, 1880-08-02
London CObbIers.

a man WHO 1H y CODUleI IL oItSu Ouo
who has been q very expert shoemaker.
but he is much oftener one who has
never been an expert. When q work
man finds that he Can no longer make
50 fast as the new generation, or seize
with their readiness upon each improve
ment, he often takes to the repairing;
and were it not that he is generally too
far fallen into the sere anu yellow leaf,
such man would be very valuable to
his employ ers. From his past expert
ence and skill he knows exactly what
can be done to boots and shoes, and
how to do it, and does not spoil the
article in putting it together after he
has partially pulled it to pieces, where
as less skillful hands often iDiure the
shape.
But the majority of them have never
been craftsmen ut all; they are men
who have been brought up by their
fathers to work at the stool as
soon as they were old enough to do
anything; they have learned to mend,
but never to make, and are cObblers,
therefore. pure and simple. Some, too,
are the unfortunate parish appr enti0es,
the bonus of five pounds with whom
was enough to tempt some little !"
man to take them-a man who either
could not or would not teach them
much. or who, caring chiefly to get
some profit cut of their labor, set them
at ence 10 the oommonest and easiest
work, and kept them at it. OF course,
the lazy and irregular habits which
seem to be Indigenous to the tribe,
flourish especially in these poor fellows;
some, however, of the more prOvident
among them-save the mark!-take the
precaution of enrolling themselves in
the militia. 1t is hardly too much to
say that u larger percentage of work
ing shoemakers OF VII descriptions are
found In the ranks of the militia than
Is furnished by any other trade. Not
all cobblers, however, are irregular aud
lazy; some men will work all their lives
for one shop, and their sOns will follow
them. l have even known three gene
Iatlons working at the same time for
vNe firm.
Cobuling cannot be an absolutely un-
healthy calling, because We see SO many
old cUbblers, and these very often are
merry enough Old fellows; yet If man
has u teuusncy to consumption, the
cramped position on the seat soon con-
firms 1t. Few persons give thought
to the uncomfortable, almost painful
nature Of shUemakers work; but let
any moderately tall man, unused TO 1t,
slt for few hours on the low stool ana
he will have more sympathy with Its
occupant il future, aud Will cease to
WONDER at the everlasting short pipe.
Shoemakers are generally recAoned
quick amt shrowd although rather
harrow minded Face, and 1 think this
estimate l. tOierably correct one. An
instance of sharpness occurs to me
which does Lot rebound very much to
the credit of the crafG--It lis to be OBJ
served that they usually speak of thom
selves as the craft, or as Craftsmen. 1t
is briefly this: a house IN Whltechape!
dld a large trade III exporting ready
made boots and shoes, chiefly to the
West Inuies, and of course employed
d great number of hands. A man
would receive the material for half
dozen pairs, and would bring them back
made uD, one heel tucked Into the front
of the other boOl--they were all bluch
ers-and squeezed tightly down, as
some of my readers must have seen
them. The men netlced that when the
foreman took them in he merely count
ed the pairs, and then, JUST glunclng at
the lower boot, to see that the work
looked ali right, threw them into cor
ner of the warehouse, from whence
they were taken and packed into hogs
heads or chests and sent off. Probably
some one among the workers sharper
than his fellows, first caught the Idea,
and communicated 1t to the rest. But,
be that as it may, it is very certain that
the whole of one consignment of boots,
when arrived at jamaica, were found to
be deficient In each pair Of one heel aud
half OF one sole. The rascals Knew that
of the boot which was tucked into it's
fellow only portion of the sole could
be seen; the remainder they never
worked on at all and so the consign-
ment was worthless.
1t would be too much to expect of
men very imperfectly educated, "a cob
blers are, and with SO little to elevate
them in the circumstances by which
they are surrounded THAT they them
selves are to q great extent responsible
for these circumstances has nothing to
do with the question. which is simply
one Of facU--lL woaid be folly to expect
very high standard of practical or
conversational morality. Forty years
ago the working cobblers, and shoe
makers too, of London might have been
described as amongst the lowest Of its
denlzens. Their language was foul to
degree, and their habits were almost in
Keeping; but "a change has taken and ,s
taking place. As regards their profes
sional progress, the inhux OF French
and German shoe-makers has put the
regular craftsman very much on his
mettie, and they, as with other English
artisans, find that to keep the cream OF
the work to themselves more brain and