ter while it is as hot as can be borne. The
same specific applies equally to what are called "whitlows," or
"felons" a gathering in the region of the finger-nail that is
extremely painful, and to which some are constitutionally liable.

When the feet are large, the owners should never be tempted into
wearing any but the very plainest boots and shoes. Ornamentation of
any kind makes the foot look larger. Even a pretty foot looks its best
in a perfectly plain satin slipper, with only a small rosette with
buckle on the toe. This rosette must not, however, be permitted to the
large foot. It may, certainly, be worn on the place intended for the
instep, when that ornamental rise in the outline of the foot is
totally absent. Lines of white stitching on the boot make it look
larger than it really is. The best boot for a large foot is one in
which the toe-cap comes well up on the foot. Its lines are thus broken
up, and the apparent length diminished. A pretty foot, on the
contrary, looks better in a boot that has no toe-cap, the "upper" of
which is made all in one. This displays to advantage the beautiful
outline of the foot, and the gentle but decided curve of the instep.

The possessors of large feet should be particularly careful to have
their boots perfectly cleaned and very glossy. The feet look much
smaller when this is the case than when the boot has a rim of mud
around the sole and a shadow of dust upon the uppers. Where the instep
is defective or totally absent, a pretence at one may be made by
blacking that portion of the sole of the foot that is immediately
adjacent to the heel. This causes a kind of optical illusion which is
favorable to the flat-footed.

Patent leather is a most objectionable material for wearing upon the
feet. Through it ventilation is absolutely impossible. So much for the
sanitary part of the subject; and as to convenience, this is as much
in the shade as sanitation, for patent leather "draws" the feet much
more than any other kind. Of late, ladies and children have begun to
borrow this material from gentlemen, but as much smaller shoes can be
worn with comfort in any other kind of leather, it is not likely to
become universally popular. Large feet should never be clad in satin.

Foot-Wear.

The fit of the stocking is almost as essential to the perfection of
the foot as that of the boot or the shoe itself. It should be large
enough to allow freedom to the toes, and not so large as to wrink