Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-12-07
The wooden shec.

FROM the London Globe.
The wooden shoe, as we all know, Is quite
national institution of France, and in Brittany
more than in any other part Of that country; its
''ciank' Is heard everywhere; people wear it
almost habitually there who would fight shy Of
1t elsewhere, save on high days, holidays, and
en- g''dnde tenue. when ''there is nothing like
leather" Hence follows the necessity for a
sufficiently large brotherhood of sahotiers, who.
as they could not possibly live in towns or large
villages by reason Of the cost of transport Of the
rough material exceeding the price of the man.
ufactnred goods-Mam'selle Maries well made
shoon aforesaid may be bought for q mere
trife-are forced to reside in woods and forests
or other places where suitable timber may be
available. OF the sabotier's house. such as it is.
never comes near it; the owner can shift it to
another locality when he likes; the
up and exhausted, away he goes to an
other. He buys o certain number of trees of the
requisite kind, sometimes in forest sometimes
by the sides of fields, which in Brittany are sur
rounded by lofty wood growth, to protect the
crops from the violent gales which there prevail.
The purchase. or rather the agreement to pur-
chase, concluded at some village notary's bu-
reau. and the timber marked, the sabotier comes
to the place with his donkey cart loaded with
the few poor fittings and furniture of his cabin.
the cases OF his ancient and much soiled bed
ding, his rough selfmade cradles and cots some
well worn culinary utensils, and the tools of his
trade-to wit, telling axes and saws. large sized
gouges, spokeshaves, and knives. These arehis
only movables; for the rest, the site on which he
squats provides him. At dawn he comes all day
he is labOring with the sweat of his brow at his
roof tree-by night it is finished. garnshed and
occupied. He beats even London contractor
of scamped suburban villas in rapidity of con-
structiOn. Then if the material be abundant, he
may remain on the chosen site for year or two;
II otherwise, few months location. and he
seeks another clearing. He is a regular Bedouin,
this sabOtier and like that nOmad can say ''the
rope which holds my tent has seen all cities
perish"
The never altering end and aim of Breton
wo0deI '"kers being is to fabricate sabOts,
and OF. groove he and his never run.
Such as ne father is such is the son. and. for
the matter of that. the daughter ALSO Children,
80 to speak, are to the manner born of making
sabOts, and at so tender an age as five or six
years they may be seen smoothing, blackening,
vanishing stringing together in lots the cover
ings which their parents and other relation,
have cut, shaped and followed out into cta,ts-
saTes for the human foot. When sufficient
load of sabots have been completed at a certain
fixing, the sabOtier goes with it to the nearest
village or town where his wholesale dealer re-
sides and to whom he dispOses OF the lot With
the money thus obtained, he replaces few
articles absolutely necessary for his wants. and
with the residue pays for timber already bought,
felled, and utilized. Money is put into the
purses of tree owner and notary but, little find
ing it's place in that of the workman. Having
no association with neighbors, abhorred by
farmers, disdained by tOwnsfolk. these Sell
kinks, in the midst of high civilization around,
live without further contact or intercourse
with society than that which has been told Of
viz, to buy wood, and to sell their handicraft.