Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-08-31
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Daily - eagle
WHIPPING THE CAT.
THE WAY THE SHOEMAKER WORKED
FIFTY YEARS AGO.

Re Tramped from House to House and
Worked Up the Leather the Farmer Had
Tanned-He Knew His Business Thor
oughly and Was a Well Informed Man.
"Any occasion today, bossF'
perhaps SO. What's your stintY"
81 can box the craft.n
"Where did you have your last bench?"
"At Goodft & Sellem's, but the last six
months I've been whipping the cat through
Rural county"
However strange and unneanfng the above
conversation may seem to the average reader,
to the old fashioned shoemaker it is quite
familiar, and viii bring to his mind the time
when be himself may have asked shop
Soss' if he had any occasion today" instead
of asking the now familiar question, Have
you vacant jobs"
1t 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.
SEoEMAKERS WHO WE'RE GREAT.
Again, many knights Of the awl have bro
ken the bars Of circumstances and climbed
the steps where flames proud temple shines
affair."" Was it not Linn@us, q shoemaker,
WHO founded the science Of botany2 Did not
Winckelman, a shoemaker, disclose the beau
ties and marvels of antique sculpturef Who
was the mainstay of the society of anti
ouariansa John Bond, shoemaker. Who
wrote the Farmers Boyg" Bloomfield, a
LII Of
Friendsl John Fox, a shoemaker. Who
started the Baptist mission in Indias William
Carey, a shoemaker.
That the shOeInakers' craft hes 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 off
DAYS the shoemaker went from house 10
house, whipping the cat" as it was termed,
carving his kit and bench with him. 1t is
possible that his mlngling in varied com
panionship, his acquaintance with new
genes, the exchanging Of ideas, and the
reading of new books, all tended to make him
the philosopher that he was. But the adj
vent Of machinery revolutionized the trade,
and now the shoe operative follows some
particular branch of shoenaking for his live
hhood.
In the various processes Of the making OF
factory shoes tie work is divided and subdi-
vided, so that The amount Of labor perform
ed upon a shoe by any one operative is limit
ed. 1t is the constant repetition Of his allot-
tnent OF work that makes the operative an ex
pert in that particular branch, or, as the
shoemaker of twenty years ago would term
it, his "stint." Thus it was that the 'shot
boss" would ask, What is your stintf"-
meaning what part cf the shoe do you worl
GA. II the shoemaker who was looking fol
an occasion" to work. happened to under
stand his business in all its detail from thu
making OF an infants shoe to that of les
boot he would say, Il can box the craft"
WHIPPING TIE CAT"
In early days the farmer would take to th'
tanner hides to be tanned, when returned thi
leather was carefully laid away until some
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 the
family, for it meant to them not only ''neW
Shoes but the covering of many a new ball
numerous whip lashes, shoe strings and other
tribes that mako glad the childish heart. /
the shoemaker happened to be L young MAJ
and unmarried then the Inaidens' heart bea
in that uncertain way that maidens' heart
are sometimes won't to do, for the shoemake
was looked upon as a 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
l., f.rr i7o.
lasts of his own, but if he had not and Their
happened to be mono suitable among tn
meager stock carried by the shoemaker, last
had to be got. Thus a 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 tho 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 a manner or upon 50 scientific q prIrl
ciple as are lasts in the later days they an
swered the requirements of those times quit
as we'll as the "nayballs" or Parrots of til
present.
Using the foot as a model, the journeymal
would cut his pattern. He would then Gu
out the ''uppers." While the uppers wer
on the ''crimping forms" he would occup.
his time in doing whatever patching or othe
repairing was to be done.
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.
As only one last for each size was made
one shoe had to be completed before anothe
could be lasted.
As the stock Of shoes for the coming yea
had to be made and the process was slow, tn
shoernaker's visit would bequite an extende
one the usual time being about three weeks
10 provide for the wants Of a family OF seve
OF eight persons six weeks would scarce suffice
The pay amounted to about s. "a week wit
board and lodging. a. the visit of the shoe
maker was known to all tae uei~hbors the
would call around every evening in order {
hear him tell his funny stories or Tree hi
mind upon the various topics OF the day
Tom Ca2lIe',in BRAKES 1-.iss,l.-l.lo.