Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1895-10-31
The ElITINo OF SHOES.

uins Of Foot Trsatmsnt Committed
Through Vanity and Ignorance.
There 10 threadbare Joke shoat
about tho woman who wears No. s
shoe on u No. foot---a feat that Ia im,
possible in exact ratio TO the antiquity
Of tho story, There Ia distinct limit
TO the squeezing cApAbillty OF any
shoe, no matter what may be the en-
durance Of the wearer. But, on tho
authority OF the most experienced
ahoedealers, we find It true that the
majority Of feet arc distorted and
turned from their natural growth by
the obstinate and misplaced vanity Of
tho general shoe buyer. Very few per-
sons get their shoes long enough. The
great foot folly lies right here. The
masses buy short, broad shoes, 80 that
widths such " double O and double D,
that ought never to be manufactured.
sre In much demand. Whom = woman
tslls the size Of her foot, she llkss to
make use Of = short number-nothins
ID said about tho breadth,
The best authorities assure W that
anyone could have what soulptors call
the perfect foot . long, narrow one.
II mothers would only begin, with the
arst shoes to put their children In
those that are little longer than tho
foot, adding oil the space necessary be-
fore The toes instead Of at the sides, q
they are Tor some unaccountable rsa.
con 20 prone to do, Thus, without IL,
fury, but rather to the sdvantsgs Of
tho foot, q pleasing shape may early
be secured at tho expense Of the pres
snt squat extremitios.
The other day woman, who he'd
worn her shoes so short that her fest
had bumped themselves UP at the To-
step In the most unsightly proturbsr'
sncss, told q salesman who tried TO
persuade her to lessen the width and
10 increase tho length Of a now pur-
chase that she was considered by her
friends to have perfect Trtlby
foot" She added. with a toss Of her
head "A longer siks, indeed Why,
my foot was modelled on tho other
aide |"
For what, unless 1t wore a. mon
strosity2 thought another customer,
who ovNrhenrd the re,nnrk
Tho Chinese are not the only race
who disAguro their useful extremltles.
They 20 systematically to work to
accomplish their deformities, while
our women do II by blindly Ignoring
the pedal space that nature has al
lotted them Tho MongolIan feet are
shortened by long turning up Of the
toes, ours by cramplng the members
I'LL the instep Is slowly raised In self
defense A naturally high instep Is
thing OF beauty, but one that Is ele-
waited by force Is nothing but gro-
tesque
And (but Of course this Is a secret)
we find, II shoe dealers are to 10
trusted, that women are not alone In
this vanity. They declare that men
commit the same folly Of broad ana
short, and what Is oldest OF all, tn I
country people are much more prone
to 1t than city-bred men and women.
Another word Of warning may
prove useful, Us 1t seems not generally
TO be understood, that when one goes
into Ii shop to try on shoes the feet
are contracted from the exercise Of
walking, and are in the best condition
for making them feel easy and COM
Portable. Due allowance should 10
made, too, for the first morning hours,
when, after nights ldleness, the
feet are somewhat enlarged, and quite
likely to be aggressive Ia the matter
Of space. N. Y. Times.