4io POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



tunate state need not arise, if, as a girl, the woman becomes acutely 

 alive to the value of retaining grace (which is entirely practicable), pro- 

 vided nature has endowed her with fairly symmetrical bodily propor- 

 tions along with accurate instincts as to attitudes (all too rare a gift). 

 More to be welcomed, because thoroughly acquirable by any one, is a 

 wholesome guidance of the growing body and wise instruction in the 

 right standards of breathing, standing and moving. There is an emi- 

 nently practical value in avoiding this state of acquired awkward- 

 ness, which has a direct and important bearing upon health and lon- 

 gevity. It may be permitted to again direct attention to the derange- 

 ments which follow upon constrained attitudes, habitually maintained, 

 in compressing the chest, hence the lungs, heart and the great organs, 

 and particularly because of the less. obvious, but equal, peril from con- 

 striction of important arteries, veins and nerve trunks. It is difficult to 

 convey to the lay mind the gravity of posture deformities, practically the 

 same condition as occupation and costume deformities; the differences 

 being merely of causation and degree. It is quite comprehensible how 

 grave an effect is wrought upon the morphology of the organs, for 

 example, in a miner who assumes various unnatural attitudes de- 

 manded by his work, in nooks and crannies of rock. Here he lies or 

 stoops for hours at a stretch, digging laboriously, and in time becomes 

 grossly misshapen. Still he is in constant action and the elasticity of 

 the tissues is not lost so early as in many other occupations where con- 

 strained positions are maintained with little change and only such 

 movement demanded as is limited in scope, monotonous and exhausting 

 by endless repetitions. The song of the shirt has brought some phases 

 of the subject to the public attention. Let any one visit large manu- 

 factories and he will acquire a vivid object lesson. It will be per- 

 haps more clear to call attention to the deformities of neglect. Unless 

 a child has enjoyed the fullest opportunities for spontaneous activities, 

 numberless small abnormalities will arise and become emphasized. 

 Observe any group of school children critically and there will be readily 

 noted posture deformities in most of them well established and liable to 

 become fixed and exaggerated in later life. 



A strong argument for employing a wide variety of bodily move- 

 ments can be drawn from the fact that man being the only upright 

 mammal, many of his organs assume and are maintained in positions 

 and relationships foreign to their original adaptation. Ages and gen- 

 erations of characteristics acquired in the upright attitude have given 

 him large control over these organs and their supporting tissues have 

 developed admirable adjustments adequate to all ordinary needs and 

 under ordinary requirements. Among the requirements for healthy 

 organic structures is always exercise or use whereby alone function is 

 conserved and organs maintained in normal position and condition. 



