The Shasta courier., 1867-02-16
Have Ladies any Limbs.

undertook to pay what he supposed would
be a compliment to his Queen. Nv referring
to her pretty feet, he was reproved by this
answer The Queen of Spain has no feet.
A woman of gentle birth, of wealth or posi
ton, wa supposed to consist of a head. arms
and neck. and below that-nothing but a
dress. This was the law of polite society
the lower orders might have BODY and
ordinary members, but lady owed the
larger part of her person TO the milliner.-
These were'the days Of splendid, superb and
imposing trains. From the waist, which was
pushed up as near to the armpits as possible.
the dress swept in one graceful curve. and
long. full, deep folds until it drew its vast
length along the ground. Woman, true to
her higher nature as developed under the
fostering influence of wealth, sacrificed her
person to her covering; she gave up her feet,
her ankles, her other charms that the male
sex admire. to the pleasure of outshining
her fellow women in adornment. The exis.
tence of trains forbade thought of the ex
istence of anything beneath them. Several
wears ago, our ladies--for here we have no
lower orders of the gentlrr sex-wore the
sAme dress and submitted to the same de-
pri1ation, True to American progressive
ness, ,Shey carried the rule even further. and
permitted no legs to men, tables, or even
triang!es-the first two being only allowed
limbs, and the latter sides. This state of
affairs would probably have existed to the
present day had not fashion come to the aid
of anatomy. and decreed :. looped up skirts"
Fashion effected her change ingeniously. vet
firmly. She first introduced the balmoral
with its brilliant red cloth, the delight of the
feminine heart; then she ornamented it till
the feminine heart was crazy to show it to
the world then she arranged strings and
cords by which the outer dress might be
raised, just little, and the beautiful color
and exquisite trimming below exhibited -
Thus was the work accomplished, and men
found out that women had feet-some of
which were pretty and some not.
What is prettier than pretty foot7 What
more captivating than dear little boot GOV.
erng high instep and coming down neatly
over the toes, with bewitching tassel dang.
ling at the top of the close -lacing? In moth
ing is aristocracy so marked as in the pedal
extremity the thin nostri. the long fingers,
the narrow palm. are evidences of gentle
blood, but far less so than the round ankle,
the high instep and the hollow beneath.
through which, as the proud and highbred
Arabs say, a stream of water should be able
to flow while the possessor is standing. The
fiat, splay foot. on the contrary, as surely
tells of want of pedigree, as its misshappen
excrescences, its corns and bunions, drive
away affection. The horse shows the purity
of his extraction by clean lin os, neat posture
and small hoof; and the same result is no.
ticeable, more or less, in all animals. Man
falls in love as readily with a seductive foot
with an attractive face; he finds in it a
thousand expressive movements; its firm
tread speaks of a decided character; its
quick step denotes anger; its elasticity of
motion assures him of liveliness and good
humor; its hasty tread denotes impatience
its subtle glide signifies cunning while the
quiet but marked football guarantees him an
affectionate disposition. The face often de-
ceves with an alluring smile it is taught
or trained by design or habit; its openness
is guarded and confined but the foot speaks
its own language, unrestrained and untutor-
ed and the male sex owes debt of graf
itude to fashion for giving back honest feet to
the future adorners of human existence.
The g looped skirt" lasted for a time-to
mans great satisfaction and improvement,
and finally. through a vagary Of queen
goddess, (whose object ever appears to see to
what new extravagsnces she can carry
things was superseded by contrivance
that began to suggest the possibility of women
having something besides dress above their
ankles. SO far. a visible foot, with an occa-
sonal glimpse of ankle, was alone vouch-
safed; but the new arrangement-the fitting
hoop-disclosed matters that raised the
question propounded in this article. Filters
have at least settled one question; that
American women-for we repel all the sug
gestions of fictitious Improvements by the
surreptitious aid of art-bave the prettiest
feet, the neatest ankles, and the most grace
ful forms Of their sex and if not developed
like the Dutch beauties of our ancestors,
possess the characteristics of the high-bred
horse. Filters, however. had but a short
day fashion could allow man but momen-
tary glance at the mysteries not intended for
his gaze, and blotted them out with the long
train she had once loved and Abandoned
Skirts, ankles, feet and what not have dis.
appeared, and woman has once more become
head, arms and dress Three yards, or FIVE
yards-we do not know where to begin
measuring-constitute the proportions of a
train necessary to respectability and to the
retention of place in society and hence
forth we suppose we must bow to the law
except, perhaps. on skating pond-that
the Queen of Spain has no feet" and,
with sincere regret answer the question pro-
pounded at the head of this article in de-
cided negative;
Gentlemen You have heard the resolu-
ton: all in favor of affirming that ladies
have limbs will please say Aye" Dead
silence.) The contrary. mo" Universal
shouts of " Nary limb !") Gentlemen the
Noes" have it, and this caucus will now
adjourn. to sit upon the question of Chemi
settes and Balmoral Skirts, at the earliest
practicable day, subject to the call of our
honored Chairman. York Citizen.
SHARE RFPA RrEF The fnllnw In O Is said