The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-02-05
USEFUL MEMBERS.
rno Toes May 30 Trained to Serve
as Fingers.
Various Purposes to Which They Arc
Il Sometimes Appiied-Somcthing About
Tho Fcct of tho Different
K Ngtions

It is astonishing to what uses the feet
and toes could be put il necessity arose
for a fall development of their powers.
There is way of educating the foot, as
we'll as the hand or the eye, and there is
no telling what an educated foot can be
made to do. In the time of Alexander,
says the St. Louis Globe Democrat, the
great warriors were taught to draw
their bows with their feet, us well rs
their hands, and this is done at the
present time by tho Rock Veddahs, Of
Ccylon.
Nearly all aborigines can turn their
toes not only to good but to bad ac-
counts. This is especially true of the
natives of Australia, who, while they
arc cunningly divcrting your attention
with their hands, arc busily engaged
committing robberics with their toes,
with which they pick up small articles
as an elephant would with his trunk
So, also, the Hindoo makes his toes
work at the loom, using them in his
weaving operations with almost as
much dcxterity as lie docs his fingers
The Chinese carpenter when he lie
planning piece of wood always holds it
with his feet. lie also turns grind
stone and does many other kinds of
work in the same manner
The Banaka tribe, the most famous
canocmen on the West African coast,
will iInpel their light canoes with great
velocity over the waves. and at the
same time nae the feet to bail out the
water that happens to be dashed over
the sides of the light craft. If from
any cause IL Banaia breaks or loses his
oars he throws his legs over the sides of
the boat and propels it almost as fast
with his feet as he could with the pad
dies.
M. Ducornct, who died in France in
1862, was born without arms or hands
He had the eye of an artist, and not
withstanding his great misfortune actu-
ally studied painting and exhibited
many fine productions wholly executed
with his toes.
The feet of Thomas Roberts, the arm.
less huntsman, once in the employ of
Sir George Barlow, were made to serve
IN the place of hands. Roberts manu-
featured most of the instruments which
he used while on the chase and could
shoot or throw with as much precision
as the average hunter in possession of
both arms and hands.
Liz Ss.nc Hldy DC Stlu OF w tll1am
Kinstone, an Englishman who kept his
own accounts, shaved and dressed him
self saddled and bridled his horse,
threw slcdge hammers and did other
seemingly impossible things with his
toes.
As to national characteristics in feet,
1t may be said that the French foot is
narrow and long; the Spanish foot is
small and elegantly curvcd-thanks to
its Moorish Interchangeable to the
Castilian's pride of being high in the
iDstep"
The Arabs foot is proverbial for its
high arch. The Koran says that o
stream of water can run under the true
Arabs foot without touching it. The
foot of the Scotch is high and thick;
that of the Irish fiat and square; the
English short and neshy
When Athens was in her zenith the
Greek foot was the most perfectly
formed and exactly proportioned of that
of any of tho human race Swedes,
Norwegians and Germans have the
largest feet; Americans the smallest.
Russian toes are ''webbed" to the first
Joint; Tartarian toes are all the same
leuf-th