Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-09-19
READY-MADE SHOES.
Many Sizes Nowadays. bat Poor Shapes and
Heels for Women and Children
IOWA.

Many Sizes Nowadays. bat Poor shapes and
Heels for Women and Children.
Selling ready-made shoes is very
different thing now from what it used
to be, when many thousands who now
buy them had their foot wear made to
order. Sizes in ready made shoes have
been greatly multiplied. Not only do
mems shoes run up to No. 13 in length,
but the vary in width from AA, the
the narrowest, to ZEE, the widest. A
salesman must know all about sizes
and be able to make a pretty good
guess at what customer needs, but
must as well know what makes Of
shoes run wide or long for their num-
bers.
Before all these nicetes of shading
were invented, the matter of fitting
ready-made shoes to customers feet
was a simple one. Perhaps it would
be more accurate to say that there
was no such thing as fit in ready
made shoes save for persons of normal
and average feet. The long, slender
foot was not provided for, and neither
was the short, thick foot The mum
bers of mems shoes most called for now
are z, ~ and 8, with the widths A, Il
and c. In women's shoes the numbers
in length most in demand are 3, 81, 4,
AZ and 5, with the widths A and j.
But the usual sizes above and below
these are provided in large numbers
There are many calls for 13 at the
large concerns. where unusual sizes
are provided. 1t is difficult in small
concerns to get anything above 1917.
The difference in price for size is little
or nothing, save that what are called
misses Shoes" which run pretty high,
are for some reason sold cheaper than
women's shoes of like size. Some
women know this and profit by it.
Women have from time immemorial
been abominably i'll shod, and most of
them are so still The makers of
ready-made shoes unhesitatingly cater
to fashion, and it is difficult for us
men to find a readymade shoe with
low heel and roomy toe. Nine
women out of ten have wretchedly
abused feet and the condition of their
walking shoes at the end of six weeks
use is such that their brothers or hus-
bands would not for moment think
of wearing them Working women
stand or walk all day long on French
heels, partly through vanity, partly
because better shaped shoes have to be
made to order at comparatively high
price. Children'S shoes, save in rare
instances, are still made in defiance of
hygiene and are responsible for half
the pains of learning to walk. Doctors
are recommending that infants be
brought up barefoot The price for in
fant's shoes made to order is prohibit
tive to the poor. Every sort of shoe
that processes to be hygienic has
high price put upon it because of the
name. Women have of recent years
learned some wisdom in the matter of
foot wear from the fact that shoes
for wear in athletic sports are made in
sensible and comfortable shapes. These
shoes, which have to be roomy to be
endurable, have brought about slight
reaction against the vanity of wearing
shoes too short and too narrow for the
feet.
The man and woman of normal and
and average feet is always welcome in
the readymade shoe shops, because
such persons can usually re fitted in
less than ten minutes 1t would hard
ly be possible to carry on business
were there not comparatively few feet
of abnormal size or shape, for a man or
woman with such feet consumes from
half an hour to an hour of a salesman's
time, and often goes away without
buying. There must be small profit
in selling ready-made shoes to such
people.
The man that wears say 11H AA is
a most unwelcome visitor to any shoe
( shop, though in all the large concerns
statesmen manfully struggle to fit such
customers. On very busy days the
man or woman of abnormal feet meets
with an early intimation that there is
no fit to be had. Such persons come to
be known in the shops and to be
lodged by the salesmen.-N. Y. Sun.