The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-09-26
The Professor Desoants on the
Carriage and Posture Of
Women Generally.
He Says Not One in Ton or Them
Walks at All Cor
rectly.
Ono in Nile Green Who Wenld DO, but
shs Stuck Out Her Elbows
Too Much. -5

W4E0 CoEEalAly ASShAAk SASA~
tryinp to carry themselves in their mos
graceful manner.
.Here on Market street OF a Saturda.
afternoon like this is the place and time Il
note the manner of walking OF the womel
81 the day." went on the relentless one, Al
he assumed a Delsarte pose and glanced
down along his trousers leg to assure HIM
self OF its linsal perfection.
Now this one coming, ia she not walking
vell?'' was asked of the professor.
The critical eye scanned a lovely girl in .
Nile-creen suit with the pufiest Of pulled
sleeves, and whose skirt hung like tbs
drapery Of a Greek goddess. Her carriage
seemed psrfect.
"Well, she'll do, but she sticks out her ell
bows too much."
''Then proper carriage depends on other
parts OF the body AZ we'll as upon the legs!'
ssTo be sure. A woman NAV move her
limbs az gracefully as a sylph, but If she does
not carry her hands, her neck, her should
ers or even her chin in the right way, the
effect is lost"
you are hard to please, professor. Inc
women may as we'll give it up"
s.tOn the contrary, it is the easiest thing
in the world to walk right. stand right, mi
sit right. / can tell n of these beauties
how to do it in fifteen minutes. Now. first
az to the faults to be corrected. One of the
most common of these is hopping. They
do not intend to hop, they do not think
they arc hopping, and yet they are. Ahoppy-
iunpy walk is greatly to be avoided, for
the reason that the movement given to the
BODY is jerky and uncertain and it causes
the head to bob, whereas that useful mem
Der should be- carried steadily. Then many
OF our girls Wi1t from side to side, twitch
their arms, Or carry their elbows too far
out, as in the case of the lady in Nile green.
1.-THE proper way to walk is tt let the
weight Of the body rest easily on one foot
while the other moves forward. The body
should have no independent motion while
the FREQ foot is being advanced. The only
action of the body that is permissible is .
slight outw8rd movement on the side Of the
firm foot. The free limb should move
easily without Unnecessary bending. A
perfect walk lisa seeming attraction for
ward and upward. Too many there are
whsIook as M thsy were being pushed
alongsor were$falltnt down. The walk is
emblematic OF ohaIactef,t shd a student of
expressionsi is quiteScapable OF detecting a
PERSONS prominent traits in his walk.
"When walking the hands should hang
easily, at l.. the side. 1t is allowable, how
ever, fort ladvyto carry one hand in the
region Of the terso.
How to carry a bundle is a great prob
lem for some women, judging by the re-
suits. I would say to all women never car
~ a parcel, at the side, if it is possible to
carrysit otherwise. If it is too large to
carry convenaently, have 1t sent home by a
boy. This is true of all bundle carrying,
ofscourse, for no lady likes to carry an ugly
PARCEL, and yst MOST women like to have
something in the hand when walking, i'm
oo;,srr %hnt fbav 1ooE 1Sau oukuar6 pap-
haps they do sometimes, but they certainly
dc not where a parcel is held at the side.
If the bundle contains a good-sized book, a
corset or glove box, or anything of similar
size, do not carry it under the arm or hug
it to the side, or stick it out in front. Some
man carries a baby. Let your parcel rest
on the forearm and be steadied by the hand
OF the same arm. IT it contain a large book
or a good-sized box, it may be more con
veniently carried by a strap or string. but
the clasping and squeezing of parcels is
common thing.
walking up and down stairs is also an
unknown art among many women. She
should always step on the ball of her foot
and not hold her knee stiff. By stepping in
this way and letting the knee straighten
injurious to her health. In going up stairs
step liaEtly and easily IN the ball of the
foot. II the fight be a long one she should
always stop once in the middle and take a
deep breath, or if a short flight, take the
deep breath at the top. BY doing this the
gasping and the feeling of suffocation will
be avoided When she proceeds.
I'm going down stairs she should be sure
not to let her heel strike the step, and she
should step on the ball of her foot with
easy, sprinRy action. If she steps on her
heel az she goes down she jars her whole
~-.,o1 aj--, oul ohn so Irl.oI IL H. -
inches shorter ON reaching the bottom. No
lady ahould precede a gentleman up stairs.
She should either walk be side him or let
him go ahead"
you have said nothing about correct sit
ting postures for women"
"Well, before a chair any unframed par
son is likely to be very awkward. Sitting
seema easy, but hardly one in a hundred
women or men is able to sit down without
either seeming to fall into the chair or
coming down upon it with too great force,
or if tall. of half shutting like a jackknife.
The reason for this is that few understand
how to keep their poise. AS you know, a
w~ell-poised person in any walk of life is
the exception. When a woman goes to sit
down in her chair she should turn herself
easily around, SO that the chair will be a
little at the side and behind her. She
should then poise easily forward until her
weight is on the advanced foot, bendingthe
knee. Then, as she turns slightly to sit,
she should let her weight recede to the
back foot. bending that knee, and then
settling gracefully backward. BY doing
this she will find that she can sit down
easily and ~prettily, without toppling or
falling. She should never bend her BODY
forward as if looking for something on tho
floor, and then allow herself to fall back
ward. The body should be kept erect, but
not too stiff. The only place of bending
should be the articulations at the hips and
knees.
"When seated, if alone, the m can
do nearly as she ~pleases. but if in company
she should not lie back in her chair, but
keen her body easily erect. In speaking it
should be inclined slightly forward. If
listening without being particularly ad-
dressed it should incline slightly backward
in repose. She should not cross or clasp
her hands rest freely and gracefully in I'M
conscious grace. Her movements or repose
should never be studied, but should seem to
be devoid of art. Some women think they
look dignifiedly beautiful when they sit as
il there was n steel rod w their backs and
they were unable to move. There should
he no essential difference in the carriage of
the body when seated from it's carriage
when on foot. 1t should express the same
ease and grace. In conversation the head
is not to be bobbed about. The
bobbing motion sometimes seen pre-
dictates a lightness of brain. The
head is the seat of the brain, which
rnanifests the mind, and if there ia anv
weight to the brain or much in the mind il
Will not 90 bobbing around like a cork in a
basin Of water. OF course, we know that
modern dress prevents many ladies from