Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-03-08
" Our Girls. "

will soon be published by the Harpers' in
which, in his free and lively style, hs talks
sensibly about " Our Girls Dress, stud
les, amusements, exercise, employments, diet
and all else that pertains to the education OF
girls is treated with no tender hand for folly
and no squeamishness in showing up errors.
From an exchange we copy few extracts
from the advance sheets of this book;
Girls BOOTS AND sHols.
Here, as elsewhere, reference is made to
DIR. Lewis's school at Lexington -
q One evening, at Lexington, | was dis
cussing before the assembled school the sub
ject of shoes for women, and had been
remarkiDg that the sOles were uniformly too
narrow, when Miss B. spoke up
"' why, Doctor, my soles are perfectly
immense. Why, they are twice as broad as
my foot
- Miss B., will you be kind enough TO
take off one of your shoes, ard send 1t for
ward?' 1t was chcerfully and quickly done.
''' Henry, please bring the rule Now
we will measure this sole.
80 Miss B., l find that this sole is two and
one half inches wide; do you think your
loot is narrower than that?
90 great deal. That shoe sole Is
twice wide as my feot.
- Miss will you please come to the
platform a moment? So, limping along,
one shoe off and one shoe on, she presented
herself
Miss b will you be kind enough to
put your foot upon that sheet OF white pa
per? Now hold up the other foot, and let
your full weight press upon this one. There,
now, hold still a minute, and let me draw
the pencil around your foot. There, that
will do. Now we will measure this mark,
and see Just how broad your foot ls. Why,
Miss B. | find that your foot is three inches
and three quarters broad no, stop, it is
three inches and seven-eighths no, stop
again, it really is four inches broad. Now
what do you think? You-muy take the rule
and measure yourself if you doubt it. The
sole is two inches and a half, and your foot
is four inches broad.
a. But, Doctor, it is four inches broad
only when It is spread out by standing my
whole weight on this one foot.
Yes. Miss B., but that is exactly what
takes place every time you step. For exam
pie, when in walking, you lit the right foot
and push it forward, your whole weight Is
not only on the left foot, but, pushing with
the left foot in propelling the body forward,
you have, in addition to your weight upon
that foot, the effort of pushing forward with
il. which makes the toes still broader, and
that takes place every time you step. So
presume when you are walking brlskly, that
If your foot were at liberty TO spread, it
would reach four inches and quarter. This
shoe sole. which YOU think is immense, is
two inches and half wide. Now what DO
Won suppose becomes Of the inch and a half
of foot which has no sole to rest upon ?
Either the upper holds the foot, and prevents
its spreading, or the foot spreads on either
side beyond the sole, and presses down upon
the edge of the sole. Very few girls walk
in a firm. strong way. Notice one lou
can see that she is balancing upon a narrow
sole There is an unsteadiness, sldewlse
vibration. Besides, as she has not breadth
of toe enough, she cannot push her body
forward in that elastic way which We all 50
much admire. Again, the pressure of the
MINER leather checks the circulation in the
foot ana makes IL cold. If you check the
circulation in any part II becomes cold. The
tight shoes, with an elastic worn about the
leg lust below the knee, 20 checks the circu-
laticn in the foot tat the great majority OF
girls have cold feet. 1t would, indeed, be
rare to find one with warm feet like a boy.
now GIRLS SHOULD WALK.
Supposc the girls to have broad-soled
shoes. they yet ne,d instruction in walking,
as the Doctor proceeds to show
How many of you no desire to appear
well, to make fine impression, can consent
to crawl about, poking your chins out, shoul-
der blades sticking out and wiggllng yourself
along in that stubby, stumbling way, amazcs
me. There are certain prerequisites.
" Frst-You must have low, wide heels
and broad soles, especially about the toes,
affording a secure surface, upon which, In
taking each step, you can push the body for
ward
Seeond-The body about the waist must
be perfectly at liberty. The corset is
deadly enemy o walking
=. But given perfect fro oedom at the middle
of the body, through which all the move
ments in walking must pass, given this free
dom of the trunk with good shoes, and you
have the prerequisites on which the general
exercise OF the body depends.
u have sometimes thought that would
write a book on walking, and my book would
contain only four words. Let us see we
must have two leaves, and each leaf must
be as large as your thumb nail. We have
four pages. Now we will proceed to print
this book. On the first page we will print
one single word, chin on the second,
single word. close on the third page,
to !: now We approach the end of the vol
ume turn over, and on the last Iage we
print the wOId neck The volume is com
plete No explanatory notes need be given,
not another word need be said. Whoever
carries the chin close to neck is all right
from top to toe, and will walk well. Strange
to say, the chin is the pivot on which the
whole body turns in walking. +
- \ charming lady, of the grand, old-lash-
toned pattern, bore herself like empress
at eighty-six | ventured to ask her
- Madam, what was the source of this
carriage of your person , She
replied:
- During my young life carried a large
book on my head one or two hours every day. ,
My mother had been taught the practice in
an English school, and she transmitted it to
her daughters.
LITTLE WOMEN.
BY a large woman, DIR. Lewis states that
be means one weighing from 40 to 100
pounds and by small woman, one whose
weight is from 90 to 10 pounds. Refer
ing to the fact that most men prefer the
darling, sweet, petite" he says -
. The reason for this preference for little {
women, among men, is simply this. For ,
merly, women were slaves to the passions of
men. In modern times they have, among
our better classes, risen a little above that,
and have become the pets and toys of men.
Now pet or a toy, say a black and tan, is
valuable in proportion to its diminutiveness.
A man in selecting a wife that be intends to
dress in silks and laces, with trinkets hung
in her ears, rings on her fingers. and little
ornaments stuck all over her, who is TO sit
in his parlor while he is absent on business,
to dress and redress herself several times
a day, to be ready to receive him, all cor
seted ,besiIked, ,beiewele1 and bescentel when
he shall come from his Office, man who Sc