The herald., 1895-09-22
Visit to School of Walking Reveals the Fact
That Few of Us Know Much About the
Proper POises in Walking
Has the Merit Of Position Bedy
Carriage Necessary Graceful WaIkiugAso, What to
Avoid andt teathfuI Benefits Walking
O Walk, 70

this way. Much of the good effects of
walking is lost by many people in the
error of bringing the feet with too much
force TO the ground; this jars the spine
and causes nervous trouble which is so
prevalent. and this same fault in walking
gives the body an uneven and Jerky
motion. The dropping shoulders and
head bent forward which is illustrated
in figure is perhaps one Of most COM
mon phases OF bad walk. This position is
devoid of all grace and dignity and one
lacks the appearance OF what is termed
good presence, and it is presence which
seems to tell what person really is.
A perfectly poised body suggests moral
weight. Figure No. 3 is Numerically
opposite to figure No. ., but none the
is IN strained position. the abdomen is
thrown too far out and the whole body
is in an unnatural pose and out of line.
There are so many little individual
tricks In walking that each pupil neces-
states special execrise, and this is
where the necessity of having good in
struotor comes in. Walking. like gym
nastics, produces as we'll as cures deformi-
ties. One must be persistent in the treat
ment of their peculiar difficulty and yield
to the necessary special exercise. Any
dressmaker or tailor will admit that no
two OF their customers have shoulders that
are held precisely alike; one shoulder is
held higher than the other, the head is
held a little to one side, one foot lags be.
hind the other, and sometimes these
faults are exaggerated into grotesque de-
formity.
Many persons and especially wo-
men, com plain that walking fatigues thom
when perhaps they have only gono q
short distance, but this is owing to mis-
placed force and energy. Some people
walk with their whole body, shoulders,
arms hips, and even the head is inclined
70 L. ,u,a r,sxI, tka fcok H..
ing OF the arms, which is INDUCED SO
generally, is not injurious to the person
but consumes a great portion of energy
shat should be concentrated in the right
part OF the budy. In walking "a maxi
mum of result with minimum of effort"
out of this princlple that made the
Greeks the best soldiers in the world. For
nearly 1000 years the subject of physical
education lay dormant but the modern
gymnasium has revived it, and the en-
ihusiasm for bodily training will be of
lethargic upon this all important subject.
OF all exercises there are none so bene
fetal, none so conducive to grace and
beauty, as walking. 1t comes within
the scope OF all, both men and women.
Dumb pells, Indian clubs, the horizontal
gymnasiums. are all good in their way.
but for many people are too violent and
require too much energy; and these ex-
ercises develop only certain parts of the
body while in a we'll directed walk the
whole body is brought into play. Rar-
mony OF action is law of life, and there
fore there should be provision in physical
exercise for developing harm onies be-
tween all the groups of muscles. Men
as a rule walk much better than women.
and this no doubt is owing to their more
sensible mode of dress. Their bodies are
free to fall into the natural curves and
lines for which they were intended. An
other very important factor which tends
to produce a good walk is the lyle of
snoe that is worn. 1t is needless to say
the shoe should be amply large and at
least fourth Of an inch longer than the
foot. Invariably, if you admire a wo-
mans shoes. che will admit they are
pretty, but $50 perfectly immense; and
yet when she walks there is something IN
her movements very suggestive of pinch
somewhere. This fault is not as com
mon, however, as it used to be, and wo-
men are becoming more sensible on this
point.
The shoe best adapted for walking Is
made of calf skin and thick cork soles.
These are light in weight, durable and
most comfortable to the foot. Small,
ill-ftting shoes have done as much harm
in the world as tightly laced corsets.
They have made cheerful people peevlsh
and strong people INDECENT if not weak.
Have shoes large enough to give your
feet ample freedom. What will not a
woman sacri flee for beauty? Comfort
always and health sometimes, but beauty
produced in this way is only shadow of