The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-09-06

carriage another. You may have a good figure without a good carriage and wise Versa someone has called lcarriage the technique of the figure See to 1t that your form acquires that technique. An old compliment came to my | ears the other day. That girl has the best figure I ever saw for a girl who hasn't any," remarked a shrewd wo-
 man of the world. The bull sounded droll one, but upon glance at the young lady in question it was evil dent what she meant. The poor girl was known to be in the early stages of consumption, and already she was sadly thin, and there was a bright spot on each cheek, sorry sight for those who could read the warning. But she had not succumbed to the weakness and weariness that the disease brought on. She carried herself like a little princess-head up, shoulders back. every mucle of her body apparently full of elasticity. Her figure was real ly miserably wasted, and yet she seemed at first glance to be well built.
 A rounded form you must have if you would have ideal beauty. but all the curves and correct lines that golf, bowling and the gymnasium can give you will be worthless. so far as per sonal appearance goes if you do not throw forward the chest that you have developed and throw back the shoulders that, have been losing their angles Many a normally formed wo- man looks thin because she allows her chest to cave in, or stout because she she has a protruding adomen. The ne ducing or building up of flesh and muscle takes a long time and hard work in some cases, but the learning of pose and poise Is simple enough once you set about 1t with right good will. There is no reason for put ting 1t off until the figure Is perfect; have at least one beauty If you are obliged to wait awhile for the other.
 Balance and elasticity are at the bottom of all grace. Balancing exer- cises are lessons in grace. But be- fore you begin any of these, bring your body to the correct position.
 The idea of correct position whether standing or walking or danc- ing, Is to bear the least possible weight upon the feet. A light step has always been looked upon as charm. Even the poets have recognized its beauty. Scott relates of a lady that the flower raised their heads after she had trodden upon them The
  upon the size of pour shoes. num- her five E Is no excuse tor heavy step. A small-footed woman often sounds heavier than her sister of the large foot. Elasticity of the whole body affects your tread as nothing else can.
 Stand before the mirror and take a perfect standing position. which means head up, shoulders back easily. not stiffly, chest forward. knees and abdo- men back. Let the hands fall at the sides. Now slowly raise them later ally, palms down, meanwhile inhaling deeply. Raise them until they are on a level with the shoulders, then bend them at the elbows and lay the hands lightly on the high, inflated chest. Hold the breath as long as you com fortably can, all the while feeling your self lifted by 1t, 90 to speak; the whole body seems to rise in response to the breath you are less of weight than before. When you exhale, do so slowly and gently. not permitting the body to fall back heavily; keep 1t elastic, merely letting the chest relax Repeat this process five times-is 1t necessary for me to say that 1t should be done out of doors or in room with open windows?-then you are ready to begin balancing exercises.
 Begin by standing on one foot on some small object--a flower pot up- side down Is a suitable article. Poise upon it as lightly as possible, keep ing your weight as much in the air as you can. A good way to do this Is to imagine that you will break the flower pot unless you bear lightly upon it. Little by little you may raise 1t by putting books and other articles under It: If you are inclined to dizziness this Is a good way to overcome the annoy ing weakness.
 At first you will probably throw out your arms wildly to keep your balance, but in time you will retain 1t with per feet calm, and then you must tnhale just as you did in the beginning while on terra firma. Be sure to practice with each foot.
 Now for little walk. An ordinary plank standing on edge will provide an avenue for the stroll. Walk 1t just as you often walked a railroad track in your days, to see how long you could keep from slipping to the ground. Persist until you can go up and down 1t any number of times and turn around at the ends without slipping. All the time bear in mind that you are to walk lightly ever so lightly. =------------------- ------------