The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-09-29

The flat.footed person, the un4oF-
tunate individual with broken
down arch, reveals this fact to the
expert eye in the general signs Of
impaired health which also inevita-
bly, are n1irrored in the features
and lines Of the countenanck
The history of the evolution of
man from the time he was an ami
nal. down to the present. is, to .
great extent, a history Of the evo-
luton Of his lower limbs.
About $4,000 years ago, roughly
speaking. man WAS very close to
that state Of animal life when the
species was very little removed
from that Of the higher apes. Then
the feet, which were claws, had
long toes, with long nails, which
were used for the climbing Of trees,
and occasionally, when the higher
ape stood erect, he stood upon an
almost perfectly flat foot. which
had very little of the arch in it.
Thousands of years of evolution
after this elapsed and as the brain
in the Uranium Of the higher ape
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Of environment demanding greater
mentality, then the ape began to
stand up on the lower extremities
more than ever before.
Thinking depends upon the circu-
lation of blood to the brain. When
the higher ape was walking on
was not to. the brain, but to the
rxvaIw rar1aA -
higher ap6 began to stand erect
especially nerve impulses through
the spine, began to stimulate cells
in the brain, which ultimately
caused the evolution of man.
Now, you are to keep In the
erect. The standing erect OF the
higher ape was the main cause Of
the coming of human species, and
he had no mentality, practically
speaking, because he had no arches.
However, having once stood erect,
he therefore began to think in the
low, hazy, dark, obscure way. Often
he would feel so exhilarated, so jubi-
liant, that he would throw out the
which he would eat. and balance
forward. through sheer joy. ON the
claws Of his Tower limbs. This
standing erect, in the jubilant mood.
was the beginning OF the evolution
of the arches Of the feet.
Any individual who will watch
himself carefully, knows that some
OF the finest thoughts come when he
t. rsn l. Ali ~
ing is really a bounding forward,
using the balls of the feet for the
purpose Of locomotion. When the
weight Of the body is placed on the
balls Of the feet, that is the moment
when you have. through nerves and
through circulation, the utmost
spine. From the middle Of the
directly affect the higher centers
OF the brain. and so civilization has
advanced in proportion as the arches
OF the feet Of men have become
arched; and the foot has become
more and more more marvellous
anatomical marvel.
For fear you may think that this
is mere theorizing, briefly running
NNA SyOS etAOAl5 bAC CNOluJAOAA Va IAe~-
tions and empires, we find that
when Greece was at the zenith Of
her glory. her youths were athletes,
poets and philosophers, and her
poets described them as fleet.
footed" Now, would q poet de.
scribe a "flat-footed" race as fleet.
footed?" Phidias, the great Greek
sculptor, in his models Of man.
hood, has shown us high arches Of
which we should be envious.
For instance, obesity produces low
instep, but obesity Is itself one Of
the unnatural physical degeneracies
Of modern civilization. So that we
can easily see the foundation upon
which man stands, and with which
he withstands the conclusions and
shocks Of the earth, must necessar-
lily be span, an arch, like unto a
bridge; otherwise, he will fall heir
to most Of the ills Of human
existence.
The normal foot is the most won.
derful piece of arch-work known to
man. Engineers have been known
to secure, the bones Of the feet
from supply houses and give them
most careful study during their
course Of training in the structural
work Of large stone or mason.work
arches.
No genius with any number o.
springs however scientifically ar.
ranged, connected with an imitation
OF foot mechanism, could produce