Democratic Sentinel, Volume 7, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 August 1883 — Heads, Hands and Feet. [ARTICLE]

Heads, Hands and Feet.

The degeneracy of the human race is with some people a cherished article of faith, not to be lightly parted with, and many are the facts by which this foregone conclusion has been temporarily sustained. Very recently, for instance, it was said that the heads of English people were growing small by degrees, if- not “beautifully less.” Upon this point the testimony of hatters was approximately unanimous. Thirty years ago the average size of hats was considerably larger than now, and the conclusion followed that heads must have been also. A little discussion, how-* ever, showed that the conclusion did not necessarily follow from the premises. Hair is cut shorter than it used to be, and the method of wearing hats h<m changed also—they are nowadays not pressed so far down on the head. The two facts together explain the mystery without making that profound plunge into physiological details and the laws of life which was at first suggested. Next comes an outcry about gloves and hands, but here again not nature, but fashion, must be held accountable. People have developed a fancy for thrusting large hands into small gloves, and so long as they can strain a glove across the back of the hand many persfins appear to be satisfied, no matter how badly the fingers are accommodated. This is, of course, very absurd. In the first place it is bad for the glove, which has only a certain amount of “stretch” in it, and when this is exceeded something must give way, either the stitches or the leather, or "both. Then again, an over-tight glove is uncomfortable to wear and ugly in appearance; and, looking at the subject in all its aspects, there is positively not a single gain to balance the disadvantages. The fact, however, remains. Messrs. Dent, Alcroft & Go. inform us that the sizes formerly kept in stock were from 7i to 10 for gentleman’s gloves, and that they never thought of making anything smaller, except to special order. Now the sizes range from 7to 10, with an incraasing demand for the smaller sizes. In ladies’ gloves the smallest size formerly kept in stock was 6s, now s£s are kept. They have further found' it necessary to issue circulars calling attention to the increasing practice of wearing gloves too small, .and the consequent multiplication of complaints of the gloves giving way; naturally, neither shop-keepers nor manufacturers can be expected to hold themselves responsible for gloves destroyed in this manner. So, after r all, it is not hands, but gloves that are smaller. The latest story of, this kind is that feet are diminishing in size. A cotemporary says; “It cannot have escaped the observation of the trade hatt in ladies’ goods there is a decided tendency to wear boots shorter and wider than was formerly the case,” and suggests “that it is possible, with Inference both, to hands and feet, that we are developing smaller extremities.” We can well believe in any amount of distortion in the ladies’ feet, as a consequence of the idiotic boot-heels which have been fashionable for some years past; but most probably the fact, if it be a fact, referred to by our cotemporary will be as readily explained when it is examined as the questions of hats and heads and gloves and hands have been.— Drapers’ Trade Journal.