Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1873-12-11
Sawdust q 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 feetl what shall
we do with them the coming winter?
What chore it Is to care for them those
long months 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 warms 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
vapor to escape? You merely warm 1t
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 doneY Well, my
friends, don't be alarmed if sound the
death knell of all such trappings. 1t is
true that the brute is provided with a
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.
It is therefore thrown back upon the skin
and kept there to be chilled by the first
blast Now then for a remedy, though 1t
Is likely to be horrifying to the sensibili-
ties of fashionable people. No matter I!
We will publish our gospel for those who
will receive 1t.
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 clamminess about
them.
A number of years ago / 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
I would try the experiment. But soon
found that the touch of the inner sole
leather, which became saturated with
moisture, was very disagreeable. / tried
seversl kinds of loose soles, drying them
as soon as they required 1t, 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
substance that would absorb the moist
ure without overheating. Well, one day
happened to be barefooted, while near
heap of sawdust. / thought l would
step on 1t. 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, / became possessed of that
bliss for my feet which / had longed for
! have tried bran, but il is too heating il
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. prefer the dust from pine
wood because Of its sweetness and pleas.
ant odor. A tablespoonful to each boot
| is enough. When ON a long cold ride
with little walking to do, you can use il
plentifully, as it will help to keep the feet
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