THE CLOTHING WE WEAR. 153 



than the heavy woolen garments. In winter we 

 desire to retain as much animal heat as possible, 

 and so we don the very imperfect conducting sub- 

 stances of wool and silk. 



The color of clothing is by no means a matter of 

 indifference. White and light-colored clothes re- 

 flect the heat, while black and dark-colored ones 

 absorb it. White is the comfortable and fashionable 

 color for clothing in summer. It reflects heat well, 

 and prevents the sun's rays from passing through 

 and heating the body. If white is the best color 

 for summer, it does not follow that black is the best 

 for winter. It must be remembered that black ra- 

 diates heat with great rapidity. Give a coat of 

 white paint to a black steam radiator, which is ca- 

 pable of rendering a room comfortably warm at all 

 times, and the temperature will fall at once, though 

 the heat-producing agency remain the same as be- 

 fore. A black garment robs the body of a larger 

 amount of heat than white, and consequently the 

 latter color is the best Tor winter garments. It is 

 the best color for both summer and winter. Al- 

 though this statement may seem like blowing hot 

 and cold, it is nevertheless true. Let those who. 

 are troubled with cold feet, and who wear dark 

 socks, change to white, and see if the difficulty is 

 not in part or wholly removed. Utility in color is 

 confined to the different shades merging from dark 

 into light ; but we find in connection with dress all 



