The Portland daily press., 1892-08-10
THE FEMININE FOOT.
American Women Have the Prettiest Feet
of AlI-The Prince of Wales Has
Female Foot on His Desk
as Paper Weight


| as Paper Weight.
| COPYRIGHT. 1892. BY JAMES VI. JoHNsoN)
If there is one thing more than any
other upon which the American woman is
entitled to pride herself it is her foot.
Proportionately small to the person, well
arched, and with pretty little pink-nailed
toes, it fully matches in shapeliness the
perfectly formed feet of the Spaniards,
| the Poles, the Russians and the French,
and is immeasurably superior to every
thing of the kind in England, Germany,
Scandinavia and Italy. This being the
case, why is it that we alone of all the
women of the universe should conceal, as
if it were something hideous and improper,
| our ankles and our feet? The question is
all the more timely, as the sea-bathing
season is in full swing just now, not only
in the United States, but also in every
maritime country of Europe. In France,
Great Britain, at San Sebastian in
Spain, on the italian seashore, on the
coasts of Germany, Scandinavia. Holland
and Belgium, even the most prudish
women, as well as those who have
|
! invariably battle in the sea in costumes
that leave the limbs bare from the knee
downwards. No one ever dreams of dom
ming pair of stockings for the occasion,
although there are many, especially in
the northern portions of Europe, who
might do 80 with advantage, and were q
woman to appear on the beach of Trou-
vile thus arrayed, she would Immediately
! be set down as afflicted with some malady
of the skin. In the shrimping and
| prawning parties which are all the vogue
from Deauville and Dieppe all along the
northern coast of Europe to the German
seaside resort of Norderney, the ladies,
both young and old, show no hesitation
| in removing their shoes and stockings and
barring their legs to the knee, in order to
tramp along in the water, exploring the
various corners and orevices of the rocks
| in search of the tiny crawfish. 1t is con-
sidered perfectly natural and proper; there
is not the slightest suspicion of indecency,
| and no one ever dreams of making any
objection thereto.
Here in the United States, however,
where we have exceptionally pretty ankles
and feet we are forced to conceal them,
and were any of us to venture on the
beach at any of the popular seaside re-
sorts with our limbs bare from the knee
downwards, an cutlery would be raised
against us on the score of injured NOR
atty. We should be assailed as guilty
of grave improperly, and expose our
selves to be held up, not alone in con-
versation, but also in print, as persons
who have offended public decency and
conventionality. People with whom I
have recently been discussing the subject,
claim that the strict ideas which prevail
here with regard to bare ankles and feet,
constitute remnant of the old sump-
tuary laws and notions of our puritanical
forefathers That is all very we'll. But
what, if you please, would these passeng-
ers of the Mayfower have said to the
present style of decolletage. Surely
there is less improperly about displaying
the feet and the legs as far as the knee,
than in furnishing such very generous
and liberal exhibition of bust, as is
| night of the New York opera season,
| A shapely ankle is quite as attractive in
| its way as well-formed shoulders, and
| there is more grace in a pretty foot I'M
trammeled by any covering, than in
bare neck, ay, and may add back Nor
| is there only grace in woman's foot;
| there is expression as well. There is the
capricious foot the coquettish foot, the
nervous foot, the plebeian foot, the arts
tocratic foot, the phlegmatic foot, the
short tempered foot, the sensual foot and
the saucy foot.
A woman's character, nay, even ner
| most secret thoughts, may often be read
by the movement of the toes, far more SO,
in fact, than by the action of the hands.
For, whereas we have almost entire con-
troll over the play and muscular move
ment of the hands, we have but little
mastery over the motion of our toes.
Men know this, or, to speak more cor
rectly, used to know this in olden times,
and their anxiety to be Eat our feet" may
be ascribed, in certain measure, to their
hope that we might be betrayed into CIV
ing unawares some pedal Indication OF the
real character of our sentiments toward
them. The phrase, sat our feet" is evil
IDENTIFY one which dates from ancient times,
when women wore neither shoes or stock
ings, but merely dainty thin sandals.
There was some reason for being at our
feet then, to-day there is none. Of course
am perfectly aware that it is impossible
for us to revert to sandals, and to dispense
with both hosiery and shoes, as far as city
wear is concerned. But could we not be
at least permitted the privilege of dofing
shoes and stockings when bathing in the
sea- We should enjoy it, and am quite
certain that the masculine sex will not
object.
Indeed, there is nothing that fascinates
man so much as pretty foot. used to
know an eccentric old gentleman who
used to take perfect delight in hunting
for them during his daily walks, and as
soon as he found pair that satisfied his
aesthetic taste he would follow them as
long as he could no matter if the owner
were old or young, ugly or beautiful, clad