Bismarck weekly tribune., 1889-09-20
WHIPPING THE CAT.
THE WAY THE SHOEMAKER WORKED
FIFTY YEARS AGO.

THE WAY THE SHOEMAKER WORKED
FIFTY YEARS AGO.
He Tramped from House to House and
Worked Up the Leather the Farmer Had
Tanned-He Knew His Business Thor
oughly and Was . Well Informed Man.
"Any occasion today, bossl"
Perhaps SO. What's your stint9n
II can box the craft"
where did You have your last benchr
"At Goodft & sellems, but the last six
months I've been whipping the cat through
Rural county"
However strange and unmeaning the above
conversation may seem to the average reader,
to the old fashioned shoemaker it is quite
familiar, and will bring to his mind the time
when be himself may have asked ''shop
boss' II he had any occasion today, !" instead
Of asking the now familiar question, Have
you vacant jobp'
It is asserted that fifty years ago the shoe
makers were distinguished above all other
operatives for their thoughtfulness, shrewd-
ness, logical power and the knowledge which
they derived from books. Their reputation
In this respect has been characterized as
unique. s
sHoEMAKERs WHO WERE GREAT.
Again, many knights of the awl have bro
ken the bars Of circumstances and climbed
the steps where flames proud temple shines
afar." Was it not Linnmus, shoemaker,
who founded the science Of botanya Did not
Winckelman, shoemaker, disclose the beau
ties and marvels Of antique sculpturea Who
was the mainstay Of the society of anti
quarians? John Bond, shoemaker. Who
wrote the farmers Boya" Bloomfield, a
shoemaker. Who founded the Society Of
Friendss John Fox, shoemaker. Who
started the Baptist mission in India2 William
Carey, shoemaker.
That the shoemakers' craft has been pro-
life of SO many noted persons has been much
commented on, and many reasons therefor
have been advanced. Ye olden shoemaker
was very different style of parsonage from
the shoemaker of today. In those far of
days the shoemaker went from house to
house, "whipping the cat" as it was termed,
carrying his kit and bench with him. It is
possible that his mingling in varied COM
panionship, his acquaintance with new
scenes, the exchanging Of ideas, and the
reading of new books, all tended to make him
vent Of machinery revolutionized the trade,
and now the shoe operative follows some
particular branch of shoemaking for his live
ihood.
In the various processes Of the making Of
factory shoes the work is divided and subdi-
vided, so that the amount Of labor perform
ed upon a shoe by any one operative is limit
ed. It is the constant repetition of his allot-
klot
pert in that particular branch, or, as the
1t, his sstint." Thus it was that the s'shoe
boss" would ask, "What is your stint9n-
meaning what part Of the shoe do you work
| on. If the shoemaker who was looking for
an occasion" Ito work) happened to under.
stand his business in all its detail from the
! making Of an infants shoe to that of lee
boot he would say, II can box the craft"
! WHIPPING THE CAT"
In early days the farmer would take to thu
tanner hides to be tanned; when returned thu
leather was carefully laid away until som,
son Of st. Crispin came ''whipping the cat
through that section. As this only occurred
about once year the advent of the shoe
maker was an event of great Importance
| particularly to the younger members of tn.
family, for it meant to them not only ssnev
shoes, +" but the covering Of many new ball
numerous whip lashes, shoe strings and othe,
trides that make glad the childish heart.
the shoemaker happened to be young maj
l and unmarried then the maidens' heart bea
in that uncertain way that maidens' heart
| are sometimes won't to do, for the shoemaker
was looked upon as very desirable ''catch.
After erecting his bench in some favorit
corner he would proceed to take the measur
of those Of the family for whom new shoe
were to be made. Sometimes the farmer haa
lasts of his own, but if he had not and ther,
happened to be none suitable among th
meager stock carried by the shoemaker, last
had to be got.~ Thus successful ''whippel
| OF the cat" was expected to possess some O
the carpenters handicraft as well as that o
the shoemaker
The farmer was usually prepared for thi
emergency by having at hand several piece
| Of well seasoned beech or rock maple The
by the use of saws, chisel, draw knife, file
and rasps, carried for the purpose. the shoe
! maker would make his lasts, and although
they might not have been made in quite a
shapely manner or upon SO scientific prin
ciple as are lasts in the later days, they an
swered the requirements Of those times quit
as well as the 'tDayballs" or ssParrots'' Of th
present
Using the foot as model, the journeyma,
would cut his pattern. He would then Gu
out the s'uppers." While the uppers wer
on the ''crimping forns' he would occup,
his time in doing whatever patching or othe
repairing was to be done.
I! Factory shoe pegs" were sometimes to b
had, but more frequently the shoemaker mad
his own, and they were quite as good as an,
that could be purchased. 4.
As only one last for each size was made
one shoe had to be completed before anothe
could be lasted.
Asthe stock Of shoes for the coming yea
had to be made and the process was slow, th
shoemaker's visit would bequite an extende,
one, the usual time being about three weeks
to provide for the wants Of a family Of seve,
or eight persons six weeks would scarce suffice
The pay amounted to about IS a week witt
board and lodging. As the visit of the shoe
maker was known to all the neighbors the,
would call around every evening In order +
hear him tell his funny stories or free hi
II mind fYn0r tho ario,,o $oninp oF <l,n xa~-