Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1896-01-16
THE FITTING OF SHOES.
Sins of Foot Treatment Com mitted Through
Vanity and Ignorance.

Vanity and Ignorance.
There Is u threadbare joke afloat
about the woman who wears No.
8 shoe on No. 5 foot-a feat that
is impossible in exact ratio to the
antiquity of the story,
There is a distinct limit to the
Squeezing capability of any shoe, no
matter what may he tho endurance
of the wearor. But, on the authority
of the most experienced shoe deal
ers, we find it true that the MAORI.
ty of feet are distorted and turned
from their natural growth by tho
obstinate and misplaced vanity of
the general shoe buyer. Worry fow
persons get their shoes long enough.
The great foot folly lies right here.
The masses buy short, broad shoes,
so that widths such as double G and
double D, that ought never to be
manufactured, are in much demand.
When woman tells the size of her
foot, she likes to make use of a short
number-nothing is said about the
The best authorities assure us that
any one could have what sculptors
call the perfect foot, long, narrow
one, if mothers would only begin,
with the first shoes, to put their
children in those that arc a little
longer than the foot, adding all the
extra space necessary before the toes
instead of at the sides, as they are
for some unaccountable reason so
prone to do. Thus, without injury,
but rather to the advantage of the
foot, a pleasing shape may early be
secured at the expense of the pres
emit squat extremities.
The other day woman, who had
worn her shoes so short that her feet
had bumped themselves up at the
instep in the most unsightly protu-
berance, told q salesman who tried
to persuade her to lessen the width
and to increase the length of a new
purchase that she was considered by
her friends to have perfect Tril-
by foot" She added, with a toss of
her head: "A longer size, indeed
Why, my foot was modelled on the
other sideW
For what, unless it were as a
monstrosity?" thought another GUS
toner who overheard the remark.
The Chinese arc not the only race
who disf1gure their useful eXtremi-
ties. They go systematically to
work to accomplish their deformi-
ties, while our women do it by blind
ly ignoring the pedal space that ma
ture has allotted them. The Mongo-
liam feet are shortened by q long
turning up of tho toes, ours by
oramping the members till the in
step is slowly raised in self defense.
A naturally high instep is thing
of beauty, but one that is elevated
by force is nothing but grotesque.
And (but. of course, this is secret)
we find, if shoe dealers are to be
trusted, that women are not alone
in this vanity. They declare that
men commit the same folly of broad
and short, and, what Is oldest of
all, that country people are much
moro prone to it than city bred men
and women.
Another word of warming may
prove useful, as it seems not gener-
ally to be understood, that whe.
one goes into a shop to try on shoes
the feet are contracted from the OK
ercise of walking and are in the
best condition for making them feel
easy and comfortable. Due allow
ance should be made, too, for the
first morning hours, when. after b
nights idleness, the feet are some
what enlarged and quite likely to
be aggressive i'll the matter of space.
New York Times.