The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-08-02

can SWING e3rlanoO or roses over Srsu1r
heads and hold aloft the ribbon banners
while the others dance underneath.
The awkward girl found. on still further
study. that to be free from her awkward
ness the must have absolute self coincidence
and this only comes from practice.
Then she took IN a course of exercises
and in a few weeks she began to move
about with a freedom and grace that was
as pleasing to her friends a. It was surpris-
| ing to herself.
ARE TALL GIRLS AwKwARDf
| The young woman was very tall and tn
| height there is apt to come awkwardness
Still there are awkward girls even among
the shorter varieties.
But the girl felt sure that It was her
height that was the great barrier to fres
/, and, pretty movements. 50 she set to work
to accommodate herself to her inches.
She studied the foot movements and she
took uo all the different schools OF grace.
Soon she found that there il a great art in
being graceful with the feet and she found
worth while.
She found that ono Of the tricks Of grace
full movements with the feet lay In bearing
all the weight upon one foot
OF course. in standing still for any length
of time in one spot 1t Is best to distribute
the weight equally between the two feet
But, in standing for q minute. in moving
backward and forward. in talking. In side
stepping. SO to speak-as II necessary in q
drawing room-the weight should be borne
by one foot at a time.
Perhaps some reader may not understand
what is meant by placing all the weight up
on one foot ~
1t can best be grasped BY going through
with the motions Of being seated
Sink into your chair in such q way that
all your weight Is thrown upon one foot
Double the knee and sink into your seat.
- ln ha~
how slowly and how gracefully you tall In
to your chair and how you seem to sink
there, rather than to sit down suddenly.
HOW TO BE SEATED.
Now seat yourself in the old pump handle
way. Plump yourself down into your seat
Note the difference.
Note how awkwardly you make the move.
note how badly you sit down. note how your
frock is wound uncomfortably around you,
sometimes to the point Of bursting the
band: note how you go through with the
jackknife motion and note also how de-
void OF the poetry Of motion II your every
movement.
The trick of bearing your weight upon cue
foot is one that should be learned By ~.
cry woman for the reason that II u -
necessary in so many casea
In making q court courtesy, for instance.
note how you must sink down upon one
knee. II you cannot bear your weight up
on that knee you will surely topp1e over
and this is an accident that has happened
more than once to some luckless espirant to
court favor s3
Again in shaking hands you must tak6
half a stem forward and hold out your
hand. resting your weight upon the forward
foot.
Otherwise. you will stand with abdomen
awkwardly thrust out, and the result Will
be clumsiness personihed.
You must be able to move your fest very
freely and to step here and there without
seeming to throw your whols body around
in an ab1pt manner. -
Grace of the arms IL another matter ana
for this you must practice moving the ole.
bows It is said that the most gfaceful q
all girls are the typewriters and the gifio
who play the piano.
They are accustomed to moving the afmD
freely, and, as they move in playing The
/. keys, they gradually acquire grace.
To make a woman more graceful In the
arms she should practice. not the moving
OF heavy weights, but the manipulating OF
light ones. 4
Indian clubs and dumb-bells, while muscle
builders are not always productive OF great
grace.
A girl can be az strong a. Samson, and ~
muscular as Sandow, without being remark
able for gracs In her movements.
To acquire graceful arms she must prac.
tice with something which 10 rather bulky.
but very light
One girl took . very Hight pair Of dumb
but Weighing only few OUNCES