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Reading-Course for Farmers' Wives. 



from the hips in the right way, kitchen tables, ironing boards, sinks and 

 washtub stands should be made considerably higher than they usually 

 are. A table too low for a woman's height causes her almost unavoid- 

 ably to sin against her health and comfort. Tables should be made to 

 fit the women who work at them. Women should not be obliged to fit 

 their height to the tables. It may be argued that some women are short 

 and so could not work at a high table, whereas a tall woman can accom- 

 modate herself to a low table by stooping. Of course, the best work 

 table is the one that suits the woman's height. But if two women of 

 marked difference in height must use the same table, then it is much 



better for the shorter woman 

 in her work to reach some- 

 what upward — as we have 

 seen little children do — than 

 that the taller woman should 

 stoop to any considerable 

 degree. For the shorter 

 woman a stool or step can 

 be placed in front of the 

 work table and the ironing 

 board, also the bench used for 

 the washtub. For her to make 

 the big, sturdy leg muscles 

 do a little extra work in tak- 

 ing a step upward to her 

 work is far better than that 

 the taller woman should 

 jeopardize her health, powers 

 of daily endurance and her 

 figure's natural beauty by 

 straining and bowing her back 

 over the low table. In stoop- 

 ing to pick up anything from the floor, the knee* should bend and the 

 big muscles of the legs should carr>' the body and arms down within 

 reach of the object desired (Fig. 2). The ugly and fatiguing way is to 

 strain the back and cramp the pelvic organs as in Fig. 2. 



Wise economy. — "A penny saved is two-pence earned" in physical as 

 well as in commercial life. Many pennies of nervous energy can be saved 

 in a day's work by using only the muscles necessary in the accomplish- 

 ment of any task. For instance, in lifting; many persons use the back 

 and arm muscles when only the latter are needed. Fig 4 (a) shows the 



(a) 



Fig. 12. 



(fc) 



