John Lord Peck

“ The fashionable world—those people whom the earnest thinker and the practical utilitarian look upon almost as useless idlers in the community—still have their superiority in one direction, over the thinker or business man, which must be fairly acknowledged. They are artists in the matter of dress and personal ornamentation. They possess that taste and keen sense of the beautiful which forms everything around them into elegance, grace, and charm. ”

“ A new boot should be put on with care to avoid making them.
The ease and grace of movement connected with feet in their normal condition, and when properly dressed, has been hinted at several times previously. This is a consideration almost entirely overlooked; yet it is not a thing of small importance. Everybody, in greater or less degree, admires grace and beauty. Nearly everyone who has a consciousness of being awkward in any way, suffers from that feeling or knowledge. This love of the beautiful is as much a part of human nature as conscience ”

“ Nearly all the coarser and cheaper kinds of men’s shoe goods have the bad quality of general stiffness. Their wearing makes, in a very decided and proper sense, stiff feet. They are all the worse for having pegged soles. Whether the soles are curved or straight makes not much difference, for the stiffness prevents the use of either the upper or lower set of the foot’s muscles. As these goods can not be generally manufactured at the present time without being made stiff by pegs, in addition to the firmness of the leather, there is but little chance for improvement. ”

“ A person cannot walk easily and handsomely—much less run—in boots that are uncomfortable, or with corns and sore joints crying out at every step. High heels necessarily give an unnatural character to the step, because the heel of the foot does not come near the surface, as Nature intended. The weight of the body is thrown too much upon the forward part of the foot, which would seem likely to have some tendency toward breaking it down, while it prevents that very spring upon the ball and toes which is the most essential thing in graceful walking. ”

“ If, for example, a shoe happens to be trodden on one side, and especially, as is most commonly the case, if it be so at the heel, then the heel has no support, except from the inner margin of the sole, which is thus worn away, and the heel-piece becomes oblique, or, in other words, lower at one side than the other. In walking and standing on such a heel-piece, the whole external margin of the foot is raised, and the inner, which naturally supports the arch, is so depressed as gradually to lose its convexity, and thus flat-foot is produced. ”

“ There is a low arch, transversely of the foot, from the ball of the great toe to that of the little one, its two opposite resting points. In nature it is somewhat like the great arch between the ball and heel. To raise the sole under it is like supporting an arch in the middle, which would be absurd. In this case it is entirely unnatural, and only of use in a boot that is very tight, or much too narrow, where it may do good by preventing the formation of a big wrinkle in the sole of the foot, lengthwise, which might come from the drawing together of the opposite sides. ”

“ A false habit, tending in the same direction, is that of changing the shoes of children to make them wear evenly or prevent their treading over to one side at the heel. It is a practice productive of far more harm than good—a saving of shoe-leather at the foot’s expense. After one foot has shaped a shoe to itself, to put the other into it [Pg 26] forcing the great toe into the curve made by the little toe and outside of the foot, must do much toward bending the toe permanently out of place. ”

“ A good shoemaker would not like to make an Oxford shoe upon a boot last, although it is laced well up toward the ankle. Why should he be willing to make a boot on it, when the boot is confined at the instep no more than the shoe? There is the same danger of slipping in both cases, and why should it not be guarded against in the same way? Every one who has made or sold shoes knows that a slipper, or low shoe of any kind, will fit on the foot much better if made on a shoe last; that it is less liable to be loose at the sides, and to show big wrinkles across the ball ”

“ The natural object and intention of the foot is the support of the body, and the carrying of it, in all its movements, lightly, easily, safely, and gracefully. To this object it is as beautiful and wonderfully adapted as the eye and ear, those special objects of wonder, to the functions performed by them. ”

“ Callosities upon the heel, sometimes so bad as to be called corns, are often troublesome, and mostly so to those persons whose feet are bony and spare of flesh. In these, if they are not broken down, the heel bone, at its upper part, projects backward distinctly. If the boot worn slips at the heel, there is no flesh over the bone to ease the pressure and friction of the leather, and the skin must thicken for its own protection. After a while it becomes so thick, callous, and hard, that every pressure upon it hurts the bone, as much as before it was formed. ”

“ By far the best way, and the only right way, is to wear a heel sufficiently long to give all the needed support, and a shank as flexible as it can be without breaking or clinging to the foot when the boot is drawn off. The foot—at least the heel and arch portion—is then left unimpeded in its natural action. If it be said that the stiffness is intended to keep the sole in its proper shape, it is replied that when the boot fits naturally and easily—not loosely—it will keep its correct shape without any help, while if it does not it will tread badly in spite of all the stiffness. ”

“ It is to be borne in mind that in all cases of weak ankles, except those incurably so, the object should be to support them no more than is necessary; but instead, to allow the muscles to be used as much as possible for the sake of strengthening them. When the whole support comes from [Pg 107] braces—in the shoe or outside of it—there is nothing left to be done by the muscles on the side of the foot and leg, and consequently they remain weak. The law of growth and strength is use, exercise, or labour. ”

“ If complaint is made that the upper leather stretches out, and the foot treads over the sole, and spreads and sprawls about more than appears neat and proper, it is only to be replied that if a shoe of the right shape, and sufficiently wide is worn, there will be no trouble of this kind.
On the whole, tight-boot-wearing is a humbug. It is entirely unnecessary, doing no good, while often defeating itself when its object is to improve the foot’s appearance. Besides the ordinary discomfort created by it, the whole tendency of extreme tightness is toward corns and deformity. ”

“ If it were adopted in general use, and more especially for the shoes of children, and those who have not yet seriously deformed their feet at the joint, the next generation would show that crooked toes, soft corns, inverted nails, big joints, and bunions had been almost abolished. Such a result is entirely worthy of a noble effort on the part of those who furnish foot coverings. Such an effort, too, when made, will surely be seconded by the growing intelligence of the whole people, who will be constantly learning a better appreciation of the reform. ”

“ Many right-and-left lasts are made so nearly straight that the difference in form, and the benefit arising from it, amount to but very little. This must be remedied by the people learning what is to be desired, and making a demand for it. It is sometimes argued that the straighter the last is, the less liable is the foot to tread the boot over to one side; but this we hold to be a fallacy, and that the liability to tread over, is determined by the shape of that part of the last between the heel and instep. ”

“ The thing to be remedied, is the strange taste which looks upon feet that are abnormally small with any more admiration than would be given to a small head, or short legs, or stumpy fingers. When people who are otherwise intelligent come to see that the foot has the same right to a full and natural growth that belongs to any other part of the body, they will not cramp it with tight boots, or consider a foot of this kind as any more beautiful than a pug nose, a dwarfed limb, or any other lack of development whatever. ”

“ A narrow foot must not be confounded with a slim one. Feet that are slim—that measure less than an average in circumference—are often found wider than most of those of the same length which are of medium size or fulness. These are feet that spread, and may generally be found on individuals of spare or muscular temperament. Such persons ought to wear boots made on wide lasts, with wide toes, though at the same time sufficiently slim to fit. As such lasts cannot easily be found ready-made, those having feet of this shape ought to possess a pair made expressly for themselves. ”

“ It is in persons of the opposite type—those who have firm, close, hard, and strong muscles, and no extra flesh—that the arch is found in its greatest perfection. There the strong muscles and ligaments bind the bones together with such firmness that the arch is enabled longer to resist the influences which tend to break it down. Yet the flat foot is very common, in spite of all nature’s efforts for prevention. The deformity, in greater or less degree, may be said to exist as the rule among adult persons, while the natural arch is the exception. ”

“ There are many feet in which the toes turn inward in walking—a habit which may be easily corrected by a little care and perseverance, and the subject of it enabled to go on his way rejoicing in the knowledge that he has gained a respectable walk in place of one that was ridiculously awkward. All that is required to change the habit is to develope the strength of the muscles by calling them into exercise. An every-day practice of turning the feet outward as far as possible, for a few minutes at a time, will do a great deal. ”

“ Almost every one, at some period in a lifetime, forms their unpleasant acquaintance; and to know how to avoid them entirely, or to destroy and remove them at pleasure, may be considered information worth possessing. Although we lack the familiar practical knowledge of the man who makes corns his profession, the reader shall have the benefit of as much as we are able to supply.
A common corn is caused by friction or irritation of the skin—the chafing and pressure of the foot against the leather of the boot, or the crowding of the toes against each other. ”

“ It is quite possible, also, that this habit may be adopted by children sometimes from wearing a shoe that hurts the foot. The sufferer may turn it on one side to avoid a peg, or some rough projection on the insole, and in this way the fault may be developed in some of those cases where one foot treads over, while the other stands upright. And children will often get into an awkward manner of standing or walking, even without any reason for it—from sheer carelessness—and require a great deal of watching, in order to train up their feet correctly. ”

“ The best fitting boot or shoe is one made of the right shape to adapt it to the particular foot; which is just snug enough to confine it without any uneasy feeling; and into which it goes easily and naturally to its proper position. There is sufficient length to allow the toe to move without pressure on the nail, and sufficient width to let the toes lie side by side, in which position they appear much better than when piled one over another. There are no wrinkles made by loose leather—none by over-tightness. ”

“ The calf of the leg is but partially developed in some races of men, and only comes to its full growth in conditions of civilized society that call for the use of all its muscles. So it is confidently believed that all those steps and motions which give lightness, grace, ease, and elegance to the movements of the body, such as occur in most varieties of the dance, and particularly such as demand the use of the toes, have a tendency to develop and strengthen the foot’s arch. ”

“ And the problem for the shoemaker to solve is to create a covering that will give the freedom and ease of the old sandal, combined with neatness and elegance of fit, with protection from dirt, cold, and dampness; and with propriety and beauty throughout. It will be something considerably different from any now worn, and may tax his ingenuity to a greater extent than is supposed. Professor Meyer is right concerning the form of its sole at the inside; but the curve at the outside is too much like the common style to be exactly the right thing. ”

“ Stiffness, also, has a decided effect upon the carriage of the body. One who has always worn stiff, clumsy foot-gear has a stiff, awkward walk, because all the muscles of the foot and leg brought into play by natural walking have been interfered with and cramped by the miserable clogs on the feet. As these will bend, or allow the foot to bend, but very little, there can be but little use of the muscles which form the calf of the leg and raise the heel. ”

“ The turning over of the foot is believed to be sometimes occasioned in children by their being obliged or encouraged to stand or walk upon them for too long a time, when making their first attempts, in infancy. The bones, ligaments, and muscles being all soft, tender, and weak at this period, they may be forced into almost any shape by pressure or overstraining. This is something worthy of careful attention from parents. It is very easy to let a child contract a habit of walking which will render the feet and legs deformed through a whole lifetime. ”

“ The first principle of cure is to give the feet a respectable ‘area of freedom;’ and the second is, to soak them in warm water and shave off the horny substance, and then touch them with the nitric or nitro-muriatic acid. When the corn is inflamed or highly irritable, the tepid foot-bath should be employed to remove this condition before the acid is applied. The aqua-regia—nitro-muriatic acid—is the ordinary secret remedy of the ‘corn-curers.’ When the corn is fully formed, or ripe, a membrane separates it from the true skin, so that it can be taken off without injuring that surface ”

“ It is not, however, intended to deny that there are many feet which are proportionally too large, made so by some occupation or habit demanding an extreme development of bone, muscle, and strength. Nature committed no mistake in their production. She made them no larger than was necessary to adapt them to the habits of their possessor, or of the parents from whom they were inherited. To attempt to improve them by cramping, is only to make them worse by distortion. They will probably decrease their size somewhat in time, if circumstances favour them in so doing ”