The Indianapolis journal., 1904-05-15

ceives all that is beautiful and aesthetical
In the human form divine" but he knows
why IL is pleasing to the eye and how it
compares with the caaons and ideals of
the masters of ancient and medieval
times. He withholds nothing from his
pupils and shows, photographicaIly the
human form just as nodded by nature and
without vestment. He can publish his
plates in Europe, where there is less liabil-
iiy than In our country Of their falling into
the hands of the unsophisticated, but our
traditions limit the variety of these pic
lures which may be reproduced in the pub
tic prints. :
HOW TO GAUGE YOUR FIGURE.
Probably not in million OF our sis
ters so zealously striving for beauty of
figure has any notion as TO whether she is
approaching the canons, or ideal standards
of proportion laid down by artists and
anthropoIogists. The length of the face
from the chin to the roots OF the hair was
the fdVorite unit of the ancient sculptOrs,
/ who estimated that the height of the entire
human figure should be from nine TO ten
faces, the length of the arm from the
shoulder to the point of the middle finger
four faces" and so on.
l was recently discussing these problems
with DR.. Robert Fletcher, the well-known
anthropologist. He called attention to the
fact that the Greek sculptor. in modelling a
perfect human form, follow ed the rule that
the height of the head should be one
eighth OF the entire stature.
formed human being should measure seven
and one-han heads to the entire stature.
The Greek sculptor, therefore, was either
III error or modern civilization has de-
veloped the head at the expense Of the
trunk and limbs.
To diagnose the beauty of her figure,
our fair sister must then divide the num-
Der of inches in her entire stature by those
in the height of her head. If the quotient
be eight, she may congratulate herself
upon conforming to the Greek ideal; if it
ha hat C1aa L. -fef,r - he
modern average or perfect proportion. This
is her first diagnosis
Next, let her compare her proportions
with those of the Venus de Medici, con-
sidered by most sculptors TO be the most
perfect of all reproductions of the divine
form OF woman. Her height is feet 3
inches; circumference of neck, 1928 inches;
of chest. 1916 inches; of waist. 27.3 inches;
of hips, 1856 inches; of thigh, 21.1 inches;
of calf, Ii inches; of extended arm, ia
inches; of forearm. 1915 inches; of wrist.
60 inches. Comparing these measure
ments with those of number of young
women in q New England school of gym
nastics selected being exceptionally
we'll built" it is discovered that all of
those having the stature of the Venus de
Medici have necks too thick and chests,
waists, hips. extended arms. forearms and
wrists too small; that nearly all too
small in the thigh and calf. The combined
| statistics from several of our institutions
| for the higher education of women show
the same conditions for the ge wom-
are too large.
| But returning to DR.. Fletcher: One point
| which he made in the course of the con-
versation would indicate a possibility of
| giving our daughters increased stature, ii
| family characteristics tend toward stunted
! growth. The measurements of a million
| men enlisted under the War Department
! show that those from Vermont, New
| Hampshire and Kentucky were conspicu-
| ously taller than the remainder, and that
! the districts producing these tallest sob
/ diers correspond with those where there
are underlying deposits Of lime. Moral:
Pear your daughters where they may
drink good, hard water, we'll tinctured with
lime; for lime makes bone and bone makes
! stature.
| Elf a comparison could be made between
| the typical American and the typical
| Greek woman, ours would doubtless prove
| the more beautiful" opined DR.. Theodore
| n. Gill, the eminent biologist of the Smith
| sonian. "The artists assume a certain
standard of ancient beauty, but the an
| clients probably did not judge beauty from
| individual living types. Their standard
was most probably complex. embodying
| the most beautiful features or character
| istics of various Individuals
! Tight-lacing. in DR.. Gill's opinion, cannot