Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-10-09
ROUND SHOULDERS WILL DE-
VELOP AT AN EARLY AGE.
FAULT MAY BE CORRECTED
In Child the Trouble Is Often
Caused by Weak Stomach
Carelessness in Youth Leads to
Permanent Deformity Later in
Life.


The hab.~ begins early in life AMI
steadily grows upon its victim. The
child who is destined to be round i'll
the shoulders will exhibit that ten
dency before the age Of 10. At thai
time shoulder braces are frequently
resorted to and the admonition tC
sit up straight is given often, both
at home and at school. At Is the
round-shouldered girl has a decided
stoop and at 25 there is no doubt
about the bend. At this age the
shoulders turn slightly in, so that the
Ipatient is very broad across the back
and narrow across the front, and al
40 the entire figure is deformed.
If you have any doubt of this, or if
you wish to point moral for these
statements, take the first round
shouldered girl you come across and
stand with her at one of these public
crossings. Of the women that pass
by, just note the large percentage that
show round shoulders. Of course a
S! big abdomen always goes with the
STOPPING figure, for how can the Shout
ders lop down and hang forward with
out bringing the stomach up into
prominence?
When ch44d of 10 shows the first
symptom of STOPPING, it is the proper
time to begin the correction of the
fault. Usually the trouble will be
found with me child's stomach. Chill
dren subject to gastritis will usually
stoop. The feeling of soreness across
the stomach is eased IlLLle by the
position, and the stomach, when IL
lies in folds, feels less irritated than
when the figure is erect.
Treat the child to plenty of liquid
| food, soups and broths of all kinds.
Feed him upon fresh eggs, and let all
food, so far as possible, be cooked and
served warm. Even fruits are better
| cooked, and the child's three meals
should be hot ones. Cold food will
often cause indigestion and remotely,
the STOPPING shoulders. If the
stomach is made strong, and the child
still stoops, it is time, not for shoulder
| braces, but for exercise. Let the
child play in the open air and give
| him certain things to play with. He
will soon carry his shoulders straight,
lnvigorated by the air, and assisted
by the long breaths which are neces-
sary in outdoor exercise.
The girl who at Is stoops badly, or
the woman who at 20 is ruined so far
as her appearance is concerned, can
both be treated by exercises, the
simplest and prettiest of which is
found in the exercise of dancing
The girl who dances is very seldom
stoop-shOuldered If she is taught to
dance gracefully she will lift up her
chin, throw back her head, toss out
her elbows and enter into the spirit
of the dance. When the real round
shouldered girl does dance, it is pitt
full in the extreme to see the bumped
shoulders and awful back going
through the motions which should be
all graces. One of the most famous
Of Spanish dancers had a class Of
wealthy young women who were
taking the steps of the most intricate
dances known to the Spanish woman.
Their object was not to go upon the
stage but to acquire grace for the
evening dance and also for the
ordinary social duties Of LHeir station.
They found that Spanish women, IL
walking and in moving about a room,
were infinitely more graceful than
they, and they wanted to make sue 4 a
! grace a study.
The girl who stOops and who knows
it, should first be made to see low
wretchedly her attitude affects the
good looks. If she will stand in fl ont
of a mirror by the side of a girl who
stands straight she Will observe the
great difference between herself and
her companion. One has a graceful
look, the other is spoiled. But, I'm less
the girl who is stoop-shouldered gets
natural strength to throw her sb 0ul-
der blades back and keep them back,
she will accomplish nothing in the
long run. When left alone she will
sag down again and look worse than
ever because of the utter relaxation
that follows exercise.
One of her motions must consist OF
her walking with her hands upon her
hips and her elbows thrown back A
pretty exercise will be that Of placing
one hand at each side and of balanc-
ing herself thus, with foot lifted as
high as possible. Let the foot be
poised in the air for three or four
minutes at a time, or as long it is
possible to hold it there This will
fill the lungs and hold the shoulders
back. Another exercise for the stoop-
ing girl is that of bending forward at
the belt line, and Of lilung one arm
high over the head, while the other Is
as low as possible. This is one of
the positions Of the Spanish dances
and the fair dancer pirouttes with one
hand tossed over her head and the
other catching the hem of her skirt.
Going without a corset is of the ut
most assistance in Strengthening the
shoulders, but there are very few who
can practice it. AS a rule, the more
faulty the figure the more dependent
the woman is upon her stays She
fairly lives in them, and without then,
the simplest movements would be i'm
/ possible. But if the corset can Re
removed and the motions practiceo
t without it for fifteen minutes at a
= time, the benefits will be much create.
2 than though the figure were held In
: the stays while practicing. Bowling
going down upon one knee with tn,
arms thrown over the head tossing
the hands about in tbo cir ubi1a ono