Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1884-04-18
A CHAT ON SHOES.
Men Said to Be Blessed with Hand.
somer Feet Than Women.
Nome Reasons Why-.-A Few Hints
to shoe and Boot Wearers.-.The
One Remedy For
COrns.
Washington National Republican,

washington National Republican,.
"Tell me something about feet" said a
Republican representative yesterday to a
leading shoe manufacturer of the District.
"Well, to begin with, as charity hides a
multitude OF sins, 50 a well-iuade shoe covers
very frequently host Of defor1nities and
uglinesses"
"How oftenI"
about two-thirds of the feet that walk
over streets are more or less deformed or
crippled with corns, bunions, sunken arches
in-growing nails, and other unsightly, I'M
natural features. 1t is as rare to find hand
some foot as a perfect hand-even rarer-for
the foot has to bear the weight Of the body,
and the style Of shoe generally worn is much
moro Objectionable than that of the gloves.
Strange as It may appear at first glance,
there are more men with well-shaped, natural
feet than women"
"What is the reason thereofw
II think 1t arises chiefly from the excessive,
but nearly always ignorant, solicitude
mothers show about the feet Of their daugh-
ters when the latter are young The custom
OF buying ready-made shoes. especially for
children, is fatal one to the beauty and
health of the feet. The average man and
woman are rs incapable Of picking out a
proper ready-made shoe as they are Of select
ing pair Of spectacles suitable to the re-
quirements Of the eyes, without calling in
the aid Of an oculist. For example, the shoe
should be two sizes longer than the foot A
mother, buying pair Of shoes for her child.
will have the child's foot encased in one of
proper length, and then, feeling around the
toe, will say: o, this shos is entirely too
long, or goes the shoe, and the little ones
tender feet are pressed into pair no longer
than the foot. Tho feet Of a child grow
rapidly, and any excessive pressure. even II
the nerves do not complain, acts injuriously
Then the ready-made shoe, being built
on general measure. cannot be
adapted to the requirements Of each individ-
ual FOOT, except at tho expense Of the foot
There is great difference in the size Of the
same persons feet, one or the other being
longer, broader, with higher instep, larger
heel, etc. The ready-made shoe is handy, Is
much cheaper than those made to order, but
you cannot fit your feet In them any more
than you can get a perfect fit in ready made
clothes-not SO well, even, for all tho ready
made clothing-houses have special tailors
whose business It is to adapt the garments 10
the peculiarities Of the purchaser"
IN the course of further conversation the
dealer said: Nothing 30 soon spoils the arch
Of the foot and beats down the instep. making
the foot fat, as buttoned CATERS You OBJ
serve that the flesh around the instep Is un-
usually tender and has but little support.
The bones Of the foot are not calculated b
stand a continuous pressure such as but
toned gaiter gives on top. Well, the effect
OF wearing them Is to cause the flesh
to spread out and fiatten and the
bones to yield, until finally a we'll
shaped, handsome foot. is made ugly.
A gaiter that laces up the fronts is
bad, very bad for the feet, but not so objec.
tionable as the buttoned. A shoe that laces
up the side Is far better, and, as ladies gen
orally will not wear boots. is the best shoe
to preserve the heaith and beauty of the
foot"
"Why do you say 'bootsr"
because boots are the only kind Of foot
covering that answer all requirements of
health, comfort and good looks A boot
well n,ade-and, Of course, l mean prop
erly made, in all cases-braces up the foot
and ankle, and rests the extremity instead of
fatiguing. Such evils as pointed toes aud
narrow soles should never even be thought
Of, much less worn. But they are
~Yes, and will be. Men ought not to get
drunk; or. in fact, lead lives other than Of
the highest purity. but they do, and will con-
tinue to do SO. And hence they are always
SHINING and always repenting. Nature,
however, has given one remedy for corns and
bunions, and the same agent will 90 far to
the restoring Of deformei feet to their
original shape."
&Tell me that. by all meansn
"The use Of hot water and SOAP No matter
how badly his pedal extremities have been
abused, If a man will soak his feet every
night in hot water for about fifteen minutes,
and use soap on them freely, he will get
cured Of corns, etc. a sunken instep will be
restored, and the parts Of tho feet will as
sumo their normal proportion. He must
continue the practice, sometimes for many
months, bat it is never-failing. OF course,
he must wear properly made shoes all the
WHILE"