Orangeburg times. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1872-1875, 1874-07-09
THE FEET.
All About Pedal Decoration In tho Good
Old Days u. O.

AtIavery early date the art of decora-
ting the covering for the feet began to
develop; and the pretty feet of the fair
seemed to have betrayed the earliest
susceennibility to pedal ornaments, al
though the use of these bellishments
was by no means confined to them, as
we shall presently see. Some of the
earliest and most distinctive examples
we find in jewish records. Thus, in
Soloihon's song e chap, ivy, the bride
is thus addressed "How beautiful are
thy feet with shoes (sandals), o princes
daughter !" In the case Of judith of
the Apocrypha, although her personal
attractions, the splendor of her attire,
and other ornaments, may have attracted
the attention of the fierce Holofernes,
the Assyrian general, it was her sandals
that 9ravished his eyes," (Judith, xvi
chap.,9 w A passage in Isaiah gives
us Idea of the character OF some of
the ornaments employed. "Haughty
daughters of Zion walking and mincing
as they go, and making tinkling with
theirSfeet. The Lord will take away
the bravery of their tinkling ornaments
about their feet" Isaiah, chap. iii, 16-
18) 1.-The first approach to boot-and
there was probably nothing of the kind
prior TO 500 B. C.-was.in the shape of
high stocking or greave, piece of
leather affixed to the front of the shins
as protection from injury in war, by
means of leathern thongs or interlaced
bands of leather. This protection doubt
less eyentuated in the elaborate feetal
greavss which formed an important part
of the armor of later period. The
transition of the sandal to the shoe is
perhaps more evident in the sculptured
remains of Persia than in any other of
the dumb yet eloquent witnesses of an
tiquity.
the bas-reliefs of Persepolis give
many illustrations of the style of boots
and shoes worn by the Persians in the
time of Darius and Xerxes-between
521 BIO. and ATS B. O. One of these
is sort of ankle boot, half shoe, half
sandal; for what is termed the "upper
leather is little more than the straps of
the sandals left much broader than usu-
oil, and fastened by buttons along the
top of the foot. This kind of shoe is
represented as having been worn by
scldiets, the upper Glasses, and attend
auts around the throne Of the king
Other specimens are completely and
uneiitvocally slices, the characteris-
tics OF the sandal beiog apparently en-
tirely absent. There are also anon 2
these sculptures several kinds Of boots,
one of them being similar to tie three
quarter Wellington of the present time
A highly ornamental dress boot adorned
the legs Of gaily-dressed youth de-
picted on Theban painting, and sup
posed to have belonged to country
adjacent to Egypt. It is similar in
form to the dress Of Wellington of the
present century, and is sample of the
boot decoration then prevailing. Ing.
hirami, in his Monument Etruschi,
gives an engraving of heather priest
taken from au ancient Etruscan sculp-
ture, the figure wearing pair of top
boots exceedingly like those worn by
the ditohers and fishermen Of to-day.
The Etruscans were antecedent to the
Greeks and Romans in civilization, 80
that this must be very old, although not
so ancient rs tho Theban painting Just
noticed.
1t is tolerably clear that tho shoe de-
veloped into tho boot, and that Orator
Hensley's celebrated method of making
shoes had not been thought of at this
early stage OF the world rs history. Many
of our readers will rcoollect the anec-
dote OF the great mob orator, who once,
by clever strategy, is said to have at
! tracted "the greatest multitude of shoe
makers ever known to have been assem-
bled on one occasion" ut his oratory
near Lincoln's Inn Fields He had an-
nonnced n special discourse to shoemak-
ers, and in order to "draw" an audience,
with the true genius of sensationalism,
he declared that he could teach them n
most expeditions way of making shoes.
His method was simple but conclusive,
viz: to cut off the tops of their boots.
The ticket of admission on that occasion
bore tho appropriate but hooking motto
-OnenG naajus c0ntiaet in Sc a,ainuS (the
greater contains the less). It is also
sufficiently clear that in great degree
modern fashion is but an imitation
more or less refined one it may be-oi
the other forms and fashions whose re.
cords are to be found on those ancient
monuments. History repeats itself
in the way of boots and shoes as with
everything else, and the boots of mod
ern days find their earliest exemplars or
these striking sculptured memorials o.
nations whose sun of prosperity ha.
gone down forever, but who once occu
pied the proud place in the world O
"frst in arts nc in arms"
The great Persian monarch, Cyrus
was not only warlike soldier, but :
connoisseur in the art of dress. HI
was accustomed to wear purple ant
white robes, and to cncase his feet ant
legs in yellow bnskius. If maj
was unfortunate enough to possess tn,
dignity of high stature, he recon-
mended that he should wear suit o
buskin or stocking, between the sole o
which and the bottom of the foot SOM
substance. might be inserted to give n,
increased hight to the wearer. A simi
lar method of increasing their high