Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-07-22
TO WALK CORRECTLY.
The American Girl Is Said to BE Just
Learning.

shoe. tOOthpiCk toe ana the wafer sole.
but now common sense footwear is
the vogue. 1t took. Il long period of
discomfort. if not actual suffering, to
convince woman that she could wear a
sensible shoe and not detract from
her personal charms. Now that she
has been oonN ICED of the error of
hey WAYS. more interest is manifested
III the correct style of walking and
tie proper manner of holding the
skirt, says the Washington Post.
Some men profess to be able TO read
character by the way person walks.
Ii that tie so, the radical change in
woman's fashions in shoes and in
| style of walking denotes a pronounced
| Improvement in womankind.
| The proper style Of walking is not
| only the NEST graceful. but the least
fatiguing. Walking is simply the art
of balancing. Naturally that system
of balancing which will most evenly
distribute The weight of the body is
the correct one.
AS long as fashion decreed that
woman should wear shoe that
cramped her feet, threw all the weight
of her body upon her toes. tipped her
| forward until all the strain was on the
muscles of the inStep and curtailed
| functions of the tendCnS which nature
intended should play most important
part in walking. woman was sure to
! follow fashion: hut now that fashion
has joined hands with nature and rea-
son. femininitv is finding pleasure
and 4 satisfaction in walking that We're
Impossible under the former style.
| No machinery made by man. no mat
tel how delicate or accurate, can match
in regularity or uniformity the action
of the foot. Throughout the foot and
lcs the bones are 50 arranged with re-
speCt To each other that there does not
exist right angle at their joints. Thus
is avoided the chance Of violent ooncus-
sion in sudden movement. as Of jump
ing. stl liking the foot against a heavy
object and the like. a sinuouS and
slightly undulating line is maintained.
and ii is this line which gives the grace
and elasticity of appearance 50 OBJ
servedly beautiful in the woman who
| wallis CORE city.
In correct walking there is the p5ctry
of mo,.on, the deicacy Of poise and
the sCit ntitic adjustment of the weight
so Well. but which the moderns siur.
l. they DO not absolutely ignore. 1t is
because of this laXity on the part Of
the latter day people that artists find
in antique statues the best m ndels.
The ancients considered that every
yortio1 of the human form was beauti-
ful. ana that in the proper develop
1rent of every portion of the human
! l.;
wolk Of the Great Architect was OBJ
tanned.
Today there should if natures
teachings had been observed. be but
one style of walking. That would be
the rect one. Instead. there are
hun ireis.
The girl who walks correctly is a JOY
10 herself and to all who behold her.
She has some purpose in life. She is
nine times out Of ten neatly dressed,
brght-eyed and healthy. Watch her
and you will see that the ball Of the
foot is the centre upon which the
weight Of the body swings, and that
upon the heel and toes there is an even
balance of the strain-if such it may be
called-the heel not being called upon
to do more than the toes or the toes
more than the heel, while the sole is
the medium between the two extremes
In correct walking the foot is placed
: evenly upon the surface. with the
, pressure first upon the heel. then upon
the ball of the foot, and then upon the
toes. From the ball of the foot and
the toes the impetus and elasticity OF
the stride originate.
Many persons. in endeavoring Il
Walk correctly. make the mistake oi
putting too much weight upon the heel
This is not as bad a putting too much
weight upon the toes. The easiest
method of learning how to walk cor
rectly is to pattern after the person
who knows how to walk.
No girl who walks properly is un-
{ graceful No girl who walks improp-
erly can be graceful for any long time
The charm of accurate poise of the
body. Of graceful movement of the
? limbs. and of bringing into play of al
the human structure intended by ma.
ture to be used in walking. make them
selves strong attractions not only K
| the intelligent observer. but to the les:
cultured, for no one is 50 dull of com.
prehension as to be unable to appreci
ate what is beautiful and a delight t
the eye.
To walk correctly is to tell the worlt
, you are Of good habits and refined
The girl who walks correctly Away:
wears neat shoes. Usually she is de
, lightfully dressed. Rich garments dc
not mean to be well dressed. Dainti
ness in dress is delightful and Otter
more delightful than rich materials.
TIC no one will the fashion for short
cr skirts be more welcome than to the
girl who knows how to walk. She has
= nothing to be asha med of in showing
ner shoes. The girls who wear Ions
, trains and who do SO much toward as
sisting the reet-cleaning department
, are generally the girls who do moi
p know how to walk. The street sweep
t ing girl is likely to develop into an un-
tidy girl for the girl who is careless
n about soiling her skirts will be care
: less in other matters.
D,, ~