Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1897-12-17
HANDMADE SHOES.
rarely Seen In Comparison with the
MachIne.sIade ArticIes.

Machine-Aiade Artfcles.
"The making of shoes by hand is. an
art that is now carried on as extensively
now az IL was 30 years ago, when L
FIRST came TO this city to learn my
trade" said leading Kew York shoe
maker to a writer for the Star recently.
Nowadays there are very few first
class bootmakers, that is, men who are
capable of turning out fine shoes from
the raw material without the aid of ma
chinery. Those who work in factories,
Or do team work. are no more shoe
makers than an iron molder is q steam
filter, or street payer an engineer. A
ready-made shoe takes only from IS
TO 20 minutes to make, and In the pro-
cess of manufacture passes through no
less than, 30 hands. This work at its
best calls for no Independent thought;
1t only requires systematic machine,
o thing of limitation. A good pair of
handmade boots or shoes, with oak
tanned soles, will wear 10 months, and
look well all the time, and even after
that they can be repaired and win serve
for second best for several months long
err The price will range from seven
to ten dollars, according to finish. Such
shoes are light, almost impervous to
wet, springy and cling to the feet like
second skin. There are no nails or
pegs perpetually cropping up to injure
the feet, no breaking of the shank, no
running down at the heel, nor turn
Ing up at the toes.
"The great difficulty in getting ready
made shoes to fit is the variation in the
size of the feet during the day. They
are smallest the first thing in the morn
ing, and expand most during the after
noon, especially in hot weather. A
man who makes handmade shoes usual
ly understands this, and consequently
makes due allowance for the variation,
but if you buy machine-made pair of
shoes in the morning, they are apt to
pinch you regularly toward evening,
while il you take the afternoon for your
shopping, the shoes will feel uncom-
fortably large every morning. In eth
err case corns are created.
"The majority of peoples feet are dis
torted and turned from their natural
growth by the obstinate and misplaced
vanity of the general ready-made shoe
buyer. Very few persons get their shoes
long enough. The masses buy short,
broad shoes, so that widths such as
double c and double D, that ought never
to be manufactured, are much in de-
mand. When men, aud women es-
pccially, tell the size of their feet, they
like to make use of short number
nothing is said about the breadth. Be
sides, when one goes into store to
try on shoes the feet are usually con-
tracted from the exercise of walking.
They are then in the best condition for
making them feel easy and comfortable
in new and ill-ftting shoes.
"Awoman who habitually wears a No.
shoe can, when necessity demands,
don 3h without great sacrifice. She
still retains the integral number 3,
which in some measure compensates
her for the added fraction, but a new
integer, No. 4, is distasteful by reason
of its formidable sound. If shoes, like
hats, could be graded by cighths OF
an inch, she would take refuge in n
3% shoe, and yet be comparatively
happy. But from No. 31s to a No.
A is too great trial for woman's
nerves, and she usually insists upon
examining her feet into shoes that bring
torture whenever worn.
THE Chinese are not the only race
who disfgure their useful extremities.
They go Systematically to work to ac-
complish their deformities, while Amer
lean men, and women especially, do
It by blindly ignoring the pedal space
that nature demands. The Monaghan
feet are shortened by long turning up
of the toes, ours by cramping the men,
bers in poor shoe leather till the instep
| is slowly raised in self-defense A nat
uraliy high instep is a thing Of beauty,
but one that is elevated by force is
nothing II not grotesque. When Amer.
leans think less of appearances and
more about the fitting and quality Of
their shoes, more walking with less ia
tlgue will be accomplished, and we shall
then perhaps become nation Of pedes-
TRANS, instead of nation of wheel
men. Washington Star.