d, the
out-of-door life and morning sponge bath and moderate eating will be
of help.

Care of the Feet

This is an important matter with scouts, as they will make frequent
hikes and tramps. The first thing to do is to walk right. The straight
foot is the normal foot. The normal foot is broad at the ball with
space between the toes. How different from the awful feet we see with
toes twisted upon each other and crowded together. Walk with feet
pointing straight forward. The feet that turn outward are weak feet.
Shoes therefore should be straight on the inner border, broad across
the ball, and have a low, broad heel. The shoe adopted by the scout
movement is a good design.

When a foot is normal, the inner border does not touch the floor. By
wetting the foot one can see readily whether he is flat-footed by the
imprint made. The following exercises are good to strengthen the
arches of the foot if there is a tendency to flat feet: (1) Turn toes
in, raise the heels, and come down slowly on the outer borders of the
feet; (2) Walk with heels raised and toes pointing inward, or walk on
the outer borders of the foot, inner borders turned up.

Shoes should fit the feet comfortably. Tight shoes, or shoes that fit
loosely, will cause callouses or corns. The way to get rid of these is
to remove the cause--namely, the badly-fitting shoes. Soft corns are
due to pressure between the toes. The toes in such cases should be
kept apart with cotton. Pointed shoes should be avoided.
Patent-leather shoes are non-porous and hot. Ingrown toe nails are
exceedingly painful. The pain comes from the nail piercing the soft
parts. Allowing the nail to grow long and beyond the point of the
tender spot will help; {231} and on the side of the nail and under it
cotton should be inserted to protect the soft parts.

Hot foot baths will generally relieve tired feet. Boys should be very
careful in trimming corns for fear of blood poisoning. Never buy
plates at a store for flat feet. They may not be adapted to your
needs. Always consult a foot specialist for treatment and buy plates
if needed on his order. Only severe cases need plates.

Many boys are troubled with perspiring feet and are frequently annoyed
by the odor resulting. Those who are thus troubled should wash the
feet often and carefully, especially, between the toes. By dusting the
feet with boric acid the odor will disappear. At first it may be
necessary to change the stockings daily. In