minute quantity I sent to a distinguished 

 scientific friend, and half I experimented on with the 

 spectroscope. 



The amount being so small, we could not make a suffi- 

 cient number of experiments with it to enable us to say 

 positively what substance it was, but both my friend and 

 myself came to the conclusion that it was certainly not 

 hlood. 



When the trial came on, the man proved an alibi, and 

 explained that the dark spots on his clothes were red 

 shellac varnish, which he had got on him at a hat-maker's, 

 who used it for stiffening the shapes of his hats.* 



{To he contiinicd.) 



THE NEW SKIRT. 



By a Lady. 



I HOPE you do not consider the question of Stays and 

 Tight Lacing exhausted. Having read with interest 

 everything on this subject that has appeared in Know- 

 ledge, it seemed to me that it would be an easy experi- 

 ment, and might be a useful one, to try the effect of 

 leaving off stays, and using the divided skirt. The results 

 of my experience may, perhaps, be of interest to your 

 readers. 



I must confess that I left off stays with some misgiving, 

 having the idea that the support they give is absolutely 

 essential, and that, as I had become thoroughly accustomed 

 to them (as is the case with most), I should not be able 

 to hold myself upright or walk well without their aid. I 

 may mention that my wai.^t measurement with stays was 

 24 in., my age is 27, height 5 ft. 4 in., chest measure- 

 ment 39 in. I was married when I was 18. I have had 

 four children, the last of whom was born ten months before 

 I left otf stays. It will be admitted that the experiment 

 was made under very fair conditions for testing it. 



My first experience was simply delight at my new free- 

 dom. I could bend at will, take a long breath without 

 discomfort, sing songs I had been unable to sing for years, 

 and walk much further with much less fatigue. 1 was 

 surprised to find how little I missed the support my stays had 

 given me. But I must admit I thought I should very soon 

 have to wear them again ; for my skirts tired my waist and 



• For further information on the spectroscope, see " The Spectro- 

 scope and its Work," by R. A. Proctor ; a truly marvellous little 

 book in the amount of iuformation it coataius, being equally popular 

 and accurate. 



hips when I was standing or walking. I became Ifss tired 

 than before, speaking generally, l>ut more uncomfortable 

 round the waist ; also the skirts dragged the dress out of 

 shape. 



So soon, however, as I tried the divided skirt, all these 

 difficulties were removed. I had felt great reluctance in 

 assuming this new kind of dress, as I had thought it was 

 something quite noticeable and conspicuous. The pictures 

 in Punch, in particular, must have been drawn by people 

 who had never seen the skirt. They give an entirely wrong 

 idea of it. In fact, it is not strictly speaking a dress ; that 

 is, it forms no part of the \-isible dress. It is neither more 

 nor less than a pair of such trousers as little girls used to 

 wear forty or fifty years ago; only, instead of the frilled edges 

 showing below the dress, they are completely hidden — unless 

 the wearer should prefer to have the dress unusually short 

 They are trimmed with deep plaiting, and in walking, if 

 visible at all, which is quite optional, appear like a petti- 

 coat. They are not suspended from the waist, but from a 

 calico band — to use this word for want of a better, but in 

 reality this support is fitted to the figure round the hips, 

 and the divided skirt is buttoned to it. 



I should think that no one who had tried the new- 

 dress would ever resume her heavy petticoats and stays. 

 The gain when I had left off the stays was great ; 

 V)ut when the petticoats were left off, the gain was very 

 much greater. The sense of lightness and freedom -was 

 truly enjoyable. The warmth of the divided skirt is equal 

 to that of at least three petticoats. There is, indeed, no- 

 comparison between them as regards protection from cold. 

 I have tried them for walking, running, dancing, and tri- 

 cycling, and have as much comfort again in all these 

 exercises as I had before ; or rather, discomfort is replaced 

 by perfect comfort. 



It may, perhaps, be supposed that the change has caused 

 my waist to grow larger. But this is not the case. On 

 the contrary, my waist now measures two inches less. 

 Dresses which were made before the change are now quite 

 loose, and have had to be refitted. My dressmaker, 

 however, finds it easier to fit me without the stays, and 

 dresses made since the change fit much better and look 

 much nicer. 



I do not suppose that ladies who are so unfortunate as 

 to have no waist would care to leave ofi' stays, for the 

 general prejudice has been, and is, in favour of some slight- 

 diminution of circumference at the waist. But that need 

 not prevent them from trying the divided skirt ; indeed, I 

 should imagine that it would be possible, though I do not- 

 say it would be wise, to lace tighter when wearing the 

 divided skirt than when, in addition to the bad eliVcts of 

 undue compression, the weight of several heavy petticoats 

 is dragging the body down. The dress can be made as 

 fashionably as the lady pleases — in point of fact, I am 

 sure no one would know that a lady, whether seen in the 

 drawing-room or in the ball-room, or taking exercise, was a 

 follower of the new fashion except by the improvement of 

 her figure, and the greater grace and lightness of her move- 

 ments. 



[I have received also a contribution on the other side, 

 for which I do not find space, for the simple reason that 

 it proves nothing. A lady states that, being interested in 

 the question whether the figure can be trained without 

 injury, she bought corsets, by means of which she 

 gradually compressed her waist, till the circumference was 

 reduced from 29 in. to 20 in., and though at first uncom- 

 fortable, she got at last even to like the feeling of support 

 gi\-en by the tightly-laced corsets ; yet, not caring to be a 

 tight-lacer, she soon after gave up wearing these tight 

 stays. This proves how much that admirable specimen of 



