Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-07-18
SHOES OF ALL NATIONS.
LARGE COLLECTION At THE Mu-
scum IN WASHINGTON.

Fixing the Shape by Law-wooden Shoes
with Chambers for Corns-"waIkIng on
His Uppers-"
Various forms Of footgear have been
devised by different people under diff
ferent conditions. All the shoes made
have one thing in common, and that is
sole. There are shoes consisting Of
sole without an upper, but none that
consist Of an upper without sole. Not
to have o sole on ones shoe has been
taken figuratively to represent extreme
destitution. So when one wants to
speak of person who is in impecunious
circumstances, one, if he uses slang, is
likely to say: "He is walking on his
uppers."
The oldest form of a shoe or sandal
seems to have been merely fiat sole
secured to the foot by thongs.
FIRST EFFORTS TO PROTECT THE FEET.
This form can be seen represented in
Roman and Greek sculpture. Tho Egyp-
tians had similar soles or sandals made
ordinarily of leather, but sometimes of
palm leaves or papyrus. In the Ninth
and Tenth centuries the common form
of shoe in Europe was the wooden shoe.
Even the mobiles and princes wore clumsy
wooden shoes, such as now are found
among the peasants. The Fourteenth
century produced tho grotesque long
pointed shoe. The points had been ex-
tended by fashion so far that in the days
of Richard II they were secured to the
knee by little chains. Tho church thun-
dered against this absurd and useless
fashion, but almost without avail, for it
held sway for 200 years or more. In 1463,
however. so much headway had been
gained against the mode that q decree of
the English parliament was obtained to
oppose the decree of fashion.
An act was passed prohibiting shoe
makers from making points moro than
two inches long for the unprivileged
classes. Henceforth the long point be-
came badge of the criminal class. But
reaction came, the long point went out
of fashion, and people went to tho op-
posite extreme. The toes of shoes were
made of grotesque width. This absurdity
was carried SO far that Queen Mary felt
called upon to issue a proclamation re-
stricting the width of toes to six inches.
If there vera any of her subjects who
had a natural spread of the toes greater
than six inches they had togo barefooted.
In the Sixteenth century boots were
generally worn in England and France
and the boots of the cavaliers were made
with enormously wide tops, that were
rolled or folded over. After the restora.
ton the tops of the boots were orna-
mented, at least by the fops of the day,
with lace. The simple form of shoe,
which has held its own among Euro
peans and Americans to the present day,
made its appearance in the Seventeenth
century. This shoe has undergone sew.
eral notifications 1t was fastened with
a buckle before shoe laces and buttons
came into vogue.
In the National museum in the depart
ment of ethnology are gathered together
specimens of foot wear from all over the
world. Shoes are studied not alone from
the economic standpoint. Ethnologist'
see in the development Of shoes, the
growth of the heel, the sole and the up
per, the process of evolution, just as
the naturalist sees it in the mechanical
fitness of the prehensile tail to the con
ditions of life of the monkey that has it
Many drawers are filled with shoes, anC
in one of the alcoves of the museum are
stored away another collection of shoes
If there was procession representing al
nations and even the subordinate divi
sions of all nations, the representative!
of the different countries and localities
could all find in this collection the proper
boots or shoes to wear.
FooTGEAR FROM ALL NATIONS.
Then, scattered through the museum
are eftigies-armies of very little ones il
cases, representing the dress and the i'm
plements and ceremonies of differen
people, and here and there large figures
startling in their lifelike character, ant
on each of these the students of shoe
can find an interesting study. Woodei
shoes, or sabots, are woSn now among
the peasants in many countries in Eu
rope. Their advantage is in their cheap
ness and durability. In France and Bel
gium are factories where they are mad
of maple and ash. There are some in til
museum from Norway and Belgium, ant
some used among the scandinavian set
tiers in the northwestern states and ter
ritories that seem heavy and clumsy t.
one accustomed to tino leather. The sho
is made all of one piece, followed out
They are fashioned il the form of tn,
foot, and sometimes have little carvin,
outside to represent buttons and the toI
caps on leather shoes. The uppers ar
about u quarter Of an inch thick and tn
soles twice IS thick.
On che pair of wooden shoes in TIL
: museum, from Belgium, even q repre-
sentation Of the little knob supposed t,
be made by the weafer's corn appears
An attemp was made to establish tn
manufacture Of woodrn shoes in thi
country during the war, LAT the indus
try never reached large proportions
Some, however, are madc now and solo
a.