Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-01-30
W arm Feet.

IA correspondent vi tHe dNlSTNIIp az
1'1cuttu,zSt furnishes that paper with the
| following remarks on warm feet:
''To go with cold feet is to undermine
the constitution, and this half the women
| and the girls are doing They have a
habit of cold feet, and an accompanying
habit of ill-health. Thick home knit
wooden stockings are not very fashiona-
Bile. Once, no country girl was reckoned
lit to be married until she had knit her
| plllowcase full Of stockings, but it is not
so now. l do not regret that less hand
knitting is done now than formerly, but !
hope we shall not give up warm wooden
stockings for winter until we can replace
them with something better Merino, or
the common "bOughten white wool
stockings, are rather thin, but some of us
| supplement them with an additional pair
OF cotton stockings, wearing the cotton
or the WOODEN pair next the feet, as indi-
viduals prefer. Cold feet are often
| caused, at least in part, by too tight elias
tics or bands at the tops of the stockings,
or by tight shoes, or shoes tight in the
ankles. These interfere with the circula-
ton of the blood, and there cannot be
comfortable degree of warmth without
good circulation and aeration of the
blood. My last lesson in this matter
came from baby's experience last Sep
TENDER. Suddenly she contracted habit
of having cold feet, and when l warmed
them the skin seemed hard and
inactive, suggesting the need of a
bath, when bath did not seem
necessary except for the feet. At length
1t occurred to me that her "ankle ties"
had been too loose, and Just before we
came home from our visit young lady
| cousin had set the buttons back farther,
to make the little slippers stay on better.
Ever since that change the slippe, straps
had been too tight around her ankles, es-
peclaliy after | had put on wooden stock
lngs. changed the buttons again, and
her feet no longer got cold, except in
consequence Of the actual rigor of the
| climate. Some well-informed persons
object to Congress CATERS; the elastics
| are usually so close and firm about the
ankle. Only very loose carriers are allow
able, and these may not be necessary
| when the stockings are worn over under
drawers. Carriers in the shape of straps
buttoning to both waist and stockings are
most sensible for women as well as chill
dren
MANY women are obliged to work IN
kitchens where the floors in winter are al
ways cold. 1t helps matters to have a
carpet down, but the kitchen carpet is OBJ
JectlOnable on the score of cleanliness,
especially where there are many children
A few large thick rugs are better. These
can be shaken often, and will afford the
kitchen occupants warm places to stand
or sit at their work. There are some
very cold days when I wear my arctic
| overshoes all day, and the children also
keep on overshoes. The floors of our
houses are many degrees colder than the
| air about our heads.
Zone thing too little thought of in
this connection is absolutely essential to
healthy warmth of the body. That is
pure air. Men who work In the open air
some every day have q great advantage
| over housekeepers. Their blood gets
oxygenated, and SO purified las far as such
a degree of air can doiD and prepared
to warm and nourish the body, of which
the blood is the constant upbuilder Ev-
erybody, male and female, old and young,
ought to get out of doors some every day,
and breathe freely aoith the mouth.
"The air of sleeping rooms and other
living rooms should be purified each
day
keep brick Or soapstones in the oven,
to be wrapped up and put under your
feet when you are obliged to SIT for some
time at a distance from the fire, eepe
cialfy if you are writing or studying"