154 FIRESIDE SCIENCE. 



the beautiful tints of the rainbow, and these are used 

 for the ornamentation of the person. The rich and 

 varied colors which are so extensively worn are by 

 no means to be condemned ; adornment of the per- 

 son to a reasonable extent is commendable. We 

 all love the beautiful in nature, and what adds so 

 much to the attractiveness of woman as the ribbons 

 and scarfs, stained with magenta, mauve, or sol- 

 ferino, which adorn her person ? Deep in the in- 

 stincts of our nature is laid the admiration of color ; 

 and we love beautiful flowers and birds and beau- 

 tifully dressed ladies. 



The abuses in dress must not pass unnoticed. 

 The tight waist, the low necks to dresses, and the 

 high-heeled shoes are most flagrant abuses, and 

 ought not to be longer tolerated. We shall not 

 quarrel with the little jaunty hats of the ladies ; for 

 they are indeed p'retty, and no harm results from 

 them, as of all parts of the body the head needs the 

 least clothing. But, to pass to the other extremity, 

 we have to say that the detestable high heels to 

 ladies' boots and shoes, running as they do down 

 almost to a point, are spoiling the gait and ruining 

 the ankle-joints of children and young misses. We 

 are careful to order our shoemakers to remove such 

 heels from shoes before permitting them to be 

 brought into our dwelling. Heels of moderate 

 height and good breadth are of great service in ele- 

 vating the feet, so as to avoid direct contact with 



