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KIDD'S LONDON JOURNAL. 



We lately paid a visit to the Anatomical 

 Museum of Dr. Kahn ; it was the very- 

 week before he quitted London. We there 

 saw enough to make us shudder ; nor could 

 we take our leave, after being there nearly 

 an entire day, without reflecting on the many 

 millions of deformed, idiotic, disgusting ob- 

 jects, who (though innocent) had been born, 

 lived in torture, and had died — simply and 

 solely from the fact of their maternal parents 

 having insisted on showing (what they consi- 

 dered, and we do not) A handsome figure ! 



This is no random assertion of ours. 

 Very many intelligent men, fathers of fami- 

 lies, were in the same room with us ; and we 

 held long and interesting converse with 

 them. We were all of one mind as to the 

 " evil," and all equally doubtful of our ever 

 being able to effect any " remedy. 1 ' Never 

 shall we forget what we saw in that 

 room, — never cease to shudder at the appal- 

 ling thought, which yet haunts us, that the 

 same evils are being perpetuated daily, and 

 will be until the grave lias closed upon us 

 for ever f 



It will be said, " Fie ! fie ! Mr. Editor ; this 

 fashion is exploded. Our persons are now 

 left free, and we can trip merrily as yourself 

 over the fields, climb the hills, and romp like 

 children." This has been said to us, and is 

 daily ; but " we cannot see it ! " Alas, no ! 

 but we must still deplore the evil, and try 

 what " reasoning " will do. If Mammas 

 must resemble their daughters, let it be at 

 the least possible sacrifice of health for the 

 sake of their posterity. And as for young 

 ladies — let them, we say, be free as air, and 

 play with the lissomness of kids and lambs. 

 It is natural, it is graceful, it is attractive ; 

 it induces health. Who would blight such 

 blossoms ? 



To show that we are not " ignorant " on the 

 subject of which we treat, let our readers 

 peruse the subjoined remarks of Dr. L. J. 

 Beale, whose heart, like our own, " beats 

 high " to cure the monstrous evils of which 

 we speak : — 



" Full expansion of the chest" says Dr. 

 Beale, " is equally essential to health as good 

 air ; for if, by our clothing or constrained 

 p oisition, we impede the full expansion of the 

 lungs, healthy respiration is prevented, and 

 the due purification of the blood impaired ; 

 and therefore, pressure from dress, bands, or 

 stays, must alioays be bad. 



" How is the chest of a girl to expand 

 with growth, if encased in these horrid inven- 

 tions ? No girl should wear stays till she 

 has long done growing, for the chest con- 

 tinues to expand after growth has ceased ; 

 by the use of stays the size of the chest is 

 limited, and the ribs are actually forced 

 to overlap, as I have seen In several in- 

 stances. 



" I question if any woman would really re 

 quire stays before the age of 35 or 40 — the 

 best figures of ancient and modem times have 

 never worn any stays. We have dismissed the 



SWADDLING-CLOTHES OF OUR INFANTS, and 



we shall succeed, sooner or later, in annihilat- 

 ing stays for girls and young women. None 

 ivould ivear them if they knew how much 



BETTER THEY WOULD BE WITHOUT. After 



having been accustomed to their support, it 

 is very difficult to discontinue their use, 

 because the muscles of the spine having been 

 superseded in their action by the barbarous 

 pieces of iron, bone, or wood, of these body- 

 cases, have lost their power of maintaining 

 the body in an upright position ; and with- 

 out stays, the deformities produced by these 

 machines become visible. I hope the time 

 will arrive when stays will be considered 

 antiquities of the mediaeval ages, and be only 

 preserved as relics to adorn the museums 

 and halls of the curious." 



Dr. Beale's " hope" far exceeds our "faith." 

 Let us ask, with all due submission, — Has 

 not God given our countrywomen lovely 

 figures ? Aye, " perfect " figures ? Why 

 then do they labor so hard to deform 



THEM? 



If any of our fair readers will take up their 

 pen to argue this matter Avith us, how happy 

 shall we be to insert their remarks ! It is a 

 righteous cause, and we really hope to re- 

 ceive aid from those whose " duty " it is to 

 defend it. 



Our next Coup d'Essai will be, touching 

 " Female Apparel." We shall dare to scru- 

 tinise this, onlyjas it has reference to the 

 deformity of the Human Figure. Beyond 

 that, it is not our province to inquire ; and 

 we never exceed " our duty." Our " Extra " 

 Contributor has already paved the way for 

 us to follow.* 



KIDD'S < ; JOURNAL" AND " THE TRADE." 



Mr. Editor, — Though, as one of the very 

 many readers of your admirable Paper, I sincerely 

 sympathise with you in your ill-usage by the 

 iron-hearted booksellers, I yet will not occupy 

 your valuable space more than is necessary, 

 while telling you of " something to your ad- 

 vantage," as Joseph Ady used to word it. You 

 will see by the subjoined which appeared in last 

 week's Athenceum, that any number of magazines 

 (the packet not exceeding 1 lb. weight) may, 

 after March, go free for 6d. postage. This will 

 frank your First and Second Parts to the country ; 

 also your Third and Fourth, when ready. Thus 

 sometimes — aye, often — does good come out of 

 evil : — 



" Books and Works of Art per Post.— It 

 affords us great pleasure to be able to announce 



* See Article, "Female Costume," in No. 2 of Kidd's 

 Journal. 



