Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-09-27


These commands burst upon the
ears of a friend who called upon an
actress and was shown into her draw
ing room.
"Sit down; try not to look surpris-
cd and-weI, as a special favor I'll let
YOU watch me-" said the actress as the
friend stood regarding her with amaZ-
ed eyes. What am l learning to do?
I'm learning to hobble, of course.
why? Because in my new play
there is a society woman who always
wears the latest oddities.
DO like it? do not, and if l were
the audience l would boo it off the
stage. but as it is I am helpless. the
lady is in financial trouble because OF
her extravaganza in dress and there
is a bill from her modiste. In one
scene I stand and read aloud the items,
and one item is a hobble gown, price
at present unmentionable; and there
ami must hobble or die.
'I loathe it. have friend, an ac-
tress, who is pigeon toed. On the stage
she subdues the tendency to pigeon toe
a little, but in the streets she strikes
ont and toes in to her hearts content.
The first time she put on hobble skirt
she donned it in fear and trembling
for her modiste told her how difficult
il was to walk in it without tripping
hut to her astonishment nothing was
easier. She walked at once ana SO
proudlv that she was model to walk
ers. The modiste told her it was oe-
cause she was pigeon toed.
"If you are going to hobble prettllE
you must master these items:
you must be quite loose around the
vaist line. as YOU can't be tied in
around the belt and around the ankles
too.
"If YOU want to hobble you must
learn to take short but quite decided
steps. They are not exactly mincihg'
hut they are not long. They are thS
brisk little steps of the military man
who must keep in step with man
shorter than himself. 1t is almost
repressed step.
"To hobble picturesquely you must
walk slowly. The woman VINO hurrieS
in a hobble skirt is lost.
"Tbe woman who positively cannot
wear a hobble is the tall woman VINO
sticks her knees out as she walks Inc
hobbler must learn to keep her knees
TO herself, so to speak.
"All hobble shoes should have Drill
liant polish; polished shoes look small
"Hobble shoes should be very long
and have small toes, for the length OF
the foot does not show as conspicuous
" as the breadth. Long, narrow shoeS
stuffed at the toes with cotton are the
ideal thing for those who have been
tempted to hobble.
"T have been taking physical culture
lessons in connection with hopple
skirts. AS all the walking must be
done with the upper muscles oil the
bodv it is necessary that the chest
should become very full and firm. Here
are the hobble exercises:
put on your hobble shoes, they are
high heeled of course, and very long
and very narrow. First try standlng
on YOUR toes. This isn't easy put II
strengthens the calves. Walk ana
throw yourself forward now and then
and try to balance. Throw Yoursei
forward. but don't break the toe ol
your shoes.
"Stand upright and lift your arms IN
front of you. Keep your hnger tips
ceilingward and bend your body back
ward. Take care not to fall. Thls IS
to give you body balance.
"Place a footstool in the middle OF
the room and step upon it. Step OIL
After YOU have done this dozen times
try two footstools. If you cant ar
range to make steps out OF them' theh
get a stepladder; anything that Will
give YOU practice in stepping up an
awkward step and down again. lhls
is to accustom you to the cab step.
"Women who wear the hobble some
times fall in getting in and out ol the
taxi The trouble is that they take
too high a step and they walk right
into the hobble and this trips them up
Learn to step with the whole leg
without throwing out the foot too high'
Nothing but practice will make per-
feet in this line.
"Rodv balance is important and you
must learn the art of swaylhs the
arms. l don't mean swinging them'
but swaying them.
There is an elderly lady in New
York who, when she saw the hopnl'
skirt, was delighted with it, not that
she admired it, but because she knew
she could walk in it.
"You walk this way she said when
q hobbIe skirt had been put on her.
and you don't have to be awkward for
il is the most graceful thing in the
world
she took a parasol in her hand and
walked across the room. Her steps
were short, but she balanced her DOdE
to perfection. In my day she said
we called it the Victorian walk be-
cause it was the walk which was east
est for Queen Victoria. The queen
was short and the little mincing steps
were comfortable for her
The hobblers may balance them
selves with long handled umbrella or
with reticule, as the situation may
suggest. or they can h"bble along with
no other assistance than the graceful
movements of their own arms.
Women who swish their skirts as
they walk are impossible from the hob
bl point of view. To avoid swishlnS
YOU must walk with the ankles quite
far apart. The idea is that the ankles
must not rub together.
The food for hohhlcrs is onions;
they build up the muscles of tn" leg
without making You stout. Another
food recommended I" those wh" need
muscle is garlic. Rice is important,
and rice and green shoots of any kind