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CHAP. X.] in woollen combinations, stays (well shaped, and not tight), one petticoat, and a dress, which from its elegance gave no suspicion of the state of affairs underneath. As I had an opportunity of observing, these young ladies were dressed in perfectly sanitary style, although none but myself had any idea of the fact; and, in spite of it, they passed for two of the best-dressed girls at the fashionable watering-place where we were staying. I have since had several opportunities of observation, and I find that quite a number of the best-dressed women of my acquaintance have renounced the use of the chemise in favour of woven combinations. The majority, however, I believe, are not induced to do so by sanitary considerations, but simply because the chemise is a bulky article and makes them look stouter than is natural to them; whereas the combinations, being made in a stretchy material, fit somewhat closely and show the symmetry of the figure.

This is, to my mind, a very good reason why the chemise should be given up, but, from a health point of view, we can find a still better one. Chemises are generally made of linen or cotton, both of which materials, as I have already said, are unsuitable for clothing, because they are good conductors of heat, bad absorbers of moisture, and bad ventilators. It may be thought perhaps that there is no harm in wearing a chemise of linen or cotton if a woollen vest is worn beneath it; but this is a mistake, for the close web and vegetable fibre will prevent the escape of cutaneous evaporation,