HEIGHT AND WEIGHT OF CUBAN TEACHERS. 491 



and crippled that she cannot walk, or the prospective Spanish aristocrat 

 crowds her feet into pointed-toed shoes, with heel in the middle of the 

 foot, with the same result. This inability to walk with ease and com- 

 fort was made very apparent among the Cuban teachers in their his- 

 torical and geological excursions about Cambridge. Upon investiga- 

 tion, it was found that the Cuban women were wearing narrow, pointed- 

 toed shoes, with high heels, numbering in sizes from two to four, and 

 that the Cuban men were wearing the same style shoe, numbering in 

 size from three to six. These are the sizes usually worn by our Amer- 

 ican boys and girls ranging in age from ten to fourteen. Our women 

 wear shoes ranging in size from No. 2^ to 8, and our men shoes ranging 

 in size from No. 6 to 10. 



Of course, a smaller stature on the part of both Cuban men and 

 women implies smaller feet, but in order that the feet, though small, 

 should be of service, the toes and joints must be allowed freedom of 

 movement. This they cannot obtain if the feet are crowded into 

 small, tight-fitting, stiff-soled, high-heeled shoes. 



Our American men and women, after enduring years of pedal in- 

 firmities, have at last learned the value of common-sense shoes. The 

 interest in tennis, golf, cross-country walking and other forms of phys- 

 ical exercise has done much to bring about a needed reform in 

 America in caring for the feet. It is a recognized fact that conquering 

 armies often depend as much upon their ability to march as they do 

 upon their ability to fight. So, in more senses than one, it is necessary 

 for a people to get a footing in the world before they think of com- 

 peting with rivals or maintaining their independence as a nation. 



While we all rejoice in the efforts of the Cubans to improve the 

 condition of their schools, and admire their interest and enthusiasm 

 for intellectual attainments — let it be remembered that every nation 

 that has risen to eminence in this respect has always had a strong 

 physical foundation to build upon. My observations among the Cubans 

 have led me to believe that they are not so far behind the Americans in 

 point of mental ability and acumen as they are in lack of physical 

 vigor, and some moral aim or purpose to strive for. This condition is 

 partly due to the effects of a tropical climate, and the corrupting in- 

 fluence of an effete civilization like that maintained in the Island of 

 Cuba so many years by the Spanish Government. But I have already 

 pointed out some of the physical defects of the Cuban people that are 

 the outcome largely of faulty habits of living — short stature, light 

 weight, flat chests, slender waists, small hands, little, narrow feet and 

 emaciated limbs. These are fundamental defects, and are usually as- 

 sociated with a relatively feeble digestion, weak heart and incapacious 

 lungs. 



The remedies I would suggest are equally fundamental. Restraint 



