Omaha daily bee., 1891-11-15
HANDSOME EEEr.
The Methods hicn Are Necessary to
Acquire Them.

which could be c~ontdently formed by
ono familiar with the reading OF what
such and such a tinger-tip or such and
such a PLAN might mean. But VIII at oil
the footY Studied with a little IN
sight it has just as much character
means as much to the observers OF HUI:
man nature. One drawback, of
course. that the hand is bound to
offer itself undisguised to tho notice
whereas our present mode Of shooting n
foot makes IL n matter Of difficulty to
discover precisely what the outlines of
1t are, save in a general way. All the
same there are certain details that are
patent to the view of any close observer.
Taking all things into consideration,
the American foot, olJ her malc or
female, perhaps the most satisfa tory.
1t is not us handsome as the Spanish foot,
nor as that of certain Italian bcggars
who dance the Tarantella, for n few
copppers, on the sands near Naples. II
is not in any sense q classic foot, while
these bare, brown feet one may see
among Italian and Spanish women of
tie peasant class often are. 1t is the
modern foot, however, in its best eX-
preston. For the foot of man and
woman has changed since historic times
in a degree of which one cannot find u
p~arcllel in the hand, or in any other
part of the body. OF course, il one
glancea at an antique statute, Of which the
feet are well preserved, one IS imme-
diateiy struck with u general symmetry
in the member that our civilized foot
gear has deformed out of all c~ognizance.
The other point OF difference pitched
upon is the separation of the big toe
from The other -four smaller toes. But
these more obvious differences are moth
ing IN comparison with the subtle diff
fcrentiatiOn in general character and
expression which has taken place in the
foot of the average human being since
those days. Tho foot has grown less
noble of mould and look. 1t is reason
able to hold nat the antique foot was
troddcn upon with more dignity than
the modern foot. Life was more leisurely
and costumes were Of a sort unconsciously
inf sing II stateliness and harmony into
the movements This stateliness Of gait,
with the Moving grace of the whole
motion. we still may study in all savage
people, and never more so than in some
of the better specimens Of vi w
indians. Now, the habitual mode of
walking influences the shape of the feet
unfailingly: if not always in one gener-
alton, then certainly, by inheritance, in
two or three. Life is no longer leis-
urely, and ones customs are no longer
classic. In the modern rush we do not
mind how we walk to II certain destlna-
ton, provided we get there Cen
turtles of clumsy and grotesque shoeing,
running through every device of absurd
ity, have further tended to cramp the
beautiful muscular freedom of the pris-
tine foot, to atrophy its elasticity and
springiness. to deaden all its articulate-
ness. The modern foot is often n mere
pudge of flesh or II bony deformity, out
of drawing in every part. Our ideal,
now, for the feminine foot is that it
should be small and that it should have
a high instep. The first part of the
desideratum is also quite out of the
order of the antique standard, since
there the size, relatively to the propor-
tions of the whole body, is what we now,
enormously, should call large. A we'll
formed frame, carried along nobly in a
harmonious walk, must rest on a foot OF
finer proportions thar we now choose to
find fitting for fair women AS
to the high instep, undoubtedly
it is needful for beauty; but not
more so han one or two other fea-
turnes not usually thought so important.
AS to the ~"nobility' of the foot, it rests
latter making mention of that elasticity,
that symmetrical "aliveness" OF each
toe, of each muscle) upon the length of
bilc lOcS lclttllNcly " VIC NnOlc lcOJ dlu
upon the curve of the outer side of the
sole. There never was a really pretty
foot, in the classic sense, that had short
toes, and there was never a foot that
fully satisfied the sense Of beauty but
was arched on the other side.
The inner arch is far more common.
1t exists frequently when the outer side
is as fiat as II Negroes, and in such case
it is powerless to give distinction to h
foot. With the outer side flat there is
Il suggestion of vulgarity or plebeian
heaviness and labbiness. And this is
the most ordinary defect Of the modern
foot. Such a foot, next to the beautiful
antique foot, looks of the earth, earthly.
The other is as winged in its appear
nee Of lightness and readiness as a
messenger of the gods. And often
this other flatness is largely in
creased by vicious habits Of walking.
Almost every man, woman n child
wears the shoes off at the outer rim Of
the sole and heel. A representative In.
dian would not so wear down his moe
casin. And this because the swift,
smooth way OF stepping, common to saw
ages, presupposes the loot being set
upon the ground very straightly, the
toes scarcely turned out and the main
weight coming upon the ball instead of
biiS iNSl. hisA1 WIG hiIi Vi oASD-
ping has become almost lost to civiliza-
ton. We all, more or less, step on the
outside Of the foot, consequently we run
ii over as we run over over our boot
soles, and our children and children's
children inherit that thick, flat, inert
outer contour instead Of the gentle, del
icate arch that natu G intended. An
other thing which tends TO the flatten-
ing process is an incorrect pose in stand
ing. Perhaps to have any occupation hat
compels you to stand IA great deal is, in
itself, an almost inevitable detrlment to
the foot from this point Of view. With
the sagging of the muscles from fatigue,
the weight of the body sinks more and
more on the outer part of the sole.
Among other evils this brings on an
enlargement of the ankle bone also and
Il general ~thickening of the ankle But
much of this could be obviated by Guilt |
waiting determinedly Il habit of standing
with the weight on the inner part of the
ball of the foot, which effect couldso al
be maintained in walking. The attempt
might be awkward at first. but that
would soon be overcome. III we
wish to have handsome feet we
modify the slovenliness OF our
present gait and of the hibitual poses of
our heels and toes and ankles. Certain
good would come to our descendants mad
we lone so; and il we only began carly
enough in life to touch our feet lightly