American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-11-22
Sawdust Substitute for Stockings.

COMPARISONS are invidious, they ray,
but luckily that has nothing to do with
our subject. Neither stockings nor saw
dust will be any the worse for what we
have to say about them-so here goes!
Oh! these feet, these feet! what shall
we do with them the coming winter?
What a chore it is to care for them those
long monthsi What an array of boots
| and shoes around the fireplace! In short,
you are pretty sensible in winter that you
have feet, if that is any advantage. But
why don't those socks and stockings keep
them warm? 1 will tell you. The trouble
is that they keep the feet too warm part
of the time. Then they sweat, your socks
get damp, and the first cold blast, acting
on the leather, chills through to your
skin. You seek the fire; but how is the
up the while to meet with another chill.
The only effectual way to remedy the evil
would be to change your socks as soon as
they get moist; but that would of course
be out of the question in most cases.
What, then, is to be done? Well, my
friends, don't be alarmed if l sound the
death.knell of all such trappings. 1t is
true that the brute is provided with
covering somewhat like stocking; but
the skin of the living animal is porous,
emitting the perspiration, while shoe
leather has been so shrunk that its texture
is too compact to admit of any such thing.
1t is therefore thrown back upon the skin
and kept there to be chilled by the first
blast. Now then for a remedy, though it
is likely to be horrifying to the sensibili-
ties of fashionable people. No matter!
We will publish our gospel for those who
will receive it.
Sawdust, my friends, sawdust is the
remedy, well sifted and dry. 1t will be
sure to keep your feet dry-and that is
half the battle; and if they do get cold
(when the thermometer stands at about
thirty degrees below Zero) there will be
nothing of that awful CLEANLINESS about
them.
number of years ago l heard of a
stage driver who had given up the use of
socks altogether, having by some means
discovered that he was more comfortable
without them, even in winter. l thought
l would try the experiment. But soon
found that the touch of the inner sole
leather, which became saturated with
moisture was very disagreeable. l tried
several kinds of loose sOles, drying them
as soon as they required it, but besides
the drudgery of taking care of the sOles
they seemed to aggravate the evil by over
heating the feet. The thing was to find
u substance that would absorb the moist
ure without overheating. Well, one day
/ happened to be barefooted, while near
a heap of sawdust. l thought l would
step on it. Immediately it flashed into
my mind that that was the very touch for
me-the very stuff to come between my
soul (sole) and the neither world
and sure enough, from that mo-
ment, 1 became possessed of that
bliss for my feet which / had longed for.
| have tried bran, but it is too heating; it
does not absorb so well, and lacks the
property of keeping up that slight irrita-
ton on the skin which the grit of the
other produces, thereby quickening the
circulation. l prefer the dust from pine
wood because of its sweetness and pleas
ant odor. A tablespoonful to each boot
is enough. When on long cold ride
with little walking to do, you can use it
warm as well as dry. The great thing
you will find, is to keep the feet dry, and
then give them plenty of room. The
touch of leather is usually cold even to a
dry skin, and robs you of heat very fast
because it is a conductor. A tight fitting
boot seriously impedes the circulation,
the effect of which is to chill the feet,
whereas in a rOomy boot there is friction
which makes heat.
Change the dust every day. 1t is cheap,
and a few quarts will last you the whole
winter but see to it that it is dry before
you use it.
Where is now your eternal knitting and
mending of stockings? Where the dirty
drudgery of the wash-tub? Who can cal
culate the amount of work and money
saved by the substitute of sawdust for
yarn? Ye gods and fishes, it would be
an era indeed in the history of mans ad-
vancement! Try it, we men of common
sense Gf the women won'D; try it as your
humble servant has done for fourteen long
years, and if you don't call it blessing
even to have heard of the remedy, l am
much mistaken.-Oneidd Circular.