The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1884-04-24
Fashion In Feet.


In the March number of the Popular
Science Month y there is an interesting
article on the somewhat vcxatious topic
Of Fashions and Deformity in the
Feet, " though, fortunately for the forco
Of the argument, it Is woman. Ada
H. kepley, who this time INDUCES the
spirit of censure. She presents with
directness the abuses of the natural
foot in the degeneration from beauty OF
form and strength Of perfection to tho
monstrosities hidden by tho pictures
que effects Of the fashionable shoe
maker. Tho compressions Of narrow
and sharp-toed shoes, causing shift
ing Of the line Of gravity to undefended
portions Of the foot, and the knots and
bunions and crops effected by the use
Of what Dowie terms the '.juggernaut
Of cruelty ire presented in . way to
dismay the belle who imagincs she Is
identifying by torturing her feet, and
to appal tho beau who looks with ad-
miration upon the dainty covering Of
the agonized foot Instead Of being
allowed tho same freedom as tho fin-
gers to exercise the purposes for which
nature intended them, the toes are
cramped together, and are Of little
more value than il they were oil in one;
their joints enlarged, stiffencd. and dis
torted. forced and packed togcther.
often overlapping ono another in sad
confusion, and wantonly placed beyond
the power Of service" Our fair ana
lyst Of pedal foibles asserts that 1t Is >
mistake to suppose, rs many do, that
high-hceled shoes promote an upright
carriage of the body. Elevation Of tho
heel tarusts the knee forward, that
tho disturbed equilibrium may be. in 4
measure, restored, and leads to the
rounding OF shoulders and the ungrace-
fully 'poked-forward head not .ceable
with SO many women and girls" A
shrewd bit Of characteristic femininity
is sett eI in this paragraph: ut is
very hard TO find any woman who will
confess that her shoes are too tight, too
short, or too high-heelcd. Her shoes
are usually miles too big, and hurt by
their looscness. II women complain Of
lame backs or sore feet, they will b
sure the shoes have no part in it; be-
cause women are not aware how they
have departed from nature in this ro-
gard. The description of perfect
female foot calls for groat breadth and
fullncss OF instep, well-marked great
toe. . long second toe. and small
little toe. Tho functions of mother
hood require that . woman should have
= strong, firm footing. yet how few wo-
men form their ideal to the perfect
foot. 'Many of the peculiar ailments
under VIII Gu women pass their days
in invalidism, unhappy and miserable
themselves aud making others unhap-
py. would vanish or be greatly miti-
gated If they would but apply common
sense to the selection of their shoes. II
Is very hard to persuade them to re-
form their habits on this point, but 1
have never known any woman who
had learned tho new comfort to 60
back to the old habit"
. The feet not only look smaller In
tight and high-hccled shoes, but really
become smaller, but it is Ut the expense
of health, and cutting of the blood sup
ply to the foot AMI the forcing the
bones injuriously together. Tho trouble
begins in childhood. The shoes Of
children are almost invariably too close
fitting, cramping the growth and de-
forming tho young bones. It is even
asserted that high-hce!cd shoes worn
by children have produced curvature
OF the spine, and it is not incredible,
and frequently the breaking down OF
girls NJ school is directly attributable
TO abused feet. 1t is indeed to DO hoped
that the time is not far distant when
our demand will be for - normal,
healthy loot in natural and comfor-
table covering. aud not for crippled
and distorted, withered, ugly club
bound IN an instrument Of torture"