The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1885-02-28
BLACK YOUR eooTsi'.

BLACK YOUR BOOTS P'
me Mixture Used La PIiny's Dsy-Ingredi-
ents OF Modern Biacklng-The Time
When the OId-Fashioned Boot-BIack
Disappeared.
1t appears to have been customary to
lmbue shoes with an oily mixture of
some kind before the time Of Pliny, that
is to say, before the commencement of
the Christian era. In the fifteenth book
Of his Natural History the great Ro-
man book-maker states that Cato re-
commended the dregs of the olive, after
the expression of the oil, to be used for
amounting bride reins, leather thongs
and shoes to render them supple. The
same author. in the thirty-fifth book of
this same series Of his, describes mix
ture which appears to be the very fouu-
dation of our modern backing. This
mixture he defines as compound of
lampblack, gum and vinegar, which
could be used for cleaning shoes and
for ink to write with as well. and he
makes much of tie double utility of the
invention. That very compound, with
the addition of oil and molasses, would
make the backing we use nowadays.
That such q mixture was In use In
Pliny's day is shown by the discovery,
among the old Roman remains id Eng
land, of leather which had been covered
with backing, and some fragments of
which still preserve dull polish. The
| first backing was doubtless rubbed on
the leather with the fingers Or a cloth;
for, at the time it originated, the stiff
brush of the present day was unknown.
Brushes made of vegetable fiber and
hair are mentioned by Homer, but from
| the designs which have come down to
US, these could not have been used for
| polishing
| The .stiff bristle brush was invented
several centuries ago, but it was not fit
for polishing tool, either 1t was only
in the present century that the blacking
brush was brought into use. In 1901 a
whalebone fiber backing brush was
patented. but it seems to have been o
failure. Split gull brushes have also
been tried and for ID wanting. This
about in 1912.
Modern backing GEMS to have been
originally composed chiefly of tallow,
wax and probably lalnp-black, and was.
therefore, somewhat similar to harness
backing. 1t was European invention,
and was first used in Trance and Italy.
A Mr.. Richard Marti, got hold Of the
recipe for it while or his travels, and
when he returned to England he made
a partnership for its manufacture with
Mr.. Charles Day, in 1901. This firm
has since acquired worldwide celebrity,
under the title Of Day & Martin. Another
important backing mandatory was
afterward established BY Mr. Robert
| Warren. Another was subsequently
founded by Mr.. Everett, who com
menced business in Kings Head Court.
Holborn. All the parties connected in
establishing these three firms acquired
large fortunes.
Each maker had. of course, proper
tons and methods of mixing peculiar to
himself; but the chief materials, namely,
a black colorng matter and certain sub
stances which acquire gloss by frie-
ton, were the same in most cases. In
England they generally consist OF bone.
black. sugar or molasses, sperm oil, sui
phuric acid, and strong vinegar. The
comeback, in the state of very thin
powder, and the sperm oil, are first
thoroughly Incorporated; the sugar OF
molasses. mixed with small proportion
of vinegar, is now added, and well
stirred into the mass: strong sulphurie
acid is then gradually poured in the
vessel. The mixture is then diluted
with an additional quantity Of vinegar.
Paste backing is now made in precisely
the same way as liquid backing, except
that the last portion of vinegar is not
added. 1t can be understood from these
ingredients how boy who recently un,
dertook to eat three boxes of blackine
on a wager, could die in terrible con
WILSON'S. Baron Lieb'g states that in
Germany backing is made in the fol
lowing manner: Powdered bone-blacl
is mixed with half it's weight of molasses
and one-eighth Of it's weight Of olive oil
to which are afterward added one.
eighth Of it's weight of muriate acid anl
one-fourth its weight Of strong sulphur.
acid. The whole is then mixed up will
water to q sort OF unctu0us paste.
In the days of Sim Tappertit, Londor
and all other great cities were dirty ant
badly paved, and bootblacks were a
|, abundant as they are at the present day
They haunted the corners of the busies
streets of London and Paris, and som,
few, like Mr.. Tappertit, were installed il
shops and little booths. They hailed tn,
pedestrians with: ''Shoeblack, YOU
honorp' BLACK your shoes, sir?n ant
never had change any more than the,
have it to-day. They used an oleaginou.
and lusterless backing, smearing it or
, with their hands and rubbing it smooth
with a brush OF rough cloth, In til,
; polishing shops old shoes were some
times loaned the customer to wear Will,
! his good ones we're being blacked. A
curious old police court case in Londol
concerns the arrest OF man for runnin.
off in pair of the bootblack's shoes
which were better than his own.
1t IS an odd fact that when the paten
improved blackings were introduced
the old-fashioned public bootblack, VIII,
used to mix his blacking up for himsel
each day, disappeared. Everyone tool
to having his boots BACKED at home, nov
that the tools and polish were SO handy
and for score of years the public boot
, black was unknown Then he began t,
crop up again and grow toward tn
! army he forms to-day. In Paris mos
Of the public bootblacks are old women
and in Germany they are young ones
There are no bootblacks in Spain, TO
the men there wear patent leather shoe
. entirely. The manufacture of thes
shoes is vast industry in France
whence the Spanish market is supplied
Cincinnati enquirer.
A 100000 Fence in Virginia.
A gentleman from the Lower PENN
sula states that the leading local quee
kion in AccOmae and Nortba