THE WAY TO TREAT THE FINGER NAILS 105 



There are three reasons why it is a mistake to trim 

 finger nails with the teeth. 



1. The pieces we bite off are sharp and 

 hard and bad for the stomach. Yet if they 

 are in our mouths we may swallow them. 



2. No teeth can trim nails as well as a file 

 can do it. 



3. If we get the habit of using the teeth, 

 we shall be likely to keep the nails too short. 

 The flesh then rolls over the ends, and in- 

 stead of having slender, useful, pretty ends 

 to our fingers, we shall have round, blunt 

 finger tips that cannot untie knots or pick 

 up any small thing. We shall be ashamed of 

 our fingers and our friends will be ashamed 

 of us. 



There are men and women in every city who spend 

 all their time in taking care of finger nails for other 

 people, but any intelligent person can keep his own 

 nails in good shape with simple things. What we need 

 most is warm water, soap, a nailbrush, a nail file, and a 

 nail cleaner. 



You can buy a stiff little brush with a wooden back at 

 any grocery store for three or five cents. It will not be 

 handsome, but the bristles will get under the nails as well 

 as if it had an ivory back. For five or ten cents more 

 you can buy a nail file and cleaner at any hardware shop. 



