Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1895-05-15
aeltsfellaneous 8taaina.
SOLID FACTS ABOUT SHOES.
Give Heed. to All of Them and Be Healthy,
Wealthy and Wise.

Wealthy and Wise.
An Augusta shoe dealer upon whom
a Journal man called yesterday, relates
many little sayings that he has heard
when selling people footwear. Some
people put considerable confidence in
these superstitions, while others look
upon them as myths. The dealer
quoted from his little notebook few
of these amusing sayings, such as {:
"Worn on the heel, spends a good
deal :" "Worn on the ball, spends it
oil :" "Worn on the vamp, look out
for a scamp" sworn Oh the toes,
spends as he goes :" sworn on the
side, will be rich mans bride ;" all of
which may be taken for what they are
worth.
Gan old sign says that if young
man is careless OF his shoe lacing, he
he will neglect his wife; but on the
contrary if he laces them tight he will
be very stingy in his dealings with her.
By the way, if a young man is going
to see his sweetheart and stubs his
right toe he may know that he is to
be welcome, but if he stubs his left
one he may as well turn around and
20 home, because she does not want to
see him. Again, if his lacings keep
coming united, his lady love is talking
or thinking about him.
"When you buy pair of new shoes,
never put them on a shelf higher than
your head, unless you want to bring
bad luck and if you blacken them
before you have had both shoes on, you
may meet with an accident or even
have a sudden death. This is an old
Irish superstition. The Scottish girls
believe that if they drop their shoes
before they are worn, trouble will ell
sue, while a French lady losing her
heel is sure of some disappointment in
love, and German mother in the same
predicament feels that she will lose
one of her children.
"You must not put on your right
shoe on your left foot or your left on
your right, nor must you put your
left shoe on before the right unless you
want bad luck. This superstition
dates back to one Of the emperors of
Rome, who, it is recorded, put on his
left shoe first one morning and came
near being assassinated during the
day.
"As a sign of respect the Japanese
take off their slippers when they meet
in the street, and the Jews used TO
pluck off one of theirs to confirm bar
gain. Throughout the East, when an
inferior enters the presence of his supe-
rior, he leaves his shoes or slippers at
the door. A great many people still
follow the old custom of throwing an
old shoe after the bridal couple, but
very few know the old significance of
this. 1t is supposed to bring good
luck, and those that throw it after a
newly married couple do so with the
best intentions in the world. This
custom, however, really came from the
old Anglo Saxon times, when the faith
er invariably handed the bridegroom
one of the brides old shoes, which sig
nifes the giving up Of all authority
over the girl to her husband, so that
those who throw an old shoe after the
departing couple nowadays are really
signifying that she is his property, as
in medieval times.
"It is supposed to bring good luck
to keep an old pair of shoes that is
past wearing about the house, but if
they are burned up, according to an
old sign, snakes will squirm away from
the old place and will leave bad luck
behind them. Old Negro 'aunties' in
the South burn up old shoes and hog
hoofs, and use a mixture of the two for
coughs. 1t would seem as though a
good smart cold would be preferable to
the remedy.
"sTo be in another mans shoes is
quotation in vogue today. Among
the ancient Norsemen, when a man
adopted a son, he must always, for a
certain time at least, wear the shoes of
his adopted father in order to lawfully
inherit his property, and so it came
about that to stand in another's shoes
means to claim his honors."
Thus endeth the shoe dealers col
lection of shoe knowledge in this line,
and doubtless many who read this will
be able to add some other superstitions
in regard to the shoe, but be sure to
put on your right shoe first in the
,,oorpipn