Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1889-08-03
KANGAROO
n Ia soft and More PlIabIe Than CaIf-Skin
oe Kid.

n Ia soft and More PlIable Than CaIf-Skin
or Kid
"Why ~don'tyou wear shoes OF kanga-
roo skin9" asked the old shoemaker.
MS he knelt to take the measure Of his
customers foot.
81 don't know" responded the GUS
toner, unable to construct line OF de-
Tense on that very moment. And then,
pcrceiving that something more was
expected of him, he queried rather
helplessly, 'Why should l? what IS
the advantage of themp"
"lf you ever have tender feet" al
swercd the shoe man, you would
fully appreciate kangaroo skin. Why,
the leather is soft and pliablc-vcry
much more SO than calfskin or kid,
That makes tho shoe ever so much
easier to the foot. Then it is
a great deal lighter than those
other materials. and that's an advan-
tagc. and, as for wear, why, kangaroo
skin is far ahead. Look here and 20
ing to his bench, he picked up two
scraps OF leather. Now, this is kan
CARGO skim and with his sharp shoe
makers knife he made two short inc:-
! sions from the edge, "Now tear from
these But this the customer, though
not a mar of weakness, vas unable to
do. The same experiment being made
with calfskin, that was torn with
ease. That" ended tho old man,
''shows the difference in wear, and the
price is just about the same"
But the customer was II newspaper
man. Immediately he turPcd Swamp
ward, and within half IN hour stood
in the presence Of one Of the clty's
largest Kangaroo men.
Tho kangaroo" began this gentle
man, 'is, as you know, Il native OF
Australia. rrior 20 ten years ago
they existed in untold numbers, They
became such u pest and so disastrous
to the sheep pastures that the colonial
government offered II bounty for their
destruction. Now, up to that time
there had been no permanent or set
tied use for their skins and hides. lie
90 back Il little, however, say twelve
to fifteen years ago, these skins came
to America in considerable quantities.
But at that time their value was UNI
recognized. Strange rs they certain
IL were to American manufacturers
their disposal was only possible a
ruinous loss. The parties interested
in the scheme withdrew; worse oil by
some 800, 0oo
"Now, about this sine say 1880;
new process OF tanning was devised
by which kangaroo hide was made
into II shoe leather, superior il
strength, durability, s%oflness ant
f%ncncss to any thing OF like weigh
and nature even before used for til,
purpose. Then was the manufactured
heather tradc-marked under the nam
'camclopard,'
From that time forward did TIL
merits of kangaroo skin become NOR
generally recognized. AT the prescn
time the sales are enormous, tn
material having, in n large measure
supplanted waXed calf, gloved cali
French calf, kid and similar good
used in the manufacture Of the llghtc
and finer foot wear. And the manu-
facture Of foot wear, you know, ha
reached its most magnificent pre-
portions in America. Here nor
taste is displayed and money cxpcndc
on this article OF attire than any
where else on earth.
"Only in America has Il succcssfl
system of tanning been devised. Owe
in European countries kangaroo ski
u is tanned, it is true, but it IS in con
: parativcly little use. Hero the tar
G ming is not By any means solely {
. the 'camclopard' brand. Other maui
facturers have devised systems yer
like unto it, and the product of the,
G is in very general use.
g "As is always the case when an
n thing meets with extraordinary su.
g cess, AS this very truly has, many i'm
q tations have been brought into ii
v market. Often and often have womC
II especially bought boots of DongoI
n goat under the impression that the
n were of kangaroo skin. Again h,
q the manufactured product of shcc
shin been passed off in imitation.
# 1.-The trade in kangaroo SKINS show
e indeed, II great and gratifying i
d crease.-N. Y. Mail and Express.