Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-11-03
WHEN GENTLEMEN WORE BOOTS.
Correct Thing for Dress Occasions
Not So Many Years Ago.

SoFFecI lot DEcSS oCcttsAoHS
Not So Many Years Ago.
From the New Orleans Times Democrat.
Over on the other side of Canal street in
the local Latin quarter there is little cob
ber's shop that looks like an etching by
Durer. The tools. which are stuck in
leather loops around the walls have an air
of serious antiquity, like decayed gentlefolk,
and over the threshold is an empty wicker
bird cage, canted at just the right angle to
make what the artist would call "a good
composition" The cobbler himself is a
smallish, stoop-shouldered man, with per-
fectly bald head and iron spectacles half
way down his nose. He is distrustful of
strangers. but when he knows his GUS
toner he Is well Of entertaining reminis-
cence. The other day he told a friend how
the ancient and honorable craft Of boot
making had gone into decline.
Il working for myself two years be-
fore the California excitement began, in
40. he said. Those were grand days. All
gentlemen wore boots then made out of the
finest calfskin, with tops about twelve
inches high. The Wellington boots were
fashionable just before my time, but I've
made a few pair. mostly for foreign gentle
men, and they looked very elegant outside
of tight pantaloons. The top was generally
morocco. 1t Rugged the calf of the leg
close and came to point In front, finished
with small red or purple tassel. But the
boot that everybody wanted was a plain,
fine grained cafskin, and 1t had to At like
glove or it wouldn't do at all. Do you see
those lasts up on the shelf? Well, the men
they were made for are dead now, the
whole crowd; but I'll bet you there isn't
one in the lot that hasn't been patched and
altered at least forty times. That shows
you how particular they were. Feet will
change more from year to year than you
have any idea Of, and we had to keep track
of such changes so as to make the boot set
perfectly snug. In those days gentleman,
especially a young gentleman, who went
into society, wouldn't have boot that he
could wear without cursing for first week
or So They wanted them tight-tight as
wax-and every young buck had his col
lection of boot hooks and bootjacks to get
EN- on and off. Those tools were common
birthday and Christmas presents back in
the '4Os and sos, and some of them were
got up very fine. I've seen boot hooks with
silver mounts and mahogany handles 500
pair
boots was so great" continued the little
cobbler, musingly, that we used to run the
strap ends half way down the inside Of the
leg and double sew them with wax silk
twist young gentleman was actually
killed here in 1850, or Whereabouts, by the
breaking of his bootstraps. l remember the
circumstance well. He was going to ball
and was sitting stool in his room, pull
ing on a pair of new boots with the hooks
they used then. Both straps gave way to-
gether, and he fell over backward and hurt
his spine so that he died next day. Yes sir,
that's a fact. The family are still living
here, and | made boots for one of his
uncles up to less than ten years ago. No:
l can't say there was anything especially
peculiar about the boots Of that time except
that they had much higher heels than are
worn now and very light soles, generally
finished around the edge with stitching Of
yellow thread. A good pair of boots could
be resoled four or five times but it was sell
dom done. When they began to wear
gentleman would generally give them to his
body servant.
1.-The price of boots then was never less
than $16 and more often $40, and the plant
ers up the river thought nothing of ordering
half dozen, or even a dozen, pair at a
time l had one good customer from La
fourche. He was a fine gentleman, with
shop to order pair of boots, and while
was measuring him to correct his foot he
looked at me very sharp: VIII you allow
l was surprised, but I put it out, and he
pursed up his lips, Hike a man Whistling.
.Hm-m-ni,' said he; chow is your appetizer
'Poorish,' said 7, for. 1 wasn't feeling very
boots this time said he, and walked out
without another word. felt kind of un-
comfortable fer awhile after that, but,
Lord bless you, I've outlived him these
twenty years. Boots went out Of style in
the '7Os, but good many of the old people
still stick to them, and, for that matter,
some are worm even to this day. 1 have
four customers now that M, make boots for
and I used to work for their fathers and
uncles. They say that the high leather legs
keep them from catching cold, and they
don't want thef feet2'tight. but prefer them
large and roomy So / don't have to 20 to
the trouble of correcting their lasts as /
did in the old daysjd
IT don't make shoes" added the old man.
with a touch OF asperity. II never made
pair in my life; but it's lucky for me, per-
haps, that they've taken to wearing them
and make them as poor as they do. That
brings in enough cobbling to keep the pot
a-boiling."