Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/351

 329 BEAUTY the body are more or less arrested, this recumbent position aids wonderfully in increasing the growth. Hence, young people, both youths and maidens, should be en- couraged to rest in the recumbent position for half an hour or more once or twice daily, especially when there are signs that the rapid growth and development of the organism is a strain upon the vitality. Upon the intelligent care of an instructed mother in seeing that the head, body, and limbs of her growing girl are so disposed during the hours of sleep that none of the vital processes are retarded, largely depends the Fact of her becoming a beautiful specimen of normal womanhood or a case of arrested development. The manner of taking sleep and rest needs just as much in- telligence and guidance as does the manner of indulging in physical activities. Much of the beauty of a woman depends upon her height. If the mean height of the male and female population of any race be taken, where both have equal chances for The correct position for sleeping on the back growth in childhood, it will be found that the man is taller than the woman. And this is undoubtedly as it should be. The " correct " height for a woman of any nation is generally standardised by means of an average. The sum of the heights of as many women as possible is obtained and divi-^^cd by the number of women contributing to that amount, the result being supposed to represent the " normal " height of the women oi that locality. Thus, if i,ooo wom.cn measure 72,000 inches, the average height of women would be reckoned as 72 inches, or 6 feet. Everything under or,over that would then be reckoned as a departure from the average. But the correct, or normal, height, as Intended by nature, is only secured by taking a mean. Thus, if 72,000 women were each measured separately, the largest number of the same height would represent the true normal height, and anything above or below this mean would represent devia- tions from the normal. Appended is a copy of a table and diagram representing the heights from actual measure- ment of 430 English schoolboys of from eleven to twelve years of age, here given for the purpose of illustrating the method of securing a mean. Heig'hb in inc»ies N9of boys 60 3 1 Gianbs 59 4 58 JZ 52 22. 56 36 V &0 54 79 ^ Mrnn hrif'l'h 53 ya SZ 59 ^^ 51 35 ^ 50 29 / 49 12 / 48 4 f 47 3 { uwarta Table showing how to find mean height To obtain the mean or normal weight of the mean or normal woman, an average has to be struck by first obtaining the sum of the weights of the women representing the mean weight, and then dividing this by the number of persons weighed. In the same way, the average weight of all the other women having similar heights would be struck, from which a table giving the average weight of the women of various heights would be shown. Relative Physiological Proportions The following measurements indicate the full developments to which any normal woman may safely attempt to attain by special exercises. It will be found, however, that the ideals of the artist and sculptor, the physiologist and the physical culturist, vary considerably. The relative pliysiological proportions of the human figure, as accepted by artists and physiologists, are based upon the length of the head ; but, as a matter of fact, no rules can absolutely be depended upon. In the adult the length of the head averages, according to some artists, when measured from the tip oi the forehead to the end of the chin, one-seventh to one-ninth of the height of tlie whole body. According to Professor Cams, the length of the head, the length of the hand, tiie length of the sternum, or chest bone, and the length of the foot from the ankle to the tip of the big toe, are all equal one to another. Another unhygienic position for sleeping The circumference of the head equals three times the length of the hand. The body, stood against a wall in the form of a cross with outstretched arms, is con- sidered to be proportionately gro^vn if the measurements either way are equal — that is, from head to feet, and from finger tip to