The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1889-08-09
KANaARoo LEArHER.
It Is Soft and More PIiabIe Than Calf-sIiil
or Kid.

or Kid.
"Why don'tyou wear shoes of kanga-
roo skin?n asked the old shoemaker,
as he lznelt to take the measure of his
customers foot.
Il don't know" responded the Gus
toner, unable to construct line of de-
Tense on that very moment. And then,
perceiving that something more was
expected of him, he queried rather
helplessly, "Why should l? what is
the advantage of them?"
''If you ever have tender feet" an
swered the shoe man, ''you would
fully appreciate kangaroo skin. Why,
the leather is soft and pliable-very
much more so than calfslzin or kid.
That makes the shoe ever so much
easier to the foot. Then it is
a great deal lighter than those
other materials. and that's an advan-
tage, and, as for wear, why, kangaroo
skin is far ahead. Look here" and 60
ing to his bench, he picked up two
scraps of1eather. Now, this is kan
CARGO skim" and with his sharp shoe
makers knife he made two short Incl
siOns from the edge. "NOw tear from
these" But this the customer, though
not a man of weakness, was unable 10
do. The same experiment being made
with calfskin, that was torn with
ease. That" ended the old man,
shows the difference in wear, and the
price is just about the same"
But the customer was a newspaper
man. Immediately he turned Swamp
ward. and within half an hour stood
in the presence of one of the city's
| largest kangaroo men.
The kangaroo" began this gentle
man, lis, as you know, native of
Australia. Prior to ten years ago
| they existed in untold numbers. They
| became such a pest and so disastrous
to the sheep pastures that the colonial
government offered bounty for their
| destruc ton. Now, up to that time
| there had been no permanent or set
tied use for their skins and hides. To
go back a little, however, say twelve
| to fifteen years ago, these skins came
to America in considerable quantities.
| But at that time their value was IN
recognized. Strange as they certain
| ly were to American manufacturers,
their disposal was only possible at
ruinous loss. The parties interested
in the scheme Withdrew; worse off by
some 500, 900.
Now, about this sime-say 1S80-a
new process of tanning was devised
by which kangaroo hide was made
into a shoe leather, superior in
strength, durability, softness and
| fineness to any thing of like weight
and nature ever before used for the
| purpose. Then was the manufactured
| leather trade-marked under the name
| 'camelopard.'
From that time forward did the
merits of kangaroo skin become more
| generally recognized. At the present
| time the sales are enormous, the
| material having, in a large measure,
| supplanted waxed calf gloved calf,
French calf, kid and similar goods
| used in the manufacture of the lighter
| and finer foot wear. And the manu-
| facture of foot wear, you know, has
| reached its most magnificent pro-
/ portions in America Here more
taste is displayed and money expended
on this article of attire than any
where else on earth.
"Only in America has a successful
| system of tanning been devised. Over
in European countries kangaroo skin
is tanned, it is true, but it is in com
| paratively little use. Here the tan
ming is not by any means solely of
the 'camelopard brand. Other MAUI
facturers have devised systems very
like unto it, and the product of these
is in very general use.
''As is always the case when any
thing meets with extraordinary sue
cess, as this very truly has, many imi-
tations have been brought into the
market. Often and often have women
| especially bought boots of DongOla
goat under the impression that they
we're of kangaroo skin. Again has
the manufactured product of sheep
shin been passed off in imitation.
| The trade in kangaroo skins shows,
| indeed, a great and gratifying in
| V RToil