Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-27

tools and a lawn mower which was eX-
hibited in window and to which was nail
ed the words ''Veritable Philadelphia"
Turning the corner, I was directly op..
posite the finest of the new buildings OF
Mons. This is a great telephone structure,
with a wall of porcelain, in which are set
the names of Bell and other American IN
ventors. In a store not far away l saw
American notions, and spinning tops painted
red white and blue.
American Shoes in the Land Of Clogs.
I did not expect to find American shoes
here The Netherlands, which, broadly
speaking, include Holland and Belgium, are
the homes of the wooden shoe. The COM
mon people wear clogs, but, nevertheless,
American shoes and Belgian limitations of
them are sold. The shoes are labeled "Ver1-
table Americaine:" In some OF the stores !
which Jack promptly told me meant
American veal, but which I rather
think was intended to convey the idea
The leather was undoubtedly a poor imita-
ton of ours, but the fact that 1T was ad-
vertised as such shows what is thought of
American leather. Indeed, got one of the
merchants to give me a label. 1t reads:
"RecomanGe sVeau L. Americana Solidite
Garante Souple Impermeable."
Which evidently means that these shoes
are especially recommended as of genuine
L, 2,
softness and impermeablity to water.
Another shoe store advertiseS Boston rub
bers, and in barber shop next door l saw
a razor strop for sale, marked made in
America.
Shoes for Ten Cents Pair.
There is no doubt that good cheap
American shoe will sell here. The better
classes will buy 1t, and If cheap enough 1t
might command some trade among the
miners Still, no leather shoe can compare
in price with the wooden clog which the
most of the poorer people wear. During my
walk in the country 1 bought a pair OF
shoes for 10 cents. They were clogs large
enough to fit ten-year- old boy, and have
seen hundreds of boys wearing similar
shoes. l priced pair of mans clogs which
had padded leather insteps. They were Of
fered for 80 cents, and 1 tried them on.
They were not uncomfortable, and l bought
them. Indeed, clogs are not bad to wear,
after all. They are much lighter than hob
rail boots or even than heavy leather shoes.
They are impervious to water and more
durable than leather. Both men and wo-
men wear them, and save for the clatter
they make they do very well. The children
have no trouble in getting about in them
I see them running and jumping and climb
ing trees with clogs on, and as far as
can see they succeed quite as well as our
American children shod with leather. 1t
must make a difference with the family ex-
from forty to fifty cents day, and who,
therefore, cannot afford to pay from fifty
cents to a dollar to have his own or his
children's shoes half soled every few weeks.
American Shoes in England.
have been much interested in the Euro
pean invasion Of the American shoe. It Is
an article that has walked into the hearts
of the people, Notwithstanding the anger
Of the shoemakers and shoe dealers CT
France, Germany, Switzerland and Eng
land.
1 found large American shoe stores in all
the big English cities. There are scores Of
them in London, and their business is enor-
nous. The English shoe manufacturers
have been importing American leather and
American machinery, but nevertheless they
are not able to make shoes equal to ours.
There are towns in England, like Leicester,
which are almost given up to the making
of boots and shoes, Leicester having II 600
members in its Boot and Shoe Trade Asso-
citation. Such towns seriously feel the eff
feet of American competition, for 1t was
only a few years ago that Leicester was
shipping shoes to America. Now that town
has American shoe-sewing machines and
other machinery from Boston and else
where. 1t is using American leather, copy
ing American styles and it has, I am told,
a number of American workmen to teach
the English hands how to make the gen.
uine American article It's shoes are often
sold as American Shoes
American shoes ares sold in Holland side
by side with clogs, and some of the local
factories there have imported American
machinery. I foAnd,i American shoes in
Switzerland, and 1t Is no trouble to buy
them in Paris
American Leather in Europe.
One of the most interesting men I have
met in connection with this shoe business
is Mr.. W. s. Greeves an English leather
expert, who is connected with one of the
biggest tanneries of Europe, situated at
Lyons, France. Mr. Greeves has been max
ing and selling leather all his life, and his
father was a tanning. expert. Said he:
1.-The leather business Is rapidly changing
in all parts of Europe. Until lately every
thing was done by individuals or in small
factories We had an infinity Of little tan
neries and petty shoemakers. This was SO
to some extent In America, but the Ameri-
cans were first to grasp the idea of the big
arnery and the big factory. They had
plenty Of hides and also the hemlock forests
which furnish the bark, SO that they could
produce leather in quantity at cheap rate.
Their labor, however, was poor, and the
first leather sent to Liverpool was so ugly
and stiff that the English would not have
It, Now leather of that quality, better fin
ished, Is shipped over in vast quantities. 1t
furnishes the sofes of our boots, and we
buy it for Bristol. Leicester and Leeds.
Later on" continued Mr.. Greeves, 1.-THE
Americans invented machinery to finish