The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1890-02-27
THAT;
% 3 Story of Shoes.

=
in the world was bare
10 thousand years ago. There
10 new shoes in the shops, or old
in the attics. There were none at
1all in the whole wide world, and prob
ably no shops or attics either. In those
good old times, when all feet were bare,
man could step on his neighbor's
toes without bring on spasms of agony,
for bunions and corns were unknown.
Finally, somebody-whether man or
woman nobody knows-nade pair of
shoes Not Of calfskin, with high
heels, boxed toes and polished uppers,
s but fiat, rough "footmats" Of woven
reeds. These, when tied on with leather
throngs, kept the feet from the burn
ing sands.
More and more people wore these
queer "Eootmats" till there were hun
dreds and thousands Of pairs in use.
For everyday use they were light and
strong. Some were gayly eolored and
bound with fancy thongs and those
of the soldiers We're iron bound, with
strong nails in the heels, and often
whole soles of copper. In the days
when all the shoes were new, and be-
fore people had begun to pinch their
feet, they were used for queer purposes.
If man purchased piece of land he
threw shoe over it as sign Of owner
ship ; if he entered house he removed
his shoes as sign of respect.
There is an old story of shoemaker
of Rome long years ago, who thought
he must become a preacher. Taking
his brother he started out to tell the
heather of France and Britain about
Christ. They were very poor, so they
paid their way by making shoes.
Very nice ones they made, and found
plenty Of custom. For a long time
they followed these occupations, till at
last, in savage Britain, they were
nartyred. And to this day, the 18th
of October, the day upon which Crispin
was killed, is called st. Crispin's day,
and every shoemaker in the world is
called son of St. Crispin.
For hundreds and thousands Of years
people had been wearing shoes Of all
kinds of leather, woods and reeds,
brass bound, iron bound, gold bound,
with wide, blunt toes, with narrow,
pointed toes foot long, but the right
shoe and the left shoe of each foot were
exactly the same in shape. About the
year 1900 man invented right and
lefts," which was step in the right
direction. Eighteen years later man
named Joseph Walker invented the
shoe peg. Before this all the shoes had
been sewn by hand, long, slow pro-
cess but now they are pegged.
Inventors now began to construct all
kinds of curious machines for making
shoes. Great buildings were erected,
machinery put in and thousands Of
pairs turned out every year. If one
had sharp enough ears and could listen
and hear the clatter of wooden shoes
in China, Japan, France and Holland,
the softer thud Of the leather shoes in
onr own country and in other parts of
Europe, the click of the sandals in the
sleepy lands of the East, the swish OF
the snow shoes over the Canada snow
crust, or the ring Of the fourteen foot
shoe of the Juteland winter hunter,
what would these sounds tell? Would
the footballs say to the listener. ''These
busy feet are all on errands of mercy.
Over the ill, through the valley, in
steep and dangerous places, these shoes
do not slip or falter or tarry to do
wrong. They belong to earth's war
riors who are shod with the preparation
of the Gospel of Peace?" Would this
be the answer of them all? Alas, no !!
In the broad way are many feet hur-
rying on to death. Clogged and heavy,
weary with sin, they stumble on blind,
reckless, lost.
Little shoes, strong, willing, eager to
do right, beware ofthe first step cut Of
the narrow way. There are mountains
to climb, deserts to cross, rivers to ford !;
but little shoes, little feet, if you listen
to the gentle voice that said, "Follow
Me-" you may avoid every danger and
get out of every difficult, and at last
find rest and peace and joy that will
never pass away.
EranL I.eslie,s Ponnlar Monthly