You are in haste to become a queen? The ambition is a noble one. You
can hurry the change by another practice, which I will describe.
A charming lady of the grand, old-fashioned pattern, bore herself
like an empress at eighty-six. I ventured to ask her:--
"Madam, what was the source of this remarkable carriage of your
person?" She replied:--
"During my young life I carried a large book on my head one or two
hours every day. My mother had been taught the practice in an
English school, and she transmitted it to her daughters."
Some years ago there was devised a pretty iron crown, in three
parts, which has been much used for this purpose. The first part,
which rests upon the head, weighed nine pounds; when an iron ring
was placed inside of this, it weighed eighteen pounds, and when the
second one was added, the weight was twenty-seven pounds. This
device was ornamental and convenient. But, while the crown is the
best thing; any weight will do. A bag of corn or beans may be
employed, A book will answer very well. I have frequently seen books
used. You can use any large book of no value,--say a large law
book,--and you will find that the effort to retain it on the head
will secure a perfectly balanced, accurate movement of all the
muscles of the body. Whatever weight is employed, let it be carried
upon the top of the head, holding the chin close to the neck, thirty
minutes in the morning, and about the same time before lying down at
night. In this connection let me say that the use of thick pillows
tends to produce a curve in the neck. The pillows should be hard and
thin. I am glad to see that hair pillows of moderate size are being
generally introduced.
Let me explain the way in which carrying a load upon the head helps
the spine into an erect posture. The spine is composed of twenty-
four separate bones, which do not lie upon one another, but are
separated by cushions of elastic cartilage. Suppose the thickness of
these cushions to be a quarter of an inch. When the spine is erect,
they are of the same thickness all around. When the spine is bent
sidewise, say towards the right, the elastic cushions become thinner
on that side, and if the bending is decided, the edges of the spinal
bones themselves will nearly touch, while the mass of elastic or
india-rubber substance will be pressed over to the left side. Now
suppose that one follows an occupation requiring this position of
the spine. After a time, unless pains are taken to counterbalance
the mischievous influence of the occupation, these india-rubber
cushions between the spinal bones will become fixed in this wedge-
like shape, being thin on the right side and thick on the left side.
Now suppose, instead of bending sidewise, one bends forward, as nine
persons in ten do, exactly the same thing takes place in these
elastic, rubber cushions, only that the rubber is pushed backward,
and the spine bones come together in front.
When the chin is drawn back close to the neck, and the cushions are
brought into their natural equality of thickness all around, if, at
the same moment, a considerable weight is placed upon the head to
press hard upon the spinal cushions, much will be done in a little
time, to fix them in this natural shape. It requires but a few
months of this management to induce a very striking change in the
attitude of the spine.
Many years ago, when my wife was an invalid, we spent three winters
in the South. The plantation negro was a shambling, careless,
uncouth creature; but occasionally we saw a negro whose bearing
suggested a recent occupancy of one of the kingly thrones in Africa.
After a little we came to understand the source of this peculiarity.
These negroes, of the erect, lofty pattern, were engaged in "toting"
loads upon their heads.
Everywhere, in certain large districts of Italy, one is struck with
the singular carriage of the water-carriers, who bring from the
mountain springs, great tubs of water on their heads.
How often we see German girls bringing into town great loads of
sticks on their heads. And we never look at them, if we are
thoughtful, without contrasting their proud, erect carriage, with
the drooping shoulders, projecting shoulder blades, stuck-out chins,
and general slip-shoddiness of our wives and daughters.