Picking up an illustrated novel of no further back than 1907 and comparing the pictures in it with those current to-day one cannot fail to be struck by one remarkable fact. The women of seventeen years ago as the artist drew them have the appearance of being bigger all over and to possess a certain expansiveness about various parts of their anatomy which seems conspicuous by its absence to-day. The prevailing characteristic of the moment appears to be slimness, and it is a little difficult to believe that the more or less petite girls of to-day are quite sisters, perhaps nieces would be more accurate, to those somewhat bulky damsels of what is, after all, only yesterday. It is rather appalling to think that such a very few years ago, when macy of us were extremely callow it may be, we took our beauty in bulk, and were quite satisfied. Now arising from this there are two questions which should receive attention. Firstly. were the girls of a decade ago really larger all over than those of today? If they were not, we can proceed to the second query, namely, is it merely a matter of clothes? Supposing that it is, and that the people of 20 years since attired themselves with a due regard to comfort, how do the girls of to-day with their much scantier rainment, keep warm in winter?
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.