American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-02-28
About the Feet.

IL is astonishing 10 WHAT uses tuc lee
and toes could be put, if necessity arose
for full development of their powers
There is a way of educating the foot, as
well as the hand or the eye-and there is
no telling what an educated foot can be
made to do. In the time of Alexander
the Indians were taught to draw theiI
bows with their feet, as well as with their
hands, and this is done at the present time
by the Rock Veddahs of Ceylon. And
nearly all savage tribes can turn their
toes, not only to good but to bad account,
like the AborigineS of Australia, who,
while they are cunningly divertlng your
attention with their hands, are busily en-
gagged in committing robberies with their
toes, with which they pick up articles as
an elephant would with his trunk. So
also the Hindoo makes his toes work at
the loom, and weaves with them with
almost as much dexterity as with his fin
gers. The Chinese carpenter will hold
the piece of wood he is planning by his
foot, like parrot and will work a grind
stone with his feet. The Banaka tribe,
who are the most famous canoe men on
the West African coast, will impel their
light canoes (wefghing from eight to ten
pounds), with great velocity over the
waves, and at the same time will use the
foot TO bail out the water; and when they
would rest their arms, one leg is thrown
out on either side of the canoe, and it is
propelled with the feet almost as fast as
with paddle. Monsieur Ducornet, who
died some years ago, was born without
hands, and was brought up as an artist,
and actually exhibited at the Louvre pic
lures painted by his feet. The feet of
Thomas Roberts, the armless huntsman
to Sir George Barlow, were made to per-
form the duties of his hands. Also Will
liam KinstOne, who, with his toes, wrote
out his accounts shaved and dressed him
self, saddled and bridled his horse. threw
sledge- hammers, and fought Il battle,
in which he came off victorious.
Many exuuisites OF both sexes claim
admiration for their pedal extremities,
but it is the boots and shoes which cover
them which we are called on to admire.
Their feet, if barred, would present a very
great divergence from the classical idea
of beauty. The firmly planted foot, nei-
Their too large nor too small, but justly
proportional to the height and weight it
sustains, the smooth surface and regular
" curved lines, the, distinctness of the
divisions, and the perfect formation of
each toe, with its well marked separate
ness, and its graduation of size and regu-
larity of detail to the very tip of the nail,
are now to be seen only in art. In Greek
nature they were found, for the ancient
gave freedom to the development of its
natural grace and proportions. The mod
ern boot or shoe, with the prevalent
notion that everything must be sacrificed
to smallness, has squeezed the foot into
knotty and irregular lump, where the dis
torted toes are SO i'm bedded in the mass,
and mutilated by the pressure that it Is
impossible to pick them out in the indi-
viduality and completeness of their orig
Il eli, lie 1n
sandal and renders the shoe necessary,
care should be taken to adapt it as per
icctly as possible to the natural confOrma-
ton of the foot. 1t should be long and
wide enough 10 admit Il free play of the
toes; the space between the heel and toe
should be firm, and OF IL curve the same
height as the natural arch OF the foot,
while no part of the artificial covering
should be SO binding as to prevent the
free action of the muscles and the cIrcu-
lation of the blood. The French foot is
meager, narrow and long; the Spanish is
small and elegantly curved-thanks to
its Moorish blood corresponding with
the Castilian pride-''high in the instep."
The Arab foot is provcrbial for its high
arch: "a stream can run under the hollow
of it." The foot of the Scotch is large
and thick; that of the Irish flat and
square; the English short and fleshy.
The American foot is apt To be dispropor
tionately small. A foot for both beauty
and speed, should be arched, fairly
rounded, and its length proportional TO
the height of the person. The ankle
especially of women-should be round
and firm, and not too small
Richard H. Dana, Sr., the old poet,
the friend Of Bryan. and Irving, is spend
ing his old age IN reading and listening
TO music. He il fast approaching ninety,