The Dickinson press., 1888-12-29
WOMAN AND HOME.
ECONOMIC HINTS CONCERNING THE
CARE OF SHOES.

Lack of Courtesy in the ~Family-How to
Keep u Husband-Home TRAINING. of
Girls-Warding on Invalidis,n - lsuga-
~boos-Notes, Items, Etc.
In nearly all homes, more particularly
where there are children, there is generally
an accumulation of shoes of all kinds, half
worn, whole worn and very little Worn. In
the majority of homes these are thrown pro.
miscuously together in n closet or some other
receptacle, to be assorted when wanted.
Some of these arc of no earthly use to the
posscssors, but are boarded up with the idea
that they may some day bc found useful, vet
rarely is this true, for if put away for any
length of time they are. when taken out, gem
orally unfit for use. There are few things
that will collect mold rs quickly rs old boots
or shoes, moro particularly if in Il close re-
ccptacle, such rs n dark closet. Consequently
when they arc laid away for any length of
time they should be taken out into the light
and air occasionally to keep them in fair
condition. Musty shoes in the home will not
tend toward the good health of the family,
and the fewer of such things there are the bet
ter 1t is much the better way, where there
are more than one extra pair of cast off shoes
to each pcason, to see that the supcrluous
clloeS are given to some one in need of them.
The housewife may think they are not worth
giving away, Icing Worn so badly, yet the
sl!nrs she would think unfit for this purpose
wSi!li he accepted with gratitude by many IL
poor unfortunate person. 1t is wonderful
how very much worn Il shoe may be ere it is
rejected by Il needy person. Do not allow
old boots and shoes to accumulate, but give
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You VIII never rcgret it.
Shoes that are Worn regularly, if cared for,
will lust much longer than if neglected, as is
carclcsslv cared for, will not look as well nor
Last as long as one of an inferior quality that
is looked after properly. When shoes are
taken of they should he il,orou.. lily brushed,
to remove the dust that invariably collects in
the crclscS, slnoothed out with the hand and
placed away in a shoe bag or box away from
III" dust, AID when wanted for Use they can
be taken out ready ior wear. Where there
is NOT Il hos or bag for illis purpose, n closet
is Tic ncXt best thing. Shoes Will last much
longer if, when new, they arc rubbed with
castor oil. Hold them in front of Il fire and
rub the oil well into the leather. The oil
makes the leather pliablc, fills up the pores,
;tn! prevents it from cracking. Where boot,
are worn every day, once a fortnight is not
too often to oil them. AT first the oil after
standing will give them q gray look, but
Wt.eil dressed 1t gives them a nice soft finish.
ii IS not advisable to use much oil the dress
iil:ss SO fashionable for ladies and chiilren's
shoes nowadays, as the most of them i'll Il
short while crack the leather. The box black
inS used for mems boots is much to be pre-
fcrrcd, although it is Il little harder to apply.
When using the dressing, apply Il very thin
coat. aud do SO as seldom as possible. We
have seen some very fine. shoes ruined br
using Il poor dressing; therefore, unless you
can find one that has been we'll tested, it is
better for Il fine grade of leather to depend
on the box of backing.
There are many patent button fasteners in
the market that are excellent for clildrcn's
everyday shoes, more particularly where
there are boys, as they are much stronger
than thread, aud the children learn very
soon to adjust them, thereby saving the
mother some work, besides keeping their
shoes in good condition.. For n fine grade of
lel,!ler We have never seen any fasteners
that ought to be used, as in Il short time they
cut the leather, making an unsightlv tcar,
u.n! some of them, wlca the shoe is tight
fitting, will tear the stocking. Tho fine shoe
string with needle attached, which may be
purchased ut any shoe store, is the best
thing with which to fastcn III shoe buttons.
Flsten them quite tight at first, as they work
loose. owing TO the shoestl'ing stretching.
Never wea: Il shoe unbuttoned if you care at
ali To have it sl:apely. Never put Il wet shoe
closeto n fire to dry, for when dry it will be
so hard that it will be difficult to get OH.
VIXEN taken OIL the foot wet, smooth into as
good shape as possible, then put i'll Il medium
warm place ami let dry. TO be sure, it will
take Il longer time than if dried ut the fire,
but it will he i'll u much better condition
when wanted. Shoes hardened by being
dricci at the fire can be wonderfully softened
by using Il little castor oil well rubbed in.
When throwing away old shoes, cut off all
the good buttons and put away for future
use.-Boston budget.