Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1855-05-23
l'ron the Home Journal
PRETTY FEET AND HEELS TO
LADIES' SHOES

otates have, as class, much better feet
than the ladies of England" He adds
however, that ''they are said to victim
lze themselves wholesale by the indis-
erinina,e l'''', wearing Of fi!gdt slippers ia all
''sotdsrs." This writer's general pbiIos-
oPhy as to shoes and their make and
wear, is worth commencing to our fair
readers. He says:
Many women who spend much time
ana much money in adorning their bod
ies' utterly neglect their feet. But no
one is Well-dressed who is not 5isn ekau,-
see. Even man well gloved and well
booted may carry off a seedy suit of
clothes. With women it is essential to
anything like success in costume, that
they should pay attention to the decora-
tion of their hands and feet. The latter
may be little seen but they are seen.
As to the extremities themselves. the
real state OF the case may generally be
gathered from inference and association.
1t seldom happens that a woman with
large, misshapen, or fat feet, moves
gracefully and well.
"We have said that women with large
OF misshapen feet seldom or aeYer move
gracefully. They can neither walk nor
dance well. And running is an impossi-
bility. To real grace of movement, it
would seem almost essential thatthe foot
should be arched This is coming to be
better understood among US. Flat feet
are too common in England--but dress,
as we have before said, is great level
ler; and high-heeled boots. now so gen.
orally used, give an artificial hollow to
the foot. The frightful habit of turning
up the toes in walking, is thus almost en-
tirsly destroyed. Indeed, nothing is
more observable than the Improvements
which, In this respect. has taken place
IN England during the last two or three
years Our women walk better thar
they did, and are better shOd than they
were. How it happened that we were so
long in discovering that kid-<opped boots
are far more slightly than those made of
cloth or caehemere, we do not pretend
to know; but certainly the discovery is
one Of the best that has been made of
late years in the region of costume
High heels came in simultaneously, and
may almost be regarded as part and par
eel of this becoming innovation. Our
streets are consequently far less disfgur-
ed than they were by the spectacle of
shoals of women ali showing the soles
of their feet to people meeting them
from their front. These high, or mill
tary heels necessarily force down the
toes, and compel the proper movement
in walking-the proper exercise of the
right muscles. The tendency of this
elevation Of the heel is to throw the calf
ol the leg out of the ankle, where, under
bad treatment it is too apt to Settle
1t is said, that, in this respect, the con =
formation of French women is better tn an
that Of our own, because the absence of
trotioirs, orside paVements. from so M any
of their thoroughfores, and very COM
mon use, in the large towns, of thin shoes,
compels them to pick their way onNheir
toes. We think that il is DIR. Arnott,
who, in his Elements of Physic, illustrates
the effect both of wearing thin shoes and
standing on ones toes, by comparing
the legs of two men, ceteris pari6Hs, ia
ken from the same station of life, the
farm laborer, and the other London
footman The thin shoes Of the latter,
and the habit of standing on his toes.
behind her ladyships' carriage, develop
the calves and refine the urrAlvs-yf Flsersa
as. whilst the heavy hobnailed boots of
Hodge have an opposite effect, and re-
duce his legs to perfect cylender.
alt may, perhaps, be thought that we
have devoted too much consideration to
this matter of the ehaussHrs but we
look upon it as the very keystone Of the
of dress, and that any mat
tention 10 it will loosen and destroy the
entire fabric How common is it to see,
in this country, the becomingness of a
whole toilet entirely nulli6ed by a mis-
take of this kind, and, in spite of bonnet,
shawl, and gown of the best character,
he vulgarian betrayed by the boots.
It is essential that the ekauSsAre shonld
be in keeping with the rest of the appa
-el but the spectacle OF really, in other
well dressed women, with
heavy black boots. under dresses of
light color and fabric, is one of the COM
honest in the world. Women so attired
ook like men in disguise"
SPEcULArIoNs IN PRoDUcE.-At New
York. April 25th, there were some hea-
~ operations in the produce market,
stimulated by the small stock on hand.
snd the light receipts from the interior.
sale Of 5, 900 barrels Of -four was made
1t SO rs for common State, deliverable
n June, and sc for July. A sale OF 500
barrels of pork is also reported at SIG so