Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-10-26

q shoemaker by trade,
wrote q treatise on the
shoemaking Of the ancients, in which he
traced the art to Adam. "Adam," he
says, "was a shoemaker and Eve tai.
loress.' Without going back to Eden,
let 1t suffice to know that the sons Of st.
Crispin can "smile at the claims Of long
descent" No doubt there was time
when all our forefathers went bare
footed. In those good old days a man
could step on his neighbor's toes without
bringing spasm Of agony, for corns
and bunions were unknown.
1t has been discovered, by paintings
on the walls of Thebes. that shoemaking
formed distinct and no doubt lucrative
trade away back in the reign Of Thoth-
mes III, some 1000 years before Christ.
At first every man was his own shoe
maker, the first being Minter. In the early
attempts at shoemaking the aim sought
was not covering for the feet, but
rather protection to the soles from
stones, sticks, etc. These sandals az were
mostly made Of leather, though some-
times wood and even iron were en-
ployed.
that the sandals could better be held in
place by stitching low rim or wall Of
leather along the sides and about tho
heels Of sandals; to these tho straps or
thongs were attached. Soon these strips
were made higher; finally they met, and
then was shaped the first shoe, crude
though it was. The next step was to
have tho leather reach from sole to sole
and OF ono piece covering the toes, while
the ankles were protected as well. At
this stage OF progress the only thongs
needed were short ones to tie the shoe at
the ankle; thus came the shoestring into
fashion (2).
1t was soon discovered that the legs
could be protected rs well. and the quar-
ter VIZ, carried to a height half way up
to tho knee. Previous TO this the only
protection afforded had been the fashion
of wrapping the legs with skins or
cloths. BY the time that the shoe had
reached this degree Of perfection came
tho desire for ornamentation. At first
few scallops about the tops (O suiiiced,
then tho scallops were made from bright
colored feathers, and finally the use Of
embroidery became the fashion.
To Persia Is due the credit Of first in
Producing sandals with heels The men
wore sandals which rested on blocks of
wood (D. From these was the idea
taken which led to the addition of the
heel. The Persians protected their feet
by raising them from harms way, while
other nations had moro effcctually ac.
complished it by inventing the shoe.
After the fad of oruamentation had
taken hold Of the people, some bright
dude of tho period one day astonished
his companions by appearing with a
pair of shoes under which he had placed
a pair Of Persian heels.
In Persia these blocks of wood were
useG by the men to raise the feet from
the burning sands of that country, and
were about two inches high. But with
the women 1t was quite different. Often
| times the blocks assumed close prox-
unity to being stills Eighteen inches
was the usual height, though supporters
| two feet high Were not unusual (5). In
/ after years this same fashion was intro
| duced into Venice, though from differ.
/ ent motives. by its means jealous hus.
bands thought they would be able to
keep their wives at home. The supports
| of such shoes in Venice were called
"chapineys," and to appease the vanity
| of the ladies were made highly ornate.
The height of these chapineys deter
mined the rank of the wcarer, the no.
blest ladies were permitted often
compellcd-to wear them one-half yard
or more high.
China had already adopted similar
measures regarding the elevation of wo-
men. Instead of the two supports, as
used in Persia and Venice, block of
wood tapering almost to point was used
(6). This rendered walking almost i'm
possible, and a lady would scarcely vent