n the crown and the weight of the body
will rest on the ball of the foot, not the heel.

This position may seem insecure at first, as well as stiff and
self-conscious. With some this sensation will wear off sooner than
with others, according to their adaptability, and the result will be
assured power for long, graceful, strengthening walks.

In walking, a common fault is to let the knees bend continuously; this
gives a "flabbyness" to the whole personal expression, that always
seems an outward exponent of a "weak-kneed" character. The knees, to
obviate this, should be stiffened when walking. In the other extreme,
most women stiffen the ankle-joint unduly, thus giving a straight up
and down cramped walk, which is accompanied by coming down with all
force upon the heel, thereby producing a jar throughout the entire
nervous system, as well as an awkward locomotion. In this way all
benefit of the strong, natural spring of the instep, which tends to
lessen this jar and give grace and springiness to the step is lost,
and much weariness of the flesh is the result.

Mrs. Russell says: "We have a system of levers to do our walking with,
and they act precisely as do all levers. One leg is a lever to pry the
body over the other leg, and the latter becomes a pendulum and swings
back by force of gravity. When you walk three miles and feel as if you
could walk ten, you are walking that way. When you are tired out, you
are taking irregular steps and walking on your heels.

"In walking the foot should be used as an elastic arch, the ball
striking the ground first, not the heel. Trying to step too far is
productive of awkwardness. Hurrying is another cause. It is bad
walking to lift up your foot and put it down. If the sole of the foot
shows at all, it should be from the rear. What is wanting is
elasticity. Swinging the arms in walking, which is universal, is
absolutely unnecessary, and purely a waste of strength. Let them hang
pendulum fashion."

Stair-Climbing.

"Trained stair-climbers should be the healthiest as well as the most
beautiful of women, yet," says Mrs. Russell, "a town of stairs given,
and I will prophesy thin, eye-circled, cross-looking women." All of
this is to be laid to the fact that most women climb stairs in the
hardest and most awkward manner.

"In going upstairs there should be no waddling from side to side, no
trudging, no leaning forward, and no apparent weariness. The body
should remain erect, the st