system 29

29

The hair inust be thoroughly combed and brushed every day, and exposed as often as possible to the imigorating action of sun, wind, and tam. Ali artilicial hair tonics and restorers are indifferent or even injurious.

Sonie Attention to the Feet

A badly tended foot has something corpse-like about it. But tlie preealent opinion is that so long as a scpulchre is well wliited, the surrounding workl's sensc of sight and smell will not be offended by the corpso. As a rule one may assume that the morę elegant the cut of the shoe, the uglier and the rńore deformed the foot itself will be, whether that of a lady or a gentleman. Many people who seldorn wasli their bodies or their feet wonld not veuture to show themselves in the Street without their coat being brushed and their footgear polished, and regard it as absolutely uecessary to put on a clean collar every day. Indeed 1 positieely heiieee that by many people. even in " intelligcnt ” circles, it is looked upon as natural and iisual for the feet to be dirty. whereas the hands, of course, must always be spotlessly clean. Other-wise I cannot explain the following instances of, let us say, naieete. 1 once oeerheard a fragment of a comersation between two female school teachers : “ Just lancy, his hands were as black as—oh ¹ what shall I say ?—yes, as my feet And at a swimming competition at the Koyal Pocie s in ('openhagen, I saw a " gentleman ” who was going to take part in one of the races walking about among the company with a student's cap and swimming costumc on, and deformed feet as black as coal!

Has the care of the feet anything to do with health ³ it may be asked. Yes ! in the first place, feet that have not been hardened give rise to many kinds of chills and worse illnesses, because they soon get cold, and cannot stand being wet, and in the next place, tender feet. suiTering from one or morę of the defects unfortunately so well known, render an otherwisc capable body almost entirely helpless.

The greatest and most important part of what the feet reąuire, how-cvcr, the daily bath provides. One ought in addition to pay attention to the nails, and remove bard skin after the weekly warm bath or at any ratę once a inouth. Otherwisc ingrowing nails, inflammation, etc. wili sooner or later make the gnił ty parties rue their neglect.

Besides which. if you do not give the toes the air and freedom of movement which they, like the rest of the body, require, you will gradually indnee perspiring feet, one of the most distressing complaints resulting from dirt, that cxist. When you come home in the cvcning, you ought always to chango your shoes and stockings at once, or if siimmer go about with harc feet, or else sirnply with sandals (dat leather soles with a few straps)—this is a verv cheaply purchased comfort; tlie toes will verv soon perform gymnastic movements on their own account, while you sit writiug or reading. Lgly, angular. bard, or raw toes soon grow round, soft and nice, through the use of stockings with a dń ision for each toe i like glovesj,

1 am not going to trench further on the qucstion of grown-up people’s footwear. They insist, after all, on resereing to themseh-es the right of wearing shoes too smali and too tight, and this applics also to stockings. But I should like to put in a word for the innocent little one. The Chinese often squeeze the feet of their children, to keep them