218 THE WONDERFUL HOUSE THAT JACK HAS 



should separate our feet from the earth. Neither 

 shoes nor stockings should be any heavier than is 

 required to keep the feet warm and dry. It is impor- 

 tant to have shoes fit perfectly. When they bind or 

 chafe in any way, the free circulation of both blood 

 and air is interfered with, annoying corns or bunions 

 often being the result. Shoes that are too large are 

 likely to chafe the skin and be uncomfortable. 



An unhygienic shoe. A hygienic shoe. 



Shoe leather should always be pliable, and the more 

 porous it is, the more healthful it will be for the feet, 

 provided the latter are kept warm and dry, because 

 a better circulation of air is possible and greater activity 

 of the skin results. On this account, patent leather 

 shoes, which are non-porous, are not good for continuous 

 wear. Rubbers should be worn in damp or stormy 

 weather. They should not, however, be kept on 

 longer than is absolutely necessary, for, not being 

 porous, they prevent free circulation of air. Children 

 sometimes sit for hours in school with their rubbers on, 

 and even adults frequently neglect to remove theirs 



