The record-union., 1891-03-22
BARE-LEGGEp CHILDREN
What a Washington Physician Think
OF the ENGLISH Fashion

OF the English Fashion.
How cunning these children look with
| their bare little legs,' exclaimed a pretty
glrl on Connecticut avenue day or two
ago, calling attention to three youngsters
| who, though the air was bitter cold were
| playing in the street One of them was a
small girl of about years, with skirts so
short that her fairy limbs were visible in
| their nudity from mid thigh to 8 inches
above the shoe, where the short sock be-
| gan.
.'Ughw growled the physician, who
! was the young lady's companion in her
| promenade.
| Yes, she said, sit looks rather cold;
but its the swell thing now, you know,
| and awfully English"
ugh! Collins are stylish, too, sup
| pose"
why, what can you mean?"
simply this" responded the man Of
| medicine. "Of all the idiotic notions I
am acquainted with, the one you call my
attention to is the most gibberinp and
drivelling. The ground on which it is de-
tended is that it makes children hardy to
go bare-legged in winter. AS matter of
fact it is an outrage on nature. Go up to
| the regions within the Arctic circle and
you will find the children playing about
| IN the snow with their bodies often nearly
unclad. But their arms and legs are al
ways warmly wrapped. Now, why is
that ?r
''I can't imagine"
''Then let me tell you. 1t is because
the trunk of the body, being the seat of
the vital organs, is naturally warmer and
mas more vigorous circulation than the
limbs. Why is it that your feet and
hands on frosty day get cold first? OBJ
yiously for the reason that they are most
remote from the heart Therefore they
need protection. Likewise the arms and
legs require covering most. Keep the
limbs warm and the body will be warm;
that is the ESquimau principle, and it is
a true one so far as it goes. But here we
have, largely for fashions sake, children
running about in an atmosphere that is
below freezing with their bodies warmly
clad and their poor little legs exposed.'
But they look very healthy?''
Undoubtedly. Were they not healthy
children they would have succumbed to
this abominable practice in dress long
ago. But no health is so robust as to be
able to afford to invite pneumonia and
ready to attack the most sturdy person
who risks imprudenca. For parents to
send their children abroad so exposed is
to extend cordial invitation to disease
and death. OF course, that does not mat
ter-it is really English. What sort of
shoes .9ssi, e,i, are those los. you are wearing?''
shoes" said the pretty girl, somewhat
taken by surprise. "Why, they are
quite new and very pretty pair, I
think"
"Do your" grunted the physician.
What right have you, pray, to wear
shoes at this season with soles an eighth
of an inch thick? More colds are caught
in that way than any other. Not SO
many on day like this as on warm
day. You said a few moments ago that
you had bad cold. Probably you caught
1t during the last warm spell we had.
You went out with such pair of shoes
on. The temperature of the air around
you was about $50; the bricks you walked
upon were evaporating moisture Evap-
oration makes cold. That is the reason
why cologne, which evaporates quickly,
makes you cool when you rub it upon
your face. So, while your body was
warmed by the sun, your feet were being
refrigerated at a temperature below freez-
ing. Result, a cold. You hear people
say every day: i can't imagine where L
caught this cold; l have not been impru-
dent any way that know of The secret
of it is simply that they have been wear
ing the thin-soled shoes. Suppose that
the sole becomes damp, even though the
foot is not made wet, the water furnishes
the best possible medium for conducting
the heat out of the body. The moral of
all this, my dear young lady, is to wear
shoes with good, thick soles throughout
the winter season. Washington Star