Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-12-22
PRACTICAL HINTS FsR HARD
TH4FRH

beard Of police commissioners.
PRACTICAL HINTS FsR HARD
TIMES.
A writer in the Savannah ReBuJlicau has con-
tributsd series of vsluable articles on the sub
Jects ct shoes, clothing, food, etc, embodying
practical hints, showing Wha! others have done
and what we also may do, to help ourselves in
time OF need. We append his suggestions rel
stive to shoes as peculiarly applicable to our sit
UatiOn At present:
l. The earliest protection to the human foot
was the sandal This was q simple sole, or at
best an open shoe, fastened to the foot by
thongs. If we are to infer its history from lis
name, derived from SaHis SaaiROs the Greek
for bOard,) il was at first made of wood, though
afterwards more commonly Of leather, ard son g.
| times among th9 wealthy. of silver and gold
| Tbs earliest sandal was 8 fist sole then it IVES
! improved by q raised and followed pieee at
each end to keep the foot from slipping length
wise, and lastly, the sides also were slightly ele
waited so as to give nice st ali around the foot
The want of elasticity in the wooden sandals
vas IN some measure atoned for, by giving to
the bottom OF the sole the same curve that is to
4 be seen in the human foot
| Now, it must be admitted that the sandal IL q
! very poor substitute, especially in winter, for
the nice high quaTssred shse, or beot, to which
most OF us mOderns have been accustomed. but
1t Is certainly better than no shea at all; it is
also within the reach Of every shosless man,
woman, and child; and more than this being
the only shoe worn by our Savior during bis
three and thirty years pilgrimage on earth, It
may be well endured, for a while without nur-
muring, by those who revere him as an example.
The French Sandsl or Sabot. used exten
sively among the peasantry Of Europe, and
sometimes to be seen in America, is nothing
more nor less than q shoe made out of a solid
piece OF wood ItlOoks for all the world ike A
large fiat shoe last, followed out to receive the
foot. Those which were worn by old and Young
of a colony Of Europeans that settled in the
upper part of Georgia few years since, were
made principally Of the poplar or tulip tree.
The only tools necessary in their manufacture
are an auger, two or three gouges Of q shape
suitable for excavsting the interior, aud draw
ing-knife for shaping the outside. OF course,
they are clumsy and noisy, and no one would
ever think Of putting them on to help him in a
foot race still, they are substantial and cheap
outlasting, 1t is said two pairs of leather shoes
aud costing not more than franc (2Oc) pair.
Being perfectly imperviOus to water, It is aues-
tiOnable whether, aside from its eheapness. it is
not the best shoe possible for our rice planla-
tiOns, and for all persons who work In wet soils
3 Tue AMERICAN SANDAL OR MOCCASIN-
A baTofOOted Indian coHld shoe himself in the
acourea of an hour. The process was this Plan
ting his foot upon piece Of tough deer skin,
which he drew up close around the ankle he
made q seam at the heal, and another from the
toe to tie instep, and afffr trimming of the
surplus leather, his work was done. The Iudisn
did not usually have the sole in his mOeeosin
any thicker than the sides, but this is no reason
why the white man should not; the Indian
made bis shoe Of deer skin, the same substance
which supplied him with clothing the white /
man may construct bis Of leather, cloth, can
vsss, osnabnrgs, or anything else of slrengthaud
thickness sufficient for the purpose Wh0sOever
would make q thick sOled moccasin of cloth !
c2rpeting, blanket or waterproof osnsburg,
would do well to sew the sels to the uppers first,
and then draw the uppers around his foot or a
81 q lst of the proper size, for the purpose of
sewing the same.
a. The ancient buskin (bootkin, little boot.)
or Clsth RTHHS of Rome and Greece, was high
heeled and thick soled sock Of cloth or sot
leather, worn by tragic actors on the stage, for
the purpose of adding to their hight It was q
kind of half boot, laced pretty high above the
ankle; or il may be described as the product /
that would arise from uniting the gay, high
topped moccs9in of the American Indian, with /
the thick, wet weather sandal Of the early He .
b-eWs. 1t was favorite shee with shepherds /
For winter wear it will be found excellent.
OF anything in the shaps OF real shoes the (
simplest and most easily made, as well ss the I
cheapest, though not the most graceful, is a
shoe with thick s0OOdsB SOLE to the sides of (
which the Uppers are strongly fastened with 1
Ordirary three or fouI-Ouncs tacks The max /
ing of it requires no Awl, no needle, no thread, 4
not even shoe last, but only properly made
sole, and the uppsrs cut right and fastened to-
gether by q hammer and tacks. To make i. [
shape out g sole of wood rather thicker and Aar- /
F0tSeT than usual, and fitting close up into the /
hollow of the foot, let the uppers be made in
two pieces, ss chamber slippers are sometimes
seen to be--the heel part in a kind Of new moon
shape, having it's sharp point tackled not quite
half toward the toes, aud the toe and instep part
extending back so as to Oyerlsp the heel piece
and tackled about half way Of the heel The
uppers may be of tE0 thicllnesses o. Osnaburgs.
backsned with water proof mixture, or, what
is better, of enamelled cloth, lined with strong
canvas. ANY person who would make = shoe
Of this kind without loss must first Of all make
himself pattern Of cheap materials, and try its
fitting
6. The fatigue shoe, used Of late in European
armies, and occasionally to be seen in our own,
consists Of a soft hempen sole, very grateful to
blistered feet, and an upper Of soft leather or
cloth, To make the sole, take the TAvelings Of
a rope, and plat three strans together into a
fat bIaid as wide as the sole is to be thick, say
ive-eiehis of an inch Then, on the same plan
=
shucks, put your braided strands together and
sew them fiat sided, in tho shape Of the sole de-
sired The upper and the soles are then sewed
together by means OF q large needle; but the
speration will require last The bottoms Of
the soleS may be saturated with waterproof and
made available for ont door
z. GRASS. SHOES.-Among the euTi0sties
brought home by travellers in Ch;na and Japan,
ne those made entirely of tough grass thick
sole is FIRST plated, beginning at the bottom
then the long ends Of grass which are left pro-
iecting from the upper part Of the SOLE are wo
ven around last so as to farm the upper part I
Of the shoe, the long ends st the toe being turn
sd back toward tho heel, and the long ends at {
.he heel being turned toward the toe, crossing
sseh other and being crossed by the ends pro-
eetipg from the sides. II is said that their
aorses are sometime shod with grass shoes which l
endure an incredible length Of time. Why !
would not the tough wire grass Of our piney
woods serve the purpose as well as the grass Of {
China It is made into the most enduring Of
hats why not shoes Ths tough inner bark
IF the Wahoo tree, aud the still tougher fla I
nents Of the hear grass or silk grass (Gucea FL
amentosa)l may prove good materials for the
purpose.
8. SHOES OF WHITE OAK Spurs -SJms one
was speaking few days since within the Wi.
ler's hearing, of hsving seen, in the upper part.