River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1881-03-31
HIGH HEELS.
The Mistake that Ladies' Make Whe
Wear the Dainty Things.


In one of those news items which fit
round the world it was mentioned a
few days ago that at fashionable ball
in Paris some American ladies attract
ted particular attention, not because of
the splendor of their attire, but for the
simplicity of their footwear. They
did not move about in the high-heeled
boots which have been fashionable of
late years, but wore neatly ornamented
slippers, which were bour3 10 the foot
by variegated strars. These slippers
must have closely resenlbled in shape,
il not In style and material, the san
dals worn by Hindus and other eastern
nations, or the ''chupplies" which eth
, er decorate or protect the feet of the
Afghans. Few travellers in the far east
have failed to remark that the natives
| have an easy gait and distinguishing
upright carriage. This is undoubtedly
due to the fact that they either wear
light, easy-titting sandals or no shoes
at all. A Hindu woman carrying a
pot of water on her head, never spilling
a drop, nor never using her hands to
keep the vessel steady, proceeds with
an easy, swinging stride, which could
not be initiated by heavy-booted wo-
man belonging to the humble classes
in the West Her figure is generally
erect and faultless in outline, while
that of her western prototype is bunchy
and ungainly. All the difference may
be ascribed to the freedom of the limbs
and feet which the one is allowed as
compared with the other. Chinese
women and western women are both
abusers Of the freedom Of the feet, and
the result is APPARENT. The Cninawo-
man is clumsy and helpless as a ped
estrian, and the western female would
be quite as bad if she went much fur
Their than she does in her evil treat
ment of her feet Those high-heeled
boots with two-inch heels sloping down
to the middle of the sole, and termin-
ating in point about the size of cent
piece, may appear elegant and "rak-
ish," but they are certainly the most
| diabolical invention for covering the
human feet that has ever been devised
by the arch-demons who are the crea-
lures of fashions. They throw the body
out of line and cast it mo a curve
which may or may rot possess the true
delineation of beauty, according to the
way people look at it. They do worse
than this; for according to the eminent
medical men, these boots are RESPONSE
bic for many sprainings, bone dlsloca-
tons and incurabie cases of spinal cur
vature. A contributor to the Lancet
the principal medical journal in LoH
don, protests, in a recent issue, against
high-heeled boots. He says that il
consequence of these instruments o.
torture, he has on hand two cases o
sprained ankle, in both of which there
are partial decorations of the interna
and external ligaments of the ankle
Both cases threaten to terminate II
permanent disability. He was recent
ly called in to attend another case O
high-heeled boot wearing The victim
a young lady of sixteen, had spina
affection, from which she was cured
only by compelling her to remain many
days in a horizontal position. Other
physicians contend that the present
fashionable boot not only produces
spinal diseases, but also Injuries the
lungs from the contracted position into
which the chest is thrown when the
upper half of the body is continually
bent forward. 1t seems clear on the
whole, therefore, that the young Amer
lean ladies we have referred to have in
troduced a sensible innovation, which
if widely adopted, will promote grace
fulness of person, ease of carriage, anc
healthfulness of body among the ladies
in general. So let us hope that the
scandal than which nothing better
becomes a pretty foot-will soon dis
place tie high-heeled boot, which was
originally used by class of French
ladies, who are not generally esteemed
worthy of imitation.