Evening star., 1902-01-18

AVERAGE is NO. 6.
Ts--
The American Girls, Big Feet Re-
quire This Size.
NEEDS BOTH LENGTH land BREADTH
And the Increase Goes Steadily
On Too.
A sHOEMAN'S sOLILOQUY
NEEDS BOTH LENGTH eAND BREADTH
sHoEMAN's sOLILOQUY

'aThirty-five years ago when went into
this business" said a white-haired shoe
maker, "the woman who was obliged to
wear a number four shoe always whispered
the fact in my ear after swearing me to
secrecy, and either ordered the objectiona-
BILE numeral obliterated from the shoe lin
Ing or had one that indicated a much
smaller size put in its place. Thirty-flve
years ago we sold what We called here in
the shop large and small threes, because
then, as now, there existed a pleasant and
carefully cherished belief that the AmerI-
can woman possessed an extremely small
and slender foot. Today instead Of those
threes we sell fours, fives and skies, and in
place of lasts made in the A, B and
widths. we sell c, D and E. Though the
pride in the Arabian delcacy of the Ameri-
can woman's foot is as much a matter of
national boast as ever the fact remains
that all things considered Uncle Sans
handsome daughters have uncommonly big
feet, and the worst phase of the condition
is that their feet are steadily growing big
ger.
"Since time immemorial," the shoe man
continued, 'our women have smiled in gen.
tie pity over the size of the English wo-
mans foot, and tenderly commiserated her
on the ownership of awkwardly extensive
extremities, but the American shoe manu-
facturer who exports ties, slippers and
laced boots can readily testify that the de-
mand from the English importers is for a
shoe from one to two sizes shorter and one
to two letters narrower than that asked
for by the domestic market. These of
course are cruel facts, but facts they are,
and here in my shop, where on an average
seventy-five pairs of shoes are tried on
every day, the woman who boasts the long
est line Of American-born ancestors re-
quires nearly always the largest make of
foot gear.
mn nI1S
progenitors were signers of the Declaration
of Independence, and though the question
Of actual size and letter is never discussed
between us, all the clerks in my place know
that nothing less than a number nine Cf L
width will fit either mother or daughter.
Those of course are rather exceptional
cases. but to prove my assertion as to the
size of the average foot, you would need
only run over the stock stacked on the
shelves Of my shop from floor to ceiling.
For every ten pairs of twos, threes and
threes and half, find it absolutely nee
essary to order and keep on hand twenty
five to sixty pairs Of fives, skies and skies
and a half, running in width from to E.
To Walk In.
"An honest number Of six is what the
average woman wears in walking shoe,
whether it is a tie or a high laced boot,
while in slipper she will usually purchase
a five and a half, If is going to use it
for dancing and walking Should she be
sensitive about her feet and eager to mini
mize their size, she will buy her calling and
shopping shoes with high heels, and If the
weather is decent she will wear big
buckled walking slippers on the street
Such slippers are of course not practical,
nor in the least hygienic; the weight is
thrown on the ankle, and on the delicate
joints at the root of the toes. with the in
evitable result Of increasing bulk and
breadth at both these peints-when, how
ever, has woman ever listened to reason if
fashion or vanity got her ear f1rst-and,
what Is very lamenta BILE from the stand
point of comfort and common sense is the
increasing demand for a shoe and slipper
With a narrowing toe.
Stout and Easy Fits.
Happily, though, there is saving rem
nant of our American women who insist
first of all on wearing stout and easy
shoes, and who this winter refuse to endure
the heat and weight Of rubber overshoes.
Among the very smart women who walk
and golf good deal the overshoe is re-
garded as an evidence Of a feeble intel
lect or pitifully inadequate constitution, and
TO meet the requirements Of the robust
class the shoemakers have brought out
rainproof blucher walking boots. The soles
OF these are a quarter Of an inch in thick
ness and full extension; the vamps are
made of the best American calf and the
tops of grained English leather. All day
long, over sodden fields or streaming
streets, woman can tramp in these with
out Knowing damp stocking, and II after
thorough wetting the shoes are dried on
trees and treated wit the proper dressing
and polish the leather will be perfectly
pleasant and flexible for further use.
perhaps 1t Is only fair to admit" con-
fessed the shoe dealer, that the steady
increase In the size of our women's feet is
very largely due to the undeniable increase
In the size of the women themselves. 1t is
matter Of common knowledge to any one
who has Travelled abroad that the American
woman of today is built on far ampler
lines than her sisters of any other nation.
The average American girl stands almost
head and shoulders above the women at
an English garden party, her shoulders are
broader, and at London and Paris glove
shops where Americans resort they will
tell you that they are obliged to carry a
glove that Is longer in the fingers and
wider In the wrist for the special comfort
OF travellers from the states To my way
or thinking there Is something for our
women to be proud of in their large and
nearly always symmetrical and invariably
smartly shod feet. Just look at the feet
OF the Venus Of Milo and the Sistine Ma
donna; their creators knew enough to give
them feet in beautiful proportion to their
bodies, and not the dainty eXtremities Of
the small sedentary Mexican, or Cuban
ladies, who are the WearerS of the really
tiny shoes that are sold or sent out from
our shops and factories"
To Ease the Feet.
IT when obliged to be on your feet all