Evening star., 1901-06-29
THE SANDAL CRAZE
opihiohs Fro and Con on Almost R.rs
Feet for Children.

rect for Children.
From the London Express.
! The recent adoption by a numbar ot nall
known society people of what is known as
| the barefoot fad for their children Ia
| forming the subject of much comment in
many quarters, and the fact Induced a rem
resentative of Page Six to seek inter
views with medical men, a bootmaker. a
chiropodist and al artist. with the ohiect
Va aecerldlhihs their respective views on
the innovation.
am Slad to see well-dressed children
occasionally walking about our fashionable
squares bare-legged and bare-footed save
LOT slight sandal" said a well-knovn
west End physician when questioned on
the subject. ~
Few people seem to be aware what an
influence the feet have on the health OF
people, ana or children especially
LOOK at the thing from the sanitary
point or view. Young people are never
still, or should not be, if they are healthy.
ana In this hot weather. and the hotter
that VIII be coming the feet will he the
fected.
Now, with sandals the feet are never I'm
damp state, but are constantly kept drv.
owing to the action of the atmosphere
Ihus lameness from tenderness and other
causes Is avoided, to say nothing of rheu-
matlsm, for you must know that with the
orulhdry boot ana stocking 1t is practically
Impossible Tor the perspiration issuing from
the pores of the skin to evaporate: but on
the contrary, the ankle and foot are kept
In more or less constant state of damn
ness during action in hot weather. with the
result that rheumatism Is often contracted
and SO strongly that even strong embroca-
tlons seem powerless to relieve it.
after all, We have never improved on
the Greek and Roman footgear; though 7
am not such dreamer OF dreams as to
suppose for a moment that our fashionable
iadles VIII ever become sensible enough to
take to sandals, even for the seaside
Ihey are too vain, and their feet are as
a rule, not pret.y enough to bear exposure.
Besides, even IL they were so inclined. the
bootmakers and the hosiers would hardly
encourage them in their ideas as II would
bode Ill tc their prosperity
But do firmly believe that the fashion
OF letting children run about in sandals
during the summer months, now that it
has at last got start, will go on steadily
growing in favor until 1t becomes quite
general; and / am heartily glad to think
OF 1t, for If the feet of our children are
allowed to develop in a natural and sensi-
BILE way shall have more men and wo-
men who can wall. gracefully and WELL in
stead of the crippled beings one comes
across almost at every turn-people who
walk timidly along owing to corns, bum
ions or tender feet. which are, in nine cases
out of ten. the result of clumsy, ill-fittng
or tight boots.
You probably do not realize that
scarcely per cent of the people you pass
in the streets have perfect feet. I assure
you there is scarcely more defective part
of the average civilized human beings
anatomy than the feet. l, for one look
upon this barefoot fad as II is termed, as
pregnant of great possibilities as far as
the future generations are concerned; and
l trust that it will continue to grow in
favor"
Another physician who was interviewed,
however, took al opposite view OF the
question.
II will not utterly condemn the idea" he
said, but / would at least point out that
the notion has its drawbacks well as
its advantages You must bear in mind
that the foot of the well-bred child is a
very tender thing, and amount of run
ming will ever make the cuticle as hard
that of a savage child, for instance.
''I think, therefore, that the risks run Of
getting dirt which may be poisonous into
scratches of the feet owing to their being
partially exposed, or the danger Of getting
pins tin-tacks into the feet-for there is
no house in the kingdom where stray pins
or tin-tacks will not get scattered among
the carpets--are greater than the thing is
worth, for poisoned blood is thing which
can never be properly cured.
Besides. what is the good of It In the
long run for sooner or later these sandaled
footgear of conventionality, when the ILL.,
effects, If any, will be exaggerated. for
they will begin wearing boots and socks
or stockings at an age when IL is not so
easy for the body to adopt new methods
of clothing. more especially on account Of
their having known the greater freedom Of
sandals.
That is only one phase of the question,
but there are others that could be men,
toned; and. on the whole, 1 do not think
the sandal idea will be productive of much
good, while it might be fruitful of some
harm" TIE bootmaker's attitude is one OF
indifference-he plaiTlly does not want to be
bothered with such things as sandals.