A false habit, tending in the same direction, is that of _changing_ the shoes of children to make them wear evenly or prevent their treading over to one side at the heel. It is a practice productive of far more harm than good—a saving of shoe-leather at the foot’s expense. _After one foot has shaped a shoe to itself, to put the other into it forcing the great toe into the curve made by the little toe and outside of the foot, must do much toward bending the toe permanently out of place._ It should never be allowed or proposed. Give children _right and left_ shoes, and guard against their wearing on one side by good firm counters. It is their right, when obtainable, and anything less is injustice. While the foot is growing, it easily adapts itself to its surroundings; and by wearing short boots and shoes it may be encouraged to grow into a bad shape in a few years. Most old people have joints deformed in this way. We have also seen them on the feet of young and beautiful women, where they seemed most sadly out of place. Young feet are often forced to grow into uncomely shape through the good intentions of parents, whose falsely-taught instinct of beauty induces them to put as small a shoe on the child’s foot as it will bear, fearing that if left to itself it will grow too long, or too wide, to be elegant in form. The motive of this action is most commendable, but its wisdom extremely doubtful and weak. Beauty, taste, elegance, are to be sought for everywhere and always. We have not the least sympathy with any attempt to depreciate them. But they are not to be sought by counteracting nature. On the contrary, nature is most trustworthy. If not interfered with, she will make the foot grow in due proportion to the size of the whole body; and every part will be developed in the right proportion to itself. “Children of a larger growth” continue to carry out the same false idea by wearing as short and narrow a boot as they can squeeze their foot into with any degree of comfort. While the object is to obtain a handsome foot, _all such cramping inevitably defeats its purpose. The effect which it invariably has and must have, is to make the joints project, and add from one-fourth to three-fourths of an inch to the foot’s width_, leaving out of account the torture accompanying the process. Nobody will claim that large joints and extra width at this point make a good-looking foot, but they are the sure results, in greater or less degree according to the severity of the pinching, and the length of the time it is continued.