National Republican., 1883-03-01
DECEPTION IN FEET.
How the California Ladies Compress
Their Pedal Extrentties.
Snn Rtnnefaco Chroniole.

San Francisco Chronicle
"That lady has very small feet" remarked
q reporter yesterday to prominent shoe
merchant who had just performed the fitting
process on n pretty foot with French shoe.
Small r. exclaimed the merchant. "Well
j should remark She wears No. 12, misses
size, though a No. g. ladies' size, would come
nearer the mark"
Rather tight squeeze suggested the
reporter.
though you need not use IL in the paper. No
city in the United States is so renowned for
ladies with small feet as San Francisco and
why2 Because in no other city do the ladies,
as general rule, so punish themselves as to
crush q No. foot into No. 3 shoe. Why, ladies
como here and call for No. 2 shoes, and after
gallant struggle they give it up and go
out complacently In fours and even fves.
You see this climate affects feet more than
| any other in the world, and larger shoes are
| required here than in New York or Paris
| whore shoes can bo fitted that cannot be worn
here, owing to the climatic action, due to
lack Of change in the atmosphere. of course
we could never make our customers believe
this, 80 we resort TO the artifce of producing
No shoes from No. last, and they are
| thus saved the shock of knowing tho increase
| in size Of their foet- gear"
Do ladies require special lasts in the man
ufacture of shoes to orderY" inquired the re-
| porter.
mot always While there Is no difference
| in the anatomical construction of the foot
find that the daughters Of wealthy families
do not givo sufficient exercise in youth to
their feet, which grow slender and fail to
develop high instep and strong, elastic
| ankle"
do you sell many Fronch shoes2o the re-
porter asked
French shoesl" was the reply; "why it's
nearly all French, and, young man, you can
| say that more French shoes are sold in this
city in day than are sold in the United
States in n month. Just think of it. There
! are half dozen establishments in San Fran
cisco that import shoes direct from Paris, and
there Is not store in New York city that
makes regular importations Of French Shoes"
gested
Popular Oh, yes, though they are the
most absurd thing imaginable, and for cramp-
ing ladies' feet into all conceivable shapes of
ddeiormity they surpass those worn by the
NIongolians."
Taking a small shoe and holding IL up for
inspection, he continued: "You see the uppers
are very narrow, and taper to point. This
heel, you will observe, is made ridculously
high. BY this deception No. shoe meas
ures No. 10 misses size, from heel to toe;
SO, by crowding the foro part Of
and hiding the remainder on the coun-
ter back of the heel, lady stands on her toes
and the instep, which rests over the heel of
the shoe. Now, the average size of the ladies'
feet in San Francisco require No. shoe,
which, by having the heel in tho middle Of
the foot, makes the deception that conveys
the idea of small foot. You only see, how
ever, about as much Of 1t rs you would of
your own If you pushed 1t into bootleg and
stood on your toes.
"Now, here is q sensible SHOE" he said, and
large, broad shoe with low heel was ex-
hibited "These run as high as eights, and
are mostly worn by eastern ladies from Chi
cago or Cincinnati where they arc famous
for big feet am satisfied that eventually
broad shoes and low, fiat heels must prevail,
for the injurious effect of the present style
may not yet be felt still the deformity and
suffering entailed will compel descent from
the airy height Of French heels to COM
mon level for the bottom of the foot, and then
look out for astonishing revelations in the
size Of our ladies' feet