The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-06-09
THE NEW CUSHION HEEL
CHICAGO TAXES EMILY TO THE
 INNovATToN.
Physicians Inclined to the View That the Invention in an Aid to Nature-scme of Yhs
 Various Uses.

Chicago is adopting the rubber heel The demand for the rubber cushion at taohment to the shoe Is becoming so great that 1t Is rapidly assuming the proportions of a craze. Business men ana mechanics. society men and driv- CTS or denvery wagons, professional men and policemen, women and girls are joining the brigade of rubber heeiers.' They are daily attesting their faith in the qualities of the elastic heel by their 'noiseless'' tread over the hard and hinty pavements of the city.
 Through the use of the invention Chi cago people are to become less ner- vous and more even-tempered. In the opinion of physicians and nerve spec ,ialists nearly all residents of the Isere cities are af1icted with some form of nervous troubles.
 It is asserted that many of these cases are directly traceablc to the jar received while walking along the hard stone and cement pavements. Men who are compelled to be on their feet hours at time on marble and mosaic floors are often likewise afIiicted.
 Fits Need of Modern Man.
 All these troubles. 1t is promised, are to be alleviated. if not cured, by the rubber heel. Unlike our forefathers, who were able to 70 barefooted through the scmmer, or, if they wore boots. could tramp about on mother earth or on plank walks. and who never complained of nervous head aches. nervous prostration," ''in- somnia." and other modern neurotics, 1t is admitted that in this respect the people of today are their physical in- feriors. and are in need of all sorts of artificial aids.
 Rubber heels are declared by one physician to be soothing" while one man who has worn the attachment on his shoes since they were first in- voted. instead that man without rub Der heels Is only to be compared to q billiard table without cushions" The pioneers among the wearers of the elastic heels reel off accounts of the wonderful benefits of the attachment, and declare those who have not joined their sanks are not up to date.
 Means Noiseless Tread.
 Observations made of the pedestrians who daily pass along State street show that one-fourth to one-half make no noise while walking, being wearers of the rubber heel. The decrease in the constant trarnping and rumbling noise of the thousands of feet on the pave ments is noticeable. and along with its other good qualities the rubber cushion is recorded as an aid to the observance of the anti-noise ordinance.
 In the short time since the invention was placed on the market the sales of the article have exceeded that of any novelty known to the trade in recent years. One shoe dealer predicts all shoes will have a rubber cushion at- tachment to the heels in some form or other five years hence. and that they will be considered a necessity.
 It is estimated that fully one-half of the patrolmen in the city police depart ment are wearers of the invention, while it has been adopted by many members of the fire department. to- gether with whole rubber soles, as protection from live wires and an aid to their footing. The managers of number of the large cafes in the city favor the wearing of the attachment by the walters employed in their places to prevent annoyances to their guests.
 Physicians Give Their Views.
 "The wearing of rubber heeels prob- ably is an aid to a person who walks a great deal" said Dr. John R. Nicely of the city health department. People who are subject to nervous disorders have told me that they have found their trouble decreased by the use of the heels. Any improvement which tends to remove any of the conditions nervouSenss is a good thing. It may help some to observe tine anti noise ordinance"
 Rubber heels undo 1btedly have a soothing effect on the nerves" declared Dr. Weller Van Hook. "The hard pave- ments and .ffinty walks are a modern invention and were hardly known t.f our forefathers. They gre hard and and every step is more or less of a shock to the revous system"
 "A man without rubber heels is like a billiard table without cushions" said W. M. Hartman. Western representa- tive of an Eastern rubber house. "In- there Is nothing that beats irhher heels for a man who goes home late after he tells his wife that he will be home early. They are valuable for the manager of a large establishment who has many employees under him. It enables an approach to all rooms without noise."
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