The times., 1899-08-20
INTELLECTUAL FEET.
Large Pedal Extremities Are Brainy,
If Not Beautiful.


Small feet are considered by many to
be mark of aristocracy, but they GER
tainly do not Indicate superiority of intel
lect, for many women OF supreme inte.H-
gence have had very large feet. George
Eliot, for instance, who resorted to al
kinds of devices to make her big. broad,
fiat feet appear less enormous, says the
New York Telegram Nine. de Stael,
the most brilliant woman intellectually OF
her day, had such immense and ungainly
feet that she was made miserable by the
consciousness of their undue proportions,
and knew that she was the subject OF
many a Joke on their account. Her face
was not beautiful, but her figure was
handsome and statuesque, and she once
ventured to assume the role of Greek
statue in some tableaux vivants which
were given before an audience composed
of clever and distinguished peop'e, among
whom was the witty Talleyrand Nine.
de Stael was grieyously offended at hear
| ing that her brilliant friend had invented
| a bon mot at her expense by remarking
| that he had recognized the impersonator
of the Greek character at once by the
"pied de Stael."
| The Germans and Scotch are credited
with having the largest feet in Europe,
and Spanish women, particularly Anda-u-
sians the smallest. The Queen Regent,
who is Austrian and of as aristocratie a
descent as the most fastidious could de-
| sire, is not blessed with small feet; they
are large and broad. and although, OF
course, she has the best of chausures that
money can procure, they never look neat
This is one of the grievances that ths
| Spaniards have against her, for they have
a horror of big feet on woman and loos
| upon such a defect as akin to crime.
A Spanish lady went to Berlin and a few
days after her arrival, on dressing for 9
ball, she discovered that her maid had for
gotten to pack the case containing her
| evening shoes. She sent out for pair
giving one of her walking shoes as a SAM
Die. and after a prolonged absence the
| messenger returned saying that no shoe
maker had anything so small on his prem
ises except for very young children. Tht
whole city was searched, with the same re-
suit. and she was obliged to wear hel
walking shoes until some could be made
for her The shoemaked did not have
last small enough and a special one hat
to be made, which fact gives eloquent i
not altogether fattering proof concerning
the truth of what We hear anent the sz
Of the German ladies' feet. English WON
en- are great walkers and wear wide, com
Portable boots for their long rarnhle
through muddy country lanes-they scorl
rubbers-and in consequence their fee
have become broad. but compared to thos
of their Scotch sisters they are fairylike
French women have short, thick fee
! and their shoes are made rather TO increaS
this appearance than otherwise. The
wear their high heels almost in the mid
die OF the foot, the instep is padded I
arch 1t and she whose foot is long an
| narrow will use every art to take o
about half It's length, the result bein
that as she gets older she is so trouble
with corns and bunions that pair of goo
old felt slippers-her husbands preferabl
are the only things she can endure wit
comfort, and in these she will shutl
about the house. an eyesore to every on
who sees her, donning the high heel!
however, for outdoor wear religiously, fo
a true French woman will suffer the tor
lures of the Inquisition every day OF he
life with all the fortitude of a saint rathe
!, 1 than wear sensible, low-heeled shoe tbs
would give any idea of the real shape {
| her foot.