Evening star., 1886-08-14
SHOES IN THE CONFEDERACY.
GrOtesque ExpeAients Caused by the
Dearsh of Leather.

David Dodge. In the Atlantic Monthly.
The dearth OF leather also drove the people to
all sorts Of erotesque expedients. Sole leather
especially, owing TO the difficulty which the
small tanneries experienced in its production.
was extremely scarce. Wood, which had long
been worn to q limited extent by the slaves in
some localities, now came into general use In
the making of shoes. A wooden shoe was among
the very frst inventions patented under the
confederate government. In the beginning
considerable variety OF shapes prevailed. Some
could do no better than dig out Q rude wooden
receptacle for the foot, q travesty on the sdbot
worn oy the French peasants q strip OF leather
tSe neens soH attached to the by means Of which
pest and most comfortable style, and one which
was adopted whenever the additional leather
Willow Or Ss wooa To RRh,cS
leather uppers were fastened with tacks. A.
nrst these were made so thick, In order to In
effects was that OF adding very sensibly to the
stature of the community. Later on 1t was
found better TO make the soles thinner, aAd
bottoms light irons, similar in shape to horse.
shoes. They were necessarily the noisiest
sheta ever worn the OF
the air was clear and the ground frozen. one
was by this means kept we'll apprised OF the
peciaIly did their teiltaie ciatter make them
the aoomlnation of the negro In his nocturnal
rambles. The dismay of nervous people and
careful housewives, their effect indoors was in
deed something terrific though after irons
came into vogue and lessened the impacting
surface the clatter was toned down to some
they much less destructive to floors, while car
pets simply did not exist in their wake. De-
century, their marks are yet to be seen in some
houses.
The use of wooden bottoms tor shoes was by
no means confined to the negroes. They were
well as by many OF both sexes who had been
reared in affluence. The scarcity of the last
them. except the little feet which could not be
trusted to steer such craft, but bore their share
OF martyrdom by being imprisoned indoors
throughout the livelOng dreary month.
Great Skill and caution were requisite to keep
afoOt in wooden bottoms at all. A queer spec
tacle 1t was, too, to see ones fellow-beings STEP
misgivings as to the safeness of the earth crust
One may forget his first feat with firearms and
even his first exploit on skates, but never his
hrst flight on-Or, to be accurate, his first alb
duction by-wOOden bottoms II the sOles,
which in a clumsy attempt to fit the foot were
shaped like rockers. were once set in motion,
they persisted in inexOrably fitting one for
ward, especially in descending a hill, till voli-
tion was utterly lost, and nothing short of an
ascent or a fall could arrest them. However,
in time they became comparatively manage
able, one getting able to choose his own path,
as we'll as to have some small voice in stop
pages.
Uppers were made of such random pieces Of
leather, or of anything bearing the faintest
semblance Of leather, that could be lighted on.
Carriage curtains aud buggy tops were accepta-
Die. In some cases old morocco pocketbOOks
were converted into childrens shoes; while
many ladies managed to fashion themselves q
sort OF moccasin out of the most heterogeneous
ana unpromlsing materials. Woe to the care
less wight who suffered his saddled horse to
stand out near church, store or post Office alter
nlghtfall! The chances were that when he
went to mount he would find that some one
had appropriated his saddle skirts for sole
leather, unless he had fOrestalled such an act
Dy apprOpriating them to that end himself