San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-11-06
READING THE FEET.
The Pedist Now Has the Prece-
dence Of the Palmist.
Character as Denoted In the Formation
and Markings OF the Pedal
EXtremIties New
Science.

days of brain reasoning, The new SCI
ence sees character in the shape and
lines of the foot as wise men have for
years seen it in the palm.
The sole of the foot is marked with
a myriad of fine lines. Conspicuous
among these are the strong middle
lines. These, like those of the palm,
are almost creases and appear in a pho
tograph of the hand and foot. PediStry
reads these lines.
Starting from the base of the big toe
there is a distinct line that is the life
line. In one foot it will curve along
until it terminates under the instep,
far to the lower base of the little toe.
This means long life. If broken in
the hollow of the foot it denotes a
sickness at middle age, and if it termi-
mates in the hollow of the foot it means
a short life. This line is the most in
teresting one on the foot. The GX-
periments that have been conducted
lately have proven this to be al almost
unfailing reading of longevity.
Next to the lines of life are The dag
onal lines running from one side to
another at what is known as the hollow
of the foot, below 1.-The ball" of the foot.
These lines are the lines of love. All
the home and moral sentiments are here
found. A pronounced cross line means
that a good domestic woman or a good
family man is here. And if the line is
broken it means domestic estTange-
ment. The originator of pedistry seek
ing to bring the occult in his new SCI
ence has tried to show that there will
be as many transverse lines as there
are to be husbands or wives. But this
is not followed by the true ped:sts, who
refuse to see more than character traits
in the lines.
Line reading is one part of pedistry.
The other is in the shape of the foot.
Beautiful women of marvellous talent
have the Greek foot. You should hear
Greece, the Paris photographer, rave
about Bernhardt's foot, the toes sep
arate," he says, and there is space be-
tween the first and second"
hib DdSI 114ChLLlo iNsib NtAiN IL L " ~
never saw a talented woman with the
first two toes hugging each other. The
toes are square at the ends, and the
owner cannot wear pointed shoes, be-
cause of that square second toe. But
you'll forgive this foot its square shoe
because it is such talented one!
The ideal foot of a woman is ugly
to look at, but very charming to know
the foot that is irregular. This foot
can wear the pointed shoe, because the
big toe is half an inch longer than the
other toes. The foot is high i'll instep,
denoting capriciousness to certain ex-
tent, and it has the incurve at the hol-
low of the foot that denotes aristocratic
tastes. A foot like that belongs 10 a
jperson easy to get along with and
good to know. A curve at the ankle
means a love of fun. Those slender,
curving ankles that cross the street,
giving you peeps of prettiness, belong
to Just such feet as the "idoal' and
they mean a good, nice little woman
above them.
The solid foot boasts of its instep.
It is the step of the worker. The So
called instep is no instep at all. 1t is
thickening of the ball of the foot with
out beautiful curve. Women with
these feet are industrious. Notice the
next thick-footed woman you see. She
will wear a shoe that fairly looms up
on the instep, and her heel will come
down as straight as cam be in foot.
This means truth-telling instinct and
all good, moral qualities. The foot is
that of the woman who has done pio-
neer work for the sex, and who will
do it again. The feet of the "strong
man" of the family. Seen in a man,
this foot brings respect and dignity.
The short-toed woman has n foot
as short as her temper. The short-toed
man is the man who swears easily. 1t
is the abominable temper that goes
with short toes. The toes are 10 blame,
not the man. People with short toes
get through life easily. They never
borrow trouble. They literally "let
Brown do the walking" Their lot is
cast in pleasant place, for they go
through life getting What they WehI
and enjoying it. The quick temper
serves to discipline the world and keep
ID in order.
The long-toed foot belongs to the So
ciety woman, the woman of many &C
complishments and great tact. Long
toes belong 10 orators. They mean
ability to talk, to argue, to bring out
a nice point All the diplomats of the
world have these long-toed feet. Beauty
and talent are shown by the instep and
the hollow. The compact shape of the
foot means mental balance and YOU
can be sure of finding the owner of that
foot here when you come back. The
evenness of ones way cannot be dis
turbed, that foot is sure to say.
Pointed toes are the toes of an artist.
Du Maurier would have liked to p ace
these pointed toes upon his Trilby, but
Greek models demand the square toes,
you may be sure. Toes that come down
to little sharp points mean a talent
for looking into minutiae, but the