St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1900-12-22
GENTLEMEN WORE BOOTS.
They Were the Correct Thing for
Dress Occasions Not So Many
Years Ago.

Years Ago.
Over on the other side of Canal street
in the local Latin quarter, there is a
little cobbler'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 artists call "a good compost
ton" The cobbler himself is a small
ish stoop-shouldered man, with per-
fectiy bald head and iron spectacles
half way down his nose. He is distrust-
full of strangers, but when he knows
his customer he is a well of entertain
ing Renaissance. The other day he
told friend how the ancient and hon.
orable craft of boot-making had gone
into decline, says the New Orleans
Times-Democrat.
II was working for myself two years
before the California excitement be-
gan, in 49," he said. Those were
grand days. All gentlemen wore boots
then, made out of the finest calfskin,
with tops about 12 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 out
side Of tight pantaloons. The top was
generally morocco. 1t Rugged the calf
IF tho lar oloSa ,p1 ooruo e., n ,~o;r% e,
front, finished with a small red or pur-
pie tassel. But the boot that every
body wanted was plain fine-grained
calfskin, and it had to fit like q 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 40 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 gentle
man, especially a young gentleman,
who went into society, wouldn't have a
boot that he could wear without ours
ing for first week or so. They want
ed them tight-tight as wax-and
every young buck had his collection of
boot-hooks and boot-jacks to get 'em
on and off. Those tools were common
birthday and Christmas presents back
in the '40s and SOS, and some of them
were got up very fine. I've seen boot
hooks with silver mounts and mahog-
any handles 500 pair.
THE strain of pulling on a pair Of
tight boots was so great" continued
the little cobbler. musingly, shat we
used to run the strap ends halfway
down the inside of the leg and double
sew them with waxed silk twist. A
young gentleman was actually killed
here in 1850, or whereabouts, by the
breaking Of his bootstraps. I remem-
Der the circumstance well. He was 60
ing to ball, and was sitting on a stool
in his room, pulling on a pair of new
boots with the hooks they used then.
Both straps gave way together. and he
fell over backward and hurt his spine
SO that he died next day. Yes, sir;
that's fact. The family are still liv-
ing here, and / made boots for one of
his uncles up to less than ten years ago.
No; can't say there was anything es-
pecially 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 seldom done. When they began
to wear gentleman would generally
give them to his body servant.
"The price of boots then was never
less than SIG and more often $50, and
the planters up the river thought moth
ing of ordering half dozen, or even a
dozen, pair at time. had one good
customer from Lafourche. He was o
fine gentleman, with grand manners.
One day he came into the shop to order |
a pair of boots, and while was meas
uring him to correct his foot he looked |
at me very sharply. will you allow me
to see your tongue? he said. presently. |
l was surprised. but l put it out and |
he pursed up his lips, like a man
whistling: 'Hum-m-m.' said he, how is |
your appetizer 'Poorish,' said l. for |
wasn't feeling very well just then.
Make me IL pair of boots this time
said he, and walked out without an
other word. l felt kind of uncomfort-
able for awhile after that, but, Lord |
bless you! I've outlived him these 90 |
years. Boots went out of style in the |
7Cs, but a good many of the old people |
still stick to them, and, for that mat
ter, some are worn even to this day. |
have four customers now that / make |
boots for regular. They are all middle
aged men, and used to work for their |
fathers and uncles. They say that the
high leather legs keep them from
cold, and they don't want the |
feet tight, but prefer them large and
So I don't have to 60 to the
trouble of correcting their lasts, as I
did on the old days.
II don't make Shoes" added the old |
man, with touch of asperity. II never
made pair in my life. but it's lucky
for me, perhaps, that they've taken to
them and make them ms poor
as they do. That brings in enough
to keep the pot a-boiling."