The principle of breeches is a close fit for the inner surface of the knee and thigh, because with heavy material such as leather or cloth any wrinkles against the saddle will tear off one's skin and cause a deal of pain. With bent leg riding, the outer surface of the thighs had to be loosened, and this loosening has developed into monstrous puffed sleeves which expose the Englishman to ridicule on an irreverent stock-range. [Sidenote: Trousers and boots] TROUSERS. During the French Revolution, gentlemen in the town dress of the period, with knee breeches and silk stockings, had their heads chopped off, and all who valued their health took to trousers as an expression of liberal opinions. Trousers to the heels as distinguished from trousers tucked into boots {169} are still worn in Russia to indicate liberal views. An ultra-royalist is not content with long boots, but must add rubber overshoes to make his feet look large. Away from the influence of English fashions, the horsemen of the world wear trousers; of cloth in the Russian Empire and South Africa, of moleskin in Australasia, of duck in North America. Any kind of tight clothing which cramps the limbs is looked upon as an abomination. BOOTS. Long boots were recommended by Xenophon to the Greeks, low shoes are older still. Both save the natural strength and spring of the ankle which is needed in mounting a horse, useful in riding him. Towards the middle of the nineteenth century the increase of town life and improved paving made boot-tops worn under trousers appear superfluous in weight, cost and discomfort. Thus came the ankle boot as an economy and a comfort, but coupled with it was a lacing to "support" the ankle. To lace a man's ankle or a woman's waist is to replace with a merely stiff material the strong elastic muscles of the natural body, and sap the necessary health and strength which God has given. {170} [Sidenote: The logic of boots] In all outdoor life long boots ensure dry feet, and the top should reach the knee-cap to be of real use in wet ground, or when one kneels cooking beside the camp fire. The boot legs guard one against venomous reptiles and insects, and protect the shin bone which, for lack of any muscle, is liable to be broken by many kinds of accident. Lacing either a long or an ankle boot puts an end to free ventilation of the foot, making the skin to sweat, to soften, and in many cases to become offensive. For horsemen the boot leg is a useful protection from the chafing of stirrup leathers. In war the soldier who wears laced boots is obliged to sleep in them, whereas long boots, kept properly greased, are so quickly put on that it is safe to remove them at night. For infantry, the world's marching record was made by Colorado miners as volunteers for the New Mexico campaign. They wore long boots, as do the Russian and Germanic armies whose marching is said to be better than that of the French and British who have laced the ankle.