Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1895-06-01
YANKEE sHoss IN ENGLAND.
l,ecomins Popular and the English Ar
Even Taking TO Rubbcro.

Even Taking to Rubbcrs.
"The suggestion that American boot
and shoe manufacturers should take
advantage Of the present trouble In the
English boot trade to establish mar.
ket there reminds me of the recent no
table influence of American ideas on
the British shoe business Of which I
learned last sumner" said q traveller
to New York Sun man. "1n this, as
In many other matters, there has been
In England lately an adoption Of Amer
lean models and American ideas that
has brought about some radical changes
in fact, q complete reversal Of type. I,
! English footwear has been for many
generations most distinctively peculiar
-characteristically English. The shoes
of men and women alike have been Of
the strongest, heaviest pattern, and the
standard Of excellence was that the
thicker the sole the better the boot.
Half an inch was about the ordinary
thickness for the sole Of mans shoe
and few women wore walking shoes
with soles less than o quarter Of On,
inch thick.
'lsubbers were practically unknown
and this was the principal reason for
the thick solea They were intended to
keep out the wet. Many devices were
used to attach the tongue to the uppers
In such Q way % to make the shoe
waterproof even II submerged quite to
the top. Then the soles and heels were
studded thickly with steel nails, and
In extra good shoes the welt extended
half an inch or 20 oil around tine sole.
As O consequence, the average winter
shoe Of the average Engllshman or En-
glishwoman was very much like .
heavy hunting.boot This ID largely
the case to-day, but q marked change
has set In. These shoes are certainly
waterproof and proof against almost
any kind Of weather or wear, but their
clumsiness and ugliness when worn In.
to the Office or house, 40 they Of course
have to be. 10 very apparent
1.-Two winters ago, when Great Brit.
ain was visited by real old-fashioned
winter, with plenty Of snow and slush,
some genius imported q lot Of Ameri.
can arctic overshoes and put them ON
sale In London and the chief provincial
towns under the name Of American
snow boots Their success was mark.
ed. Tho English people, especially the
women, were quick to see the advant-
age and comfort In being able to wear
light summer.weight shoe for tho
house and ONCE, with the protection
outdoors Of the snow boots, and the
cumbrous heavy winter shoes fell into
disfavor. Then the following summer
a lot Of American light rubber over.
shoes, for ordinary rainy.weather wear,
were put on the market, and were an
equal success. Previously one only saw
rubbers, galoches the English call
them, once In very great while. and
one might walk about London for q
month Of rainy days and never zee q
single pair. The people depended on
their heavy shoes for protection from
wet feet.
II could not ind, however. that the
American footholds-the half rubbera
20 popular with ladies here at home fol
damp days, and occasions when Il ID
wet under foot without actual rain
were known at all. have this last
winter sent some over to English
friends, who admired the footh0lds my
wife wore while there last summer
aud they are delighted with them.
"Thc introduction Of the arctics and
ordinary rubbers eimancipated the En-
glish people from the clumsy. firing
thick soled shoes 20 long worn, and aa
consequence there has been nota
bic tendency to reduce the thickness Of
the soles. to make the uppcrs Of more
pliable material. and generally Il
adopt the American model In shoes
There has also been some effort made
in the last two or three years to intro
duce American shoes In the Engliof
market, and they are ON sale at some Of
the best shoe stores In London. The
head salesman In one such store told
me that tho American style of shoe wal
well liked, too, and that the model wal
being adopted to large extent In
their own factory.
"A good illustration was afforded Il
me while I was talking to this sales
mon. An Englisman came In looking
for q pair Of heavy shoes. He wanted
a pair Of the kind he had always worn
strong tops and enormous soles, with {
half.insh welt He expected to pay q
good, round price for tllsm-30 or II
shilings-he said. But there wasn't {
pair of shoes In the store that suitet
him, aithough he declared he had al
ways bought his shoes there wnen III
came to London every year or 20. w
are not making that kind Of shoe now.
the salesman explained. We have littl'
coll for them. People want o ligh
shoe nowadays. something like this,
and lie showed an American shoe. I'll,
man ended by taking q light pair 70
trial.
"Of course the price Of shoes will
come down as they come to be made o
about half the amount Of material.
guinea or thirty shilings has been tn
usual price paid for good shoes Of tn
heavy, thick-soled kind. This Is equa
to IS to S7--a big price In England. NJ,
wife bought an excellent pair of Amer
lean shoes. of New York make, at
swell Regent street store last autumn
for 81. The same shoe would doubt
less cost more here In New York. bu
difference In rents and wages Nigh
account for that. think there Is goo
market for American shoes In Grea
Britain. especially just now"
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