WESTON ON WALKING.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 727, 13 February 1877, Page 2

WESTON ON WALKING.

The great American t pedestrian, Edward Weston, Teceutly .delivered a lecture on walking at .Liverpool. Tbe following summary will be interesting:: — The idea of a man training for a pedestrian was, he said, simply absurd. He should* always be in training. Let him be a man :and an honest citizen, and be .careful of what he '.eats and when he 'e%ts it, and he "can dispense with the nuisance of a trainer and 1 the rubbing down and thumping and rolling in bandages, and crackers steeped in wine or brandy.. The only difference he made from ordinary life was that he avoided 1 eating pastry and preserves ; and as to a trainer,* he never had one,! with the exception of a servant to. take care of his wardrobe arid tie, his shoes, and that for this simple reason that he was too lazy to do it himself. He had been tasked to show the boots which' he wore when walk-' ing> and to describe the manner in which 'he took care of himself. He exhibited the boots to the aiuli-; enceV remarking that the boots did; the walking— his feet simply guided' the boots. The boo f s only fitted across the instep, and were three sizes larger than the shoes he usually . wOi^e when walking in tho streets, The sole - was conposed of two thicknesses of the leather from the

| toe to the heel. That preventing . it- from giving, and the foot strucic the ground flat. • You hardly use the feet except to preserve your equilibrium — the hip guided; t:ie foot. In order that the feet should} not S)3come sore, before he started < walking in a morning he placed that' in a' bath of salt and water, composed of a cupful of Tidinan's sea salt and about a gallon of water.. i The salt must be desolved in hot 1 water, and then allowed to. cool, and. the ieet be placed it it for from: three to five minutes, and then thoroughly wiped, care being taken to wipe dry between the toes and;, uuder the knee joint. After that, in order to. hardeu them,bathe them with B'al moral = -.o r I rish whiskey ; and after the boots are placed ; on the! feet, pour about a gill of whiskey to the bottom of the feefc by means of a .funnel made, for the purpose.

This would keep the feet cold dur-

ing 'the day. -Knitted" woollen socks must be worn, as ithey the; feet from blistering. Should 'any blisterS:rise on the feet, he pushes a needle through, them, and if done before the feet were put in salt and water they would see nothing .move of the blister, lie also exhibited a , belt, about 2in in width, which he] wore during- 20,000 miles of walk-! ing, «It must not be fastened on too tightly, but so that it would support the waist ; and in case you were tired with walking you :could put' your hands behind and rest your loins, and injury to the spine was thus avoided. He has often been asked whether he was stiff in the morning. He held in his hand a preparation composed of two parts of olive oil and one part of ammonia; this he rubbed into his limbs, from the thigh down to the ancle. It must be rubbed simply downwards. After that, put on red ftanuel, which prevents stiffness. If this preparation was rubbed about the knee joints it .prevents you taking cold or having rheumatic pains. Mr Wesbon spoke

strongly against the use of stimulants taken iuternally, and advocated walking exevcise as a means of ensuring health.