3O HIGH-HEELED BOOTS. 



lessens the jarring which would be transmitted to the 

 spinal column, and thence to all the rest of the body, 

 were the foot flat or rigid. A well-arched instep is 

 therefore rightly considered beautiful; it makes the step 

 easier and more elastic. 



We may compare it to a carriage-spring, which gives 

 a gentle sway to the vehicle and prevents sudden jolting. 

 How much jarring the instep saves us, may be readily 

 learned by walking across a room on the heels. For a 

 steady, even, long-continued tramp, like that of a police- 

 man, a foot well-arched under the instep is of great im- 

 portance: it not only saves the upper parts of the body 

 from injury, but much diminishes the fatigue of walking. 

 Men who desire to join the police force but who are 

 "flat-footed," are rejected; experience having proved 

 that such persons cannot walk the daily " rounds." 



10. Why High-heeled Boots are Hurtful. When we 

 walk on the heels, we are jarred at each step because the 

 arch of the instep is not used as a spring. If we walk on 

 the toes, this is not the case, as the elastic front half of 

 the foot is brought into action. But walking or running 

 on the toes is fatiguing because it demands extra muscu- 

 lar effort. Boots with high heels lead practically to walk- 

 ing on the toes. The sole of the boot forms such a 

 slope, high behind and low in front, that the whole foot 

 slides forward on it, and the heel has no place on which 

 it can bear firmly and take its share of the work. The 

 arch of the instep is made useless, and the toes slip along 



10. Why are we not as much jarred when we walk on our toes as 

 if we walk on our heels? Why is walking on the toes fatiguing? 

 What are the consequences of wearing high-heeled boots ? Of boots 

 with pointed toes ? 



