Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1882-01-05
The Wooden Shoe.

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qui- e national institution OF FrzE~ >,
and in Brittany more than in any other
part of that country; its 'sclank" is
heard everywhere; people wear i
almost habitually there who would fght
shy Of it elsewhere, save on high days,
holidays, and en- grands tenus, when
athere is nothing like leather" Hence
follows the necessity for a sufficiently
large brotherhood of sabotisrs who, as
they uld not possibly live in towns Or
large villages by reason Of the cost Of
transport Of the rough material ex
ceediDg the price Of the manufactured
goods, 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, the
State takes no notice the tax-gstherer
never comes near it; the owner can
shift it to another locality when ho
likes; tie wood he has purchased in
this spot worked up and exhausted,
away he goes to another. He buys q
certain number of trees of the requisite
kind, sometimes IN forest, sometimes
by the sides OF fields, which In Brittany
are surrounded by lofty wood growth
to protect the crops from the violent
gales which there prevail. The purchase,
or rather the agreement to purchase.
concluded at some village notary's
bureau, and the timber marked, the
sabotier comes TO the place with his
donkey-csrt loaded with the few roor
fittings and furniture of his cabin, the
cases of his ancient and much soiled
bedding, his rough self-made GRADER
and cots, some we'll worn culinary
utensils. and the tools Of his trade-to
wit, telling axes and saws, large sized
gouges, spokeshaves, and knives. These
are his 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 Lis brow at his roof
tree, by night it is finished, garnished
and occupied. Then. if the material
be abundant, he may remain on the
chosen site for q year or two if other
wise, few months location, and he
seeks another clearing. He is azegulsr
Bedouin, this sabotler, 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 wooden shoemaker's being is to
fabricate sabots, and out Of this groove
he and his never run. Such as the
father is such is the sor, ana, for tho
matter Of that, the daughter also,
Children. SO 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 coverings
which their parents and other relations
have cut, shaped and followed cut
into chdussHres for the human foot.
When a sufficient load Of sabots has
been completed at certain fixing, tho
sabotier goes with it to the nearest VII
lage or town where his wholesale dealer
resides, 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 finding its place III that OF the
workman. Having no association with
neighbors, abhorred by farmers, dis
dained by townsfolk, these Sslkirks, in
the midst Of high civilization around.
live without further contact orinter-
course with society than that which has
been told Of, viz, to buy wood, ana to
sell their hanaicraft - 4slstin Globe.