still the same rule is equally good—they must not be squeezed more than comfort will allow. If complaint is made that the upper leather stretches out, and the foot treads over the sole, and spreads and sprawls about more than appears neat and proper, it is only to be replied that if a shoe of the right shape, and sufficiently wide is worn, there will be no trouble of this kind. On the whole, tight-boot-wearing is a humbug. It is entirely unnecessary, doing no good, while often defeating itself when its object is to improve the foot’s appearance. Besides the ordinary discomfort created by it, the whole tendency of extreme tightness is toward corns and deformity. How much, now, it may be inquired, is meant by _extreme tightness_? The answer is—_discomfort_. A new boot or shoe that fits as it should, may be worn without serious discomfort for several hours, or half a day, when first put on. After three or four days it may be worn all the time. It ought not to be expected that it can be worn constantly at first; for if loose enough, for this it will soon be too loose for a handsome fit. Then, an article that is tight for a foot belonging to a weak and delicate organization, with a feeble circulation of blood, may be perfectly easy to a foot of the same size and shape belonging to a strong, healthy constitution with an energetic circulation; and for the same reason a person can wear a tighter shoe when young than when advanced in life, or failing in health; but either of these, and at any time, may be governed by the rule, that positive discomfort indicates extreme tightness. There are some kinds of material that stretch considerably under the foot’s pressure, and boots made from these should be a little tighter at first than those made of firmer stock. Besides, there are some feet so sensitive that very slight pressure or friction will develope corns on them, and such must wear a softer material than is worn by feet that are more hardy. The question of tightness is somewhat complicated by such considerations. Most of us, however, can usually tell for ourselves what is tight, and we have no right to decide for others. * * * * * Ordinary hard corns, when young, may be removed by scraping up the callous skin around the borders and prying out carefully with a pocket knife. There is no need of cutting through the under skin. In more difficult cases some further treatment will be necessary, and for them we quote the following methods, the first from Cooper’s “Dictionary of Surgery.” “Wide, soft shoes should be worn. Such means are not only requisite for a radical cure, but they alone often effect it. Though the radical cure is thus easy, few obtain it, because their perseverance ceases, as soon as they experience the wished-for relief.