The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-09-29

have uppers of navy-blue canvas, go1ered
and eyeletted The lacing runs from the
instep tolerably high in the leg, but no
where do the sides meet when the sandal
is worn No covering at all is furnished
for the toes, but the sole comes well to the
front. Two loops of gut are inserted in the
sole, one for the big toe and one for the
small one The uppers are edged with req,
and in color and design match Lady Colin
Campbell's bathing dress.
Just NOWADAYS the oldest of all possible
shoes are worn at English festival gather
ings, and she who can show the queerest
is eminently the belle of the ball. Perhaps
the toe is white and the rest of the shoe is
black, or vice versa. In the former case
bright stocking is worn, and in the latter
a white stocking. In both cases the Wearer
looks as if she had on only the toe of a shoe.
White satin boots for evening wear have
the entire tOe-piece of open work pearl and
small gold-bead lattice-like embroidery.
In shoes of black or bronze satin, the EN-
broidery is in gold and in the delicate
shades matching evening gowns. Many OF
them have two straps coming from the back
of the heel and crossing the ankle sandal
fashion.
BY the way, there is new and useful
device in gloves, which ought to prove a
blessing to those ladies who always have
to hunt for their fare when confronted by
| the horse car conductor. The novelty con-
sists of a little silver-mounted purse,
inserted in the palm, just big enough TO
hold a few nickles. The charity-bangle
vanished long ago, and now it is time for
some device by which women may be en-
abled to to get at their money as easily as
men may dive into their vest pockets for
change" and then sit smiling scornfully
while their feminine neighborS hdget and
fuss in the effort to find a receptacle hid
den away somewhere beneath bewildering
pleats and gathers.
Speaking of shoes, a native Chinese
journal discussing the practice of cramp-
ing ladies' feet, says that in the year l664
the great and enlightened Emperor
Kanghsi, issued an edict forbiddlng 1t under
heavy penalties, and calling upon all local
officials to suppress the custom. But four
years later, on the advice of the board Of
ceremonies, he Withdrew the edict and left
the ladies free to follow their own taste.
| The origin of the strange custom seems to
be lost in obscurity. In the eighth century
of our era, the wife of an emperor OF the Tang
dynasty is said to have worn shoes only
| three inches long. One theory assigns the
paractice to the fourth century, a. D.,
"When Pan Tel danced before the last of
soVereigns of the Isl dynasty, and every
! foot-step made a lily grow"
1t is also said that 1t originated in the
! tenth century, when beautiful concuDlne
of one of the emperOrs tiled up her feet
with silk into the shape of a crescent moon,
and all the other beauties initiated her"
The oldest poets made no reference to
the cramped foot, but sang of the loneliness
of the snow-white feet of the women of
their days, when the footgear, II worn
at all, was round-toed for women and
square-toed for men. The native writer in
the journal aforesaid thinks that the Gus
tom of pinching the feet was progressive,
and only attained its present pitch by slow
degrees. Do you remember John q. SaXe's
description Of tie beautiful Chinese
madden Eldest daughter of wise Wang
Kee y
Her skin was the color Of saffron tea
And her nose was as fiat as nat could be,
And never were seen such beautiful eyes
Two almond kernels in shape and size
Set in couple of slanting gashes
And not in the least dishgured by laShes
Aud then such feet
You'd hardly meet
In the longest walk through the grandest street,
You might 90 seeking
From Maxim to Pekin
a pair so remarkably small and neat.