The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1909-08-12
A GRACEFUL CARRIAGE.

It Is sad thing to say, but 1t is
true that comparatively few women
know how to walk! They are not,
to be sure, quite as helpless as the
poor, foot-bound Chinese women;
they are able to use their inferior
articulating organs of locomotion"-
as pedantic lecturer on science de-
scribed the walking apparatus-to
get over the ground; but they do
1t In so clumsy a way that there Is no
beauty in their movements, none of
the grace which should mark femi-
nine pedestriansism. But it should
be remembered also that the grace
full talk is also the healthful and
easy walk, and so graceful carriage
should be cultivated for hygienie az
we'll as esthetic reasons.
But how secure this desirable ac-
complishment? In The Delineator
for August, M. Landon Reed gives
some instructions which will be
found simple and practical, and
which every woman, old or young,
can follow. The writer says:
The first essential Of graceful
walking is poise. The weight of
the body must be adjusted over
the balls Of the feet, the center
of gravity falling between the instep
while standing, and changing with
each step naturally. In correct poise,
the chest always leads, the abdomen
recedes. the back and head assume
their right positions. 1t goes with
out saying that there can be no grace
in a hasty walk. Haste causes ir-
regular and uncertain movements Of
all portions of the body, tracts from
woman's dignity, and makes
rhythm impossible.
Activity and right use of the feet
are the second essential of a grace
full walk. 1t is strange that women
rarely seem to associate the feet with
grace They recognize the import
ance of freedom in the hip, good
action OF the arms, but the feet they
apparently think unimportant.
The feet have a double duty to
perform in bearing the weight and
propelling the body. When the
standing position is right, one leg is
swung forward from the hip, the
knee acting in harmony, and the ball
OF the foot touching first. The weight
Is soquickly transferred that the heel
makes no noise. Women who walk
heavily leave the weight ON the heel
and are never graceful. The gen.
sral saying that one should walk on
the balls Of the feet" has led people
to try not touching the heel at ALL
The result is a mincing gait wholly
without dignity or grace.
The position Of the feet should be
straight. The weight of the body
being on one foot while the other is
swinging forward, the strongest po-
sition Of the foot should be taken,
which is practically straight. AS
children are always taught to turn
their toes OUT this will surprise
many. Apart from the authority of
orthopedic surgeons, any woman may
try an experiment for herself. Keep
ing the body still, let her put one
foot forward a step, with the toe at
an angle Of 45 degrees. Then try to
move straight toward. She will find
that the body follows the direction
of the foot and goes of at an angle.
Or, If she does move straight, there
will be great pressure on the inside
or the foot where the arch of the
fnstep is. To correct the fault of
wandering walk, practice walking
every day on a single board of the
floor. putting each foot in front of
the other.
In standing, the position of the
feet Is not so important, as the
weight is equally distributed between
the two feet, but in walking one foot
bears the weight, and the strain is
too great. There seems to be a
growing tendency to have an artifi-
cial support for the instep. This is
not necessary if young people are
taught to use the feet correctly.
In walking upstairs the easiest and
most graceful way is to put the foot
on the stair and energize the instep.
Then lift the chest and avoid that
old look Of the back which a woman
has when she appears to be literally
climbing the stairs In coming
down, the weight should not fall on
the heel because of the jar to the
spine.
The carriage Of the shoulders is
an important element in graceful
walking. Nervousness, self-conscious-
ness and haste, show in stiffness of
the shoulders, also in the aggressive
elbows and closped hands. II the
chest Is well up and forward, the
shoulders will take their natural DO
sition- ard the arms hang at the sides.
Forget your shoulders, and think
only Of your chest.
What to do with the hands"