. ... , , . .-- .. ... -r-.,---..,-.. rr . r: ;
asjasaBH,Baaae'--- . , 1 t- ' i . J a ' r - t l v. . , w . . m i m v . , w . , . m .1
a "TTf OMEN, take a firm grip on
iy ' your solar plexus as you go
- , through life, and you will be
healthy, graceful, happy." y , ,
V Coming from the lips of no less notable
a person x than . Madame Jutta BclURanske,
the famous Norwegian singer and health vx'
pert, this admonition cannot, fail to make a
deep impression. . ; 1
is not a joke. Iti author hopes every
woman in America will learn of it, grasp its
meaning and profit by it.
I Do not preconceive some outlandish new.
health fad, like walking on all fours. If s
only mentally that you are advised to grip the
abdomen. " J '
. For that part of the anatomy jot which
the prize fighter usually aims is really the seat
of a second nervous systemsome advanted
scientists are calling it a "subconscious brain"
and by patient practice you can train your ,
cranial brain -the old-fashioned one that'you
are sure you have- to harness this lesser mind
and make it work for sou like a loyal Trojanh
even while you are asleep. -
-And once a woman has accomplished this,
whatf " - .
Why : she is assured that her home life
must be happy because her 'added grace of t
mind, speech and movement will' charm her
husband; her work , will be a pleasure; tasks
which she, once considered clumsy will per
force be artistic; she will
IV ell, she won't be at all the same woman
that she was before she took that grip.
T HO U Madtm Bell-BanskX
For inanjr yearn, in her watlv Una, Nor
way, ' Vbr yitem of physical cultur , of
world-recognlied 1 va1w hav been developed,
he wa regarded aa an authority on matten of the
voice and anatomical development.::
la Ergland he was ahowered with honor; her booka
published there met with wide popularity. ;
In America aha has been eagerly received by the
fclgheet physical experts of the East; she is at present
Instructing classes composed of persons wealthy enough
to claim her high services. ; '
. : During' a, lecture at Philadelphia a tew days ago she
voiced that curious note which may yet become the slogan
of a great health movement "Take a grip on your solar
plexus." - '
Uninitiated persons left the lecture room dumfounded.
Grip your solar plexust ; Visions of woe-begone-look-ing
creatures walking about with hands on abdomen, as
If ra the throes of pain, loomed up before many of them.
One auditor, who had read reports of prise-ring en
counters, but had not thoroughly digested them, placed,
a dainty, band on her snowy throat, under the right ear,
"and asked innocently, "Isn't this the place where the
solar plexus 'lar'w'jlv V vV .-" 'y'iXZ''
- RequeHted 6 give further information on the sub
Ject, Madam Bell-Kanske , revealed a most- fascinating,
theory yet It appears to have passed the stage of theory
as to the causes of most of the ills that flesh, and es
pecially woman flesh,', is heir-to,. and how to eradicate,
them.' ;-. ; ',;;:f .' j -j- ' v
t Her explanation -makes that reference to the solar
plexus seem inore reasonable than at first blush. '
,In the human anatomy are many khids of plexuses
the various Systems of interlacing nerves, vessels and ,
flbera come under that head but none to compote with ;
the solar, plexus, the "abdominal brain." ,
. i't'.'r.A NERVE EXCHANGE
';It 1 the largest, and Is situated at the upper part of
the abdomen, behind the stomach and to. front of the
aofti," It( consist of an intricate network of nerves,
and it merged at the vertebra with the nerve syBtem hav-
' Jng Its center Jn. the cranium.
w This point , Juncture one might picture as a sort .
of telephone exchange, where messages between the
two moit lmportaui-business 'centers- of the- body- are
t transferred. .-..,.- '.-"".
But it's a big Improvement over the telephone sys
tem, for the reason that not only Is the exchange auto
1 ma He, but the attendant who receives the menage Is -always
on band, -never misunderstands, and . will carry
. out instructions to the letter.
' Abdominal breathing, moreover, we are told, .massages
, the solar-plexus, thus keeping it keyed up to a healthy
. degree of efficiency, t -
Of course,' every woman would like to be healthy for
v health's own sake. :
This is very well, 3ut Madame Boll-Ranske gives a
new reajon why one oweu it to one's self, one's family,
the world at large, to be healthy.
J'or she makes It clear that one's physical condition
affects every one with whom one may come in contact
that persons in a diseased or discouraged condition throw
out radiations of poisonous character .which stab those
about- there as surely, as deadly, as arrows dipped in .
putrefaction. .
- And, by the same token, when healthy, happy, you '
spread a good magnetism, as powerful as the sun's rays,
which makes every -one about you comfortable, happy.
As good, magnetism Is more powerful than bad, you
may get a monopoly on tne wnole magnetic business
wherever you are, If you make your body healthy, your
mind optimistic. So that this Is the sure way to in
crease your friends, to keep your husband's love, to
make home happy. .
Doesn t It sound wonderful-rVlslonaryT
' One thing, though, must Impress one looking into this
' science, do matter how skeptical he may be. It is that
. ii'adam BeU-Kanske herself is a glowing example of
the value of her theories. She possesses all the merits
he claims for her advanced health methods. She sln
crely believes she secured-, them through these methods
alone. . - -'v-'"i
Fivt feet seven, inches tall, she Is Uthe, wlllowv of
figure; her yellow hair surmounts a face, -4)val, placid,
expressive of cheer. Its every line has been formed by
cot, well-planned building of character, and In this lies
lla ' charm.; 1 -f
Wlxen she arnllos or encompasses' yon with her eyes
it in in no haphasard manner, but with a confident spirit,
as it knowing Just what effect the magnetism of health
THE ' OREGON; SUNDAY . J0U11NAI, PORTLANIX'. SUNDAY. "
. H '. .' . " '. m. l..""" ' " ...t. L. V, w-H U i,(ii,ii1.i.iniifi- A,
t ' IMF ' all , . r
s V $ 4"
r--" ----- ir' f .fr
I ' I - . - c j
. - , , v.xTL .niuJ ii ii. urn ' ' m mi i h iMrnwi 1
dispensed by those organs will have. 'And the effect Is
' always positive. -,' ', '.' . .
' But it Is principally with respect to her carriage, her
' form, that she la different f rom the type" of woman
, whom th fashion experts Of the day' accept as graceful,
beautiful. ;.... ...'.. ''-, J .i'-v "'.. .' "
, The accepted type is well known wasp-like waist
copious bust girth, and all that " ' . " 1 '.
When the average woman breathes she' expands the',
upper lungs, but moves the abdominal cavity not at ,
all her corset wouldn't permit it even if she tried.
Before explaining her method of breathing, Madam)
Bell-Ranske informs you . that she doesn't Wear the
corset of commerce. ' Yet she wears a corset It's one
prepared especially for adaptation to correct breathing
clouely encircling the waist line, supporting the abdo
men, but in no measure retarding the full expansion of
' the abdomen in breathing.
"You know," she explains, as she prepares to Inflate
her chest, "that the ordinary person, the 'rib breather,'
as we must call him to distinguish him from a correct .
breather, doesn't use half the air cells In his body. For
' moretbat; half the cells are down In the abdomen, sur
rounding the' solar plexus the real seat of health."
Now she Inhales. . You see, or feel certain, that the air
is going intp her nostrils in a goodly stream, and yet ,
her cheht doesn't expand a particle. Instead, her ubdo
. men expands! , '
This continues while you slowly count five or six.
Then, gradually, the upper lungs expand, until you count
five or six more.
JBy this time her lungs are plentifully supplied with
airtshe has taken in three or four times the amount
that the average porson In fair health inhales, , -
THE BEST BREATHING EXERCISE
v For ten or twelve seconds the air Is retained. Then It -is
expelled. Another anomally. Instead of the chest
falling with ; the exhalation, the abdomen . falls. Then
the chest - ' i , . . - - . '
It is explained that you must breathe this way If
you would make use of all your air cells. For, if you
should first fill your -lungs, it would be impossible to aft
erward fill the abdominal space; and the exhalation Is
simply-the logical reversal of the process.
it isn't easy to learn. , You are told that it aids
greatly if you practice breathing with your hand on
your abdomen. The action is an aid to the cranial mind
in centering its attention on the muscles of. the abdo
men and causing them to expand with oxygen.
Then, after awhile,' it becomes mechanical; you 'do
It without thinking.- For the subconscious brain, once
it has been taught by the conscious brain to do a thing,
goes on dojng it without being told. : ' ' 1 : f '
"Do you always breathe that wayf" . .. : , .
"Oh, no1' replied Madame. . "It would be Impossible
to take these long breaths In the course of conversation. ,untn death or divorce , 1 . i ' ; '
Besides,, if one should kreathe that .way. ten times In;,, The English collector of Malabar, British India, like
succession, one would become dtzxy headed, would :ex-. many other husbands, had trouble in clothing his wife,
perlence intoxication from an oversupply. of tygen.'-'--ri,.jjow r Ifg a little more . difficult to get mauve, satin,
intervals aunng me aay . . laae -aeep .
. breaths; tn fa:t I Uke them unconsciously whenever I
need them or have the opportunity. :I always manage
" - ' - -. ill
f l,:, F - ';. :f , . !
to keep enough oxygen, in my system, and, by breathing,
to Keep my soiar piexus massagea sumeieauy u m.e ;
me active, alert,: cheerful , . . . . .. .,',-
"Whenever X go on the stage to give a lecture-end
am .'' lecturing ' almost dally I 'grip 'my solar plexus
D
O YOU know
that there is
a place , on
this wonder
ful old earth where
women never : bother
their husbands or
fathers for clothes 1
i Nver heard of i
- mi.i'.
111 Jtact. lnere
women still cling to
women nm cung v
the raiment that
Mother Eve adopted
after moving day in
Eden ; each morning
they wander quietly
forth into the forest
and 'pluck fresh gowns from the fig trees. .
; Think of it, -ye wearied slaves of modistes
and men tailors a new dress every morning, and
always in style!' 1
D
RESS! At the' word "women's eyes light ecstat
icaUy. their hearts palpitate with Joy. their
voices quiver with unutterable" enthusiasm!
Mention tha word tn vour wife.' She Will lean
forward, clasp her hands and whisper. Incredulously,
"You're going to-get me a new one Johnf
Dress I Why, in that word are voiced the weal
and woe of humanity; the desire of woman from the
ethereal Wwns or. Valenciennes lace In India than in a
big city, where the department atore 'may be , readily V -
visited. . I- , . '"-"."' ; .
f-mm
. . . : V - ' '
MORNINGk JUNE 2, j?07
mentally, of course.'
"X breathe deeply, fixing my mind on the aplar
plaxoa. Then I know my solar plexua .will take care
of me. ,1 become filled with confldenca -1 need not
atop to think of what I am to say; my address trips
naturally, almost Intuitivelyfrom my Hps, because my
subconscious mind is, like a storage battery, loyally un
winding, giving out the energy that I have stored up
m it. ., . - :-; . :
"And. Z don't experience the slightest palpitation of
.the heart No audience could, give me stage fright I
am conscious of. my power. My grip on the solar
plexua fits me to cope with any obstacle, makes me su
premeperfectly master of myself." ,
Bow, you . envy her! , Tou who tremble when : you
face an emergency, who curl your toes up In your shoes
when approaching a great personage, or perchance ad
dressing, a., small , assembly. :--.Zy,
- True, you have a; solar plexus of your own, but
upon practicing wiyx It night after night for a week or'
two, before retlrjng, you come to the conclusion that if a
too. old a dog to learn new tricks, that if a spoiled, and ,
give it up.. But , oh. If,, you oould only get one ready
trained! . ' ' ' ' : A
The room, in .which Madame Bell-Ranske met the
visitor was as cold as the day wlthout-and It was one
of those cold spring days for every, window waa wide
open,' and there waa no Are in Jthe beater, t Tet ae you
shivered In an overcoat this woman,' drawing warmth
from her subconscious storage, battery,, fluffed about the '
room in a light frock tantalising in her comfortable ap-
pearancel Pure air, she telle you, la indispensable to the"
proper working of your abdominal brain. ? ;
Otherwls though, it waa a room which would attract'
any one. The wlndowa were hung , with - Indian tapes
tries; there waa a canopy of Moorish design in one cor- ':'
ner; the hlgh-badc walnut "chairs, beautifully carved, the.-'
atatuea, pictures, ornaments, rugs, all of artlatle magnlfl-
One day a native approached the collector and
whispered in his ear. , ... 1 ; . , 1
"Holy Jumping Jupiter Pluvius 1" he shouted, clap-
ping his hands enthusiastically. "Bah Jove, don't
you know" .. - -
-.The Englishman gave vent to several popular Lon
don expressions of Joy and made .immediate prepare-.
tlons for an expedition. He had been told of a tribe
where women never harassed the1 men about clothes. ,
Simplicity, in .dress-that waa what ha waa looking
for. j ' " ' -: . . ' f
With a body of servants he ooiaiy pu
unged into the
Jungle, braving death from wild beasta, determined to
'""ck hia finger dauntlessly Into a llon'a 4ye. It
necessary, but intending, by fair means or, foul, even
"in the face of death, to 'reach North Malab'ar, where,
on a hm kt)Qwn ag jjount Do,lyi Uve, the women who
naa new garments every morning ana never uumomu
- eWiAle. kiiekonila .
' The, collector met neither wild beasts nor lions,
and one bright morning he saw the village of mud
and thatched huts rising before him. He felt as the
Spaniard doee when he glvea vent to a "Car-r-r-r-amba!"
v- But, unwittingly, as he went ahead of the party,
-the doughty, Britisher came acroes a native maiden
making' her morning toilet A'h'h! Gallant .man .that,
he was. he quickly placed his hands over his face
and looked through his fingers. , , . . .
There, arrayed in the habiliment that Xve adopted
shortly after her discovery that dress was one of
the evils to follow the Fall, was a demure Indian:
maiden, clothed in fresh green fig'leaves. , , - ;
Fig leavesl It was all clear to him- The Britisher
groaned. Yet'ln" that moment a revelation came to
Ira that it is only In the Eden style of dress that
' men and women can be freed from the tyranny : of
clothes. ' . . H . .
' The young woman had arrayed. herself gracefully
rn a olrcle' of fig leaves, tied to a girdle and dangling
from her waist Around her neck she had., strung a
circle of leaves tied to a string. And about her dainty -ankles
dangled other circlets of small -fig leaves, - '
"It was one of the most poetic sights I ever saw," -the
; Englishman declared afterward. ."There, kneel
ing on the ground, was this splendid maiden, attired
In leaves, and arranging her hair as she locked into
a: stream. She curled her stiff tresses, ahe smoothed
them . proudly, and in the1 meanwhile looked at herself '
in the water with all the vanity of woman shlnlm
from her eyea I felt that I bad gone back si
sninmg
etx
JZAe Carjec6 etzd Jn correct-
oesoa, soothed the mind, but now palpitating trom the
Hols of tht busr street without V
Environments affect the solar plexus. But in a greater
ana control ef the solar plexus affects environmenta
; For Instance, if you can grip that elusive, mysterious
muscle, your kitchen table, with the soapy dishes strewn
about.! with the cat and a child dragging at your skirts,
la transformed to a, palace parlor; the clanking of the
china becomes the sound of sweet muslo, the smell of
Jhe cooking becomes pleasing,: aroma. , . -
, That la, they become so to you so much cannot be
expected for the baby and the eat. . they ,not having
learned about the solar .plexus. S
Seriously, It does make a differenoa, You are optl
mlatio because ef the health that your faithful servant
flown In your abdomen Is radiating to all parts of your
body, and nothing can look unpleasant to you.
""Moreover, you are graceful, for nothing whloa you
could do whan you are In euoh an excellent state of
health could be other than graceful.
Suppose you see a piece of twine on the floor. Tou
todp to pick it up. If you have been breathing with
your npper rlba only, you bend the body clumsily, your
abdomen cavea In, you grunt from the exertion
But suppose you have been breathing properly. The.
motion, la rhythmical, the body bends with a weeping
motion; Instead ef doubling up like a jackknlfe, you have
the string In your hands, and are on the way to the
stove with It, tm conscious that you have done anything
unpleasant .
.. And, moreover, you are not apt to get absent-minded
and throw a IS bill Intotbe fire Instead of the string,
s la the woman who has no control of her second brain.
7
. CONTROL YOUR NERVES
"Whether you have a floor to scrub or an epic to
write, you will do it with expression If you have your
nerve system , under oontrol," is one of Madame Bell
Kanske'a epigrams.
She has declared that harsh, strident 'volcea on
the part of woman have been responsible for much
strife and dlaoord in the home, and declares it . is
a wlfe'e .duty to so train her vocal organs that with
a gentle voice, she may, so to speak, lay a hand softly
on the souL
"Suppose you are a clerk in a atore," ahe said.
"A woman rushes VP to the counter, asks for some
. thing. Tou tell her that you are engaged. She
shrieks: 'X cannot wait: X must get it this minute!'
Do you accommodate her T No, you punish her by
making her wait longer than necessary. .
"But suppose she answers, "Very well, X can wait,'
In a aoft voloe don't you euppose you would hasten
to please her?" '"" " :- y -. i -
And so, she declares, it is in the house. The hus
band comes home tired, nervous, and requires sooth
ing conversation, not nagging, bantering. To be sure,
the rule recommended works equally well when re
versed to apply to the stern sex; but Madame Bell-.'
Ranake doesn't usuklly lecture to men.
It is easy for her to demonstrate, by running up a
scale, that perfect control of the aolar plexua is a
valuable aid to a singer. She singe with a clear, open
throat The sound comes far down In .the throat
This' is beoauseBhe breathes deeply, because she
takes enough air into her lunge at a breath to carry
a note to any required height and still have plenty
of breath left to preserve her equilibrium.
She likens the .vocal organ to a flexible reed in
strument, the lungs being the bellows, the vocal lips
or corda the reeds, and the throat the pharynx, the
mouth and the nasal cavities the resonator.
Breathing, she declares, la the most important part
Of song, sine It is the element which operates the
Instrument; and, since life is breath, song becomes -an
overflow of life.- , i -.-
"Let women first secure anatomical - adjustment
bit getting control of their solar plexus, then spiritual
adjustment by virtue of the nerve force which this
trafnlna. makes possible, and they will be happy they
lunnot ha otherwise."
This la one of Madame Bell-Ranske'a favorite
'ngs.
thousand years and saw Eve regarding herself In a
'lake." ,jf;
To the village of Eramum Anuhom the Britisher
made his way. He became acquainted with the Vetu- '
avians, the tribe, and on his returrf declared that he
found perfect connubial happiness relgnlag in the
households. He said the husbands were free of mil
liners' bills and dressmakers' visits. While the men
slept In the morning the women arose early and
went out into the Jungle, where, with rare taste, they
selected the, most exquisite leavee and made fresh
costumes that were perfectly stunning. .
Of course, the leaves had to he arranared "lust an." '
and woman's social position,- was fixed by her
artistio. arrangement of leaves. To be on the visiting
. ubs muu uui wvmtn asa
to display the greatest modesty In dress.
To do this
mis it was necessary lor ner
the sun all day if there was to
evening.. For the fig leaves. wi
ill day If there was to be a reception, in the
For the fig leaves wither, and to tCAsJa '
In a drled-up costume .was. considereoTai
banquet In a drled-up costume .was. considered
of time. - .. -
The British colledtor found that the "women did
all the work And while they arrayed themselves in
foliage every morning and regarded themselves In
brooks and pooler they all entertained a hope that in
their, next. Incarnation they would be born men with
whom dress was optional. , " 1
How far a cry is this from Parts, .New Tork,
, Philadelphia or Chicagol " -
- Mrs. John lane, en English Woman, wrote re
. cently: . - . : ; - . , . . ,
"I remember the despairing cry ' of a woman, look
ing hopelessly through-her wardrobe: 'I would have
. been a better '. woman if I had been born with
' feathers.' . . ' - . . - , . .. v
What would the fig-leaf Hindoo girl say If she
were ehown tht nuptial costume of a bride-to-be of
New York society, .which ia . said to -have cost
i25O,O00T :--;.-'-::vv... .,..-. ,.;,c0.? ' .
Miss Morlslnl, of New Tork, It is said, spends $200,-'
000 a year on her clothing outfits. It has been esti
mated that this um would clothe the three most
extravagantly - dressed ' Women - In '- London society a
year. .Question: How many women would it kp
clothed in a dally sew dress of fig Reaves T .