THE DIVIDED SKIRT.

Observer, Volume 7, Issue 163, 27 October 1883, Page 3

THE DIVIDED SKIRT.

Mr Richard A. Proctor writes to The Times anent the question of the utility of the " divided skirt": — A revolution in the matter of dress ■within my own family, and now extending among a wide circle of our acquaintances, enables me to advance facts on this point. The revolution began as a result of certain discussions in the pages of my little magazine, Knowledge, respecting tightlacing. The views ably advanced in The Times of May 19 were there strongly advocated ; and presently the ladies of my family tried (without at first telling me) the bold experiment of discarding corsets altogether. But they found, as others have found before them, that with the usual amount of underskirting corsets could not be conveniently discarded. I have very little doubt they would have returned to their " outside bones,'* but for the happy thought, that perhaps the divided skirt might remove the various inconveniences which h*d followed the disuse of corsets. The expei'iment was perfectly successful. With the changed attire have come several important advantages — first, the weight of the underclothing is reduced by three-fourths, with, secondly, increase of warmth ; thirdly, walking; long distances has become a pleasure which ifc had not been before ; fourthly, tricycling, lawn, tennis, and other open-air exercises are made altogether easier; fifthly, dancing is much, pleasanter ; sixthly, the health has improved — this doubtless, from the disuse of corsets, to which, cause likewise it must be attributed that — seventhly, the singing voice has increased markedly both in power and its compass. Now, when two or three months have j>assed since the change was made, they all agree in saying that they would as soon take to chains and gyves as return to corsets and heavy skirts.