The Irish standard., 1889-03-02
CHARACTER IN FEET.
Information Impaired by a Philosophical
Chicago Shoe Eealer.

Information Impaired by Philosophical
Chicago Shoe Eealer.
A Young man with pair Of new, squeak
ing shoes, on tra1nped into downtown
shoe store in search of laces, says the Chi
cago Tribune.
clerk asked.
Glow can I?'
"Easily enough. Let the soles rest for
three or four hours in a pan Of water just
deep enough to cover them. Dry them
thoroughly afterward in a cool place, and
you will find the squeak gone. The water
swe!ls the leather and contracts the soles,
which rub against each other and cause the
horrible noise"
He chatted about the trade.
"Have you notlced?' he inquired, how
the custom-shoe business IS growing? The
reason is that oy-made shoes are contln~
ua}ly improving. The fine shoe we sell to-
day is as different from the like article OF
ten years ago as the delicate party shoe is
from the brogan. The manufacturers turn
out shoes to tit every foot except the hope
Iessly deformed, and when people learn
that they can buy as fine ashoe in the stores
as their cobblers can make, the latter are
liable to lose customer. Women are our
greatest buyers and the hardest to suit.
By the way, why doesn't somebody correct
the perennial newspaper talk about the size
of Chicago feet? There is little in it. The
average SIZE which Chicago women wear
is AZ. We sell many smaller sizes and g.
few larger, but the great bulk are the size
l mention. In all the large cities except
New Orleans the size is about the same. It
is the Creoles, and not the fair Baltimoreans
and Iou1svlllians who have fairy feet. It
is young ladies who demand the smallest
sizes and who insist upon crowding their
feet into the smallest possible compass.
After they are married they make great
change. A young lady called yesterday
and was fitted with a No. 5 shoe. year
ago she wore No. 4. She was in Tor CON-
fort hereafter, she said, now that she was
married.
ssBooks are written" he continued, "on
the character which is expressed in the
hands. features, hair, and 50 forth, but no.
body that can learn has ever tackled the
subject of character as indicated By the
feet. A shoe dealer learns to read a person
by his or her feet. For instance, those with
small feet are apt to be quick tempered,
whimsical, rather selfish. The smaller the
feet the more these characteristics are de-
veloped. Light headed persons have q
medium sized, rather thick foot. The gent
erous but volatile have long. slender and
extremely nervous feet The toes
are flexible, long, but set well together. A
man on a woman with G. long, slender foot
and high arch under the sole between the
heel and the ball is certain to have consid-
cradle craft and ability to deceive. Their
feelings are Strong, but not lasting. The
best kind of foot in man or woman is
one of medium length and width, with not
too high an instep and one that rests solidly
on the ground without much arch in front
of the heel. These people are the firm
ones Of their racs--strong in their feelings,
self-controZled, but implacable sc their de-
signs. Where you see such foot with
very long toes, especially the third and
fourth, shat rest naturally half raised,
make up your mind you are looking at g
natural leader. The honest and open have
well-developed heels, The SLY and insinu'
ating have abnormally long, large toes,
soft but strong, just the same as nature
gives the animals of the cat family"