Newport daily independent., 1905-10-21
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 FEET AND INTELLECT,
Peop;c with Small Pedal Extremitiea Are Not Always Possessed of Su-
 periOr Mental Requirements.

Small feet are considered by many to De a mark of aristocracy, but they cer- tainly do not indicate superiority of intellect, for many women of supreme have had very large feet, George Eliot, for instance, who re- sorted to all kinds of devices to make her big, broad, flat feet appear less enormous. Mime. De Stael, the most bril- liant woman Intellectually of her day, had such immense and ungainly feet that she was made miserable by the consciousness of their undue propor- tions. and knew that she was the sub- ject of many joke on their account. Her face was not beautiful, but her figure was handsome and statuesque, and she once ventured to assume the role of a Greek statue in some tableauX vivants which were given before an au- dience composed of clever and distin- guished people, among whom was the witty Talleyrand. Mme De Stael was grievously offended at hearing that her brilliant friend had invented bon mot at her expense by renarking that he had recognized the impersonator of the Greek character at once by the 'pied de Stael."
 The Germans and Scotch are credited with having the largest feet in Europe, and Spanish women, particularly An dalusians, the smallest. The queen re- gent, who is Austrian and of as aristo' cratic descent as the most fastidious could desire, is not blessed with small feet; they are large and broad, and al- though, of course, she has the best o1 chausseurs that money can procure, they never look neat. This is one of the grievances that the Spaniards have against her, for they have horror of big feet on a woman, and look upon such defect akin to crime.
 know Spanish lady who went to Berlin, and a few days after her arrival, on dressing for a ball she discovered that her maid had forgotten to pack the case containing her evening shoes. She sent out for pair, giving one of her walking shoes as sample, and after a prolonged absence the messenger re- turned saying that no shoemaker had
  cept for very young children. The whole city was searched, with the same result, and she was obliged to wear her walking shoes until some could be made for her. The shoemaker did not have last small enough, and special one had to be made, which fact gives elo- quent if not altogether fattering proof concerning the truth of what we hear anent the size of the German ladies' feet. Such a size and shape as A would, think, not be found in any oth- CT country, yet it is commonly asked for here. English women are great walkers, and wear wide, comforta ble boots for their long rambles through muddy country lanes-they scorn rub bers-and in consequence their feet have become broad, but compared to those of their Scotch sisters they are fairylike.
 French women have short, thick feet and their shoes made rather to increase this appearance than otherwise. They wear their high heels almost in the mid die of the foot, the instep is padded to arch 1t, and she whose loot IS long ana narrow will use every art to take off about half it's length, the result be- ing that as she gets older she is so troubled with corns and bunions that a pair Of good old felt slippers-her husbands preferably the only things she can endure with comfort, and in these she will shuffle about the house, an eyesore to everyone who sees her, donning the high heels, however for outdoor wear religiously, for true French woman will suffer the tortures of the inquisition every day of her life with all the fortitude of a saint rather than wear a sensible, low-heeled shoe that would give any idea of the real shape of her foot.-N. '. Telegram.