The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-03-24
some Practical Suggestions A"o"'
Female Health, Beauty, an"
Sermon on Matrimony.

Harner e. Brothers have published it. He
saws that he has always been deeply in
terested in the girls. When young nothing
fascinated him SO much, and even now he
admires them as much as ever. The chiel
topic on which he writes for their benefit
is health, and be begins by giving them
good advice about boots and shoes. AS a
rule their soles are too narrow. A young
lady whose foot is four inches wide wears
a shoe with sole only two inches and a
half. The consequence is that in walking
the step of the girl is outside and vibrates
sideways Besides, tho pressure of the
upper leather checks the circulation in the
foot and makes it cold. This sort of shoe
with an elastic garter worn about the leg
lust below the knee, is the cause why the
great majority Of girls have cold feet. If
the soles of the shoes were made broad,
this difficulty would not only be obviated,
but the foot itself would look smaller and
handsomer. Moreover, such soles keep in
shape much longer than narrow ones. -
Neither should have high heels. The high,
small heel lately in fashion are absurd
They teLd to weaken the ankle, jam the
toes into the sharp points of the boots and
cripple the feet.
India rubber boots are mischievous, and
vet the injury they do is less than would
be done by the constant indoor life among
girls and women which should result from
an abandonment of India-rubbers.
FEW WOMEN WALK WELL.
One of the rarest things in the world is to
meet with woman who walks well. Mrs.
Charles Kean-Elen Tree-was an admi-
rable walker. Any woman has the capa-
city to walk well. But how can this DO
done if girl goes about perking her chin
up, sticking out her shoulder blades, and
wiggling herself along in stubby, stumb-
ling way. For fine walking low, wide
heels and broad soles, especially about the
toes are necessary. The body must be at
perfect liberty about the waist. The cor
set is deadly enemy to fine walking.
Next, the direction is to carry the chin
close to the neck. Strange to say, the
chin is the pivot on which the whole body
turns in walking. If the chin is wrong,
the shoulders are wrong, the hips are
wrong, the whole gait is wrong. A most
important rule of health is to stand up
straight. Walk erect, sit erect, and even
when you are in bed at night do not put
three pillows under your head and watch
your toes all night, but keep yourself
straight. If you do this, your lungs,
heart, stomach, and all the other organs of
the body will have room for work. 1t is
impossible even to have good voice I'M
less you stand erect.
A very good mode of practicing the art
of walking is to carry large book or
some other weight on onss head one or
two hours every day. Whatever weight
is employed, it should be carried on the
top of the head, holding the chin close to
the neck, for thirty minutes in the morn
ing, and about the same time before lying
down at night. The use of thick pillows
tends to produce curve in the neck. The
pillow should be hard and thin.
DRESSES, SHORT SLEEVES AND PADDING.
DR.. Lewis has no mercy upon the full
dress of low neck and short sleeves. 1t is
as immodest as it is unhealthy. The mania
for extravaganza trimmings for womens
dress has become insulferable. EARRINGS
are barbarous, fnger-rings are vulgar.
The wearing of false hair is an atrocity.
Preparations for the complexion are among
the most Objectionable outrages which
woman perpetrates upon herself The
habit of padding the bust OF dresses, so
universal among the dressmakers, destroys
the natural functions of the breasts. Lac
ing produces hdeous distortion.
The enormous padiings worn below the
waist heat and injurc the spine. The gar
ter seriously Influences the circulation of
the foot. 1t is not wrong to wish to keep
the stocking smooth, and if the calf of the
leg be very large, the knee small, and the
circulation vigorous, an elastic garter may
be used without serious injury. "But,"
says DR.. Lewis, "as most American girls
have slender legs--this we are assured is
not true-"as there is but little enlarge
ment of the calf, the pressure of the gar
ter required to keep the stocking in posi-
ton is very injurious. Itproduces absorb
ton of the most important muscles, and
therefore weakness of the legs a lack
of circulation, and therefore GOODNESS of
the feet" He recommends instead of gar
tiers that the stockings should be fastened
by straps to the waist.
ABOUT SIZE.
DR.. Lewis prefers large women to little
women. A woman should weigh from
lao to 100 pounds; those weighing from
90 to ITO pounds he calls little. The
average large sized woman is, like the
average large sized man, superior intellec-
tually and otherwise. The reason why
women are so much smaller than men is
that they have no adequate exercise, while
the lungs, stomach and liver, the organs
which growth depends, are reduced by the
corset to half the natural size and activity.
DEPLoRABLE IDLENEss.
The idleness of our girls is deplorable.
DR.. Lewis tells the story of friend who
had three daughters and two sons, all
grown up. He was shop-keeper, and
one of the sons was employed in the shop,
while the three girls did nothing but dress,
play little, make calls, receive calls, go
shopping, and during the summer visit
the country for their health. The business
went on badly, until finally the father
called his daughters together, and told
them that he was in debt, and that the
only chance for the family was that the
girls should abandon their idle life, and
help him to carry on the business. This
I'M = j mad