The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-02-22
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breathing apparatuA Tho stairs u -
climbed by q system Of lifting the BODY
not by dragging 1t upward.
Now, notice at your first opportunity, the
manner in which the majority OF people,
women especially, 20 upstairs. The body II
the upper step and placed natly upon IL
There Is O pause. then a lunge forward.
the body 10 doubled up midways. and the
chin almost touches the knee.
Thon comes the tus-of-war. which Is a
mighty ore, and lands the victim on tho
and slowly. laboriously. even painfully, the
body arrives at the top of the stairs.
This Is the usual way. but it is far from
being the correct way. The body. in stair
climbing. resembles the bicycle in hill
climbing.
good start at the foot Of the hill. and how
easily you will coup, if;only you keep on
| pushing. ElGsr Esf,.
Unless the hill is too: steep. or you arc
very weak. muscularly, you will arrive at
the top Of the hill with a feeling Of e1hil-
aration.
You will scarcely lose a breath, and you
are not conscious OF aught except a very
slight tension upon the calves of tho legs.
The more you 60 up hill the less you viii
feel the strain. 3
To follow out the bicycle analogy, Just
recall how very necessary 1t Is to keep on
pushing. Were you to stop. II. would be
very difficult to start up again. and the
force. required to start the mechanism in
motion would quite likely be beyond your
muscular power.
Stair climbing resembles this in no small
way. You must get q good start, you must
set the muscles to springtng. You must
rise with such yan impetus that by the
time you have reached one step you are
| almost well Up to the next. n
That is the only way to go upstairA II
you do this you will arrive at the top with
| very little %exertion and without the exer-
else of much more strength than would be
required for walking briskly uphill.
\ PLEASANT MATTER.
But to do this you must begin by stand
ing erect-not quite erect. though. bat
slightly bending forward Do not double
up, but let the whole body bend a little.
This throws the center OF gravity for
ward. It makes 1t easier to push upward
than to stand still. Now let tho foot be
| raised and planted sqrarely upon the step
above. Give q Little lunga forward, or
rather a little spring forward, and ios2the
body will quickly respond, and you Will
| be on the step above.
Do. not stop, but let the other foot find
its STEP. and SO keep on rising.
Boys like to walk upstairs; 30 do girls,
And so do athletes. There is a pleasant
- ooSo6 = AAS n tlOA
muscles, and. in q way, rests one as much
as sitting.
Sitting down, as an exercise, IS a differ
ent matter. 1t Is useful only as 1t takes
the strain on the feet and the back for q
few minutes. But going upstairs rests one
almost as much.
OF its graceful possibilities there u Q
great deal to be said The effect Of coming
down q wide stairway Is such that many
hostesses will not live in a house which
does not give them this opportunity.
You have seen tho psctvp,D a. nernhardt.
standing upo the staircase I'm her Paris
home. the light from the tstairca4eSg1 n-
dow falling upon her. 'sts+i ffs.t4
o have seen Mrs. Lanstry descending
the wide stair in her favorfte play.
You have beheld the beautifully artistic
paintings Of queens and society bsautiss
coming down the stair. There Il IN eppor.
tunity for grace here and for the Display
Of feminine charm which must not b
forgotten.
! The Duchess Of Marlborough. bsfor, ha.