On the subject of rubber boots and shoes much has been said, and
well said. There can be no doubt that india-rubber boots are
mischievous; but I have at length reached the conclusion that the
injury is less than the constant in-door life among girls and women
which would result from an abandonment of the rubber protections.
The prejudice against such leather boots as would, alone, prove
adequate to our climate, is so determined, that I think it my duty,
in discussing the subject of shoes for girls, to advise that, in
this climate, every girl should have a pair of india-rubber over-
shoes, of the arctic or sandal pattern, and a pair of large-sized,
long-legged rubber boots for the roughest weather.
They should never be worn except when the streets are in a condition
absolutely requiring them, and should not be kept on, in the house.
If these rules be carefully observed, and, during the season of the
year when rubbers are worn, the feet are frequently washed in cold
water, and rubbed hard with rough towels, hair gloves and the naked
hand, they may be protected against the injurious influence of the
rubber boots and shoes.