The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-01
POLISHING A
WOMAN'S SHOES

Lets. go up on Sixth street and have
our shoes shined, and then am ready to
go home,' suggested woman, who had
spent the morning shopping.
"But I always have my shoes polished
on Nicollet avenue objected her friend;
"they give you much better shine down
there
''Indeed they cent! In decent weather
a Sixth street shine will sometimes last
three days. I will wager a cup OF hot
chocolate that your Nicollet avenue boy
will not put as good a polish on your
shoes as my Sixth street child
The wager was taken and one pair Of
shoes was polished at each place, while
the boys, whose days are spent in clean
ing Women's shoes, were melted to do
their best by artful references to rival
establishments. When the two pairs Of
shoes were as bright as polish, muscle and
skill could make them, the contestants
were forced to call a mutual friend to act
as judge. The only decision she made
was to order "hot chocolate for three
There hain,t boy on tn street kin
give. yer a better shine dan dat sailed
the lad after them, as he slipped his
fee into his pocket, and began to ply his
brushes on the next pair of shoes.
shine is a regular feature of a trip
down town and every woman is sure to
perch herself on the high chair in the
rear OF a shoe shop before she goes home.
When Dame Fashion ordered the women
out OF the thin soled, thinner-leather shoe
into the heavy calf skin walking boot or
enamel dress shoe, they discovered that
| the French dressing that comes in bot
| ties didn't produce the desired polish
even when applied with the bit of sponge
! so insecurity fastened to the wire in the
| cork That sponge alone was sufficient to
send women to the bootblacks. It was
never on the wire and was responsible
l q g MAJ rer1,t on, + .
mans, collar button. Even the polish in
| little tin boxes that is warranted to pro-
! 'duce bright and shining surface fails
when applied by feminine hand
It's the Professional rub tibet yer
want. explains the grinning bootblack,
an yer cant get an amyter ter give yer
a shine like dat
No wonder there is always a line of
women waiting a turn in the high chair.
From IL until l at noon and from O'Clock
until at night the line is longer, for then
women run in on their way home and the
girls from sthe offices stop to have their
shoes cleaned. Several hundred shoes a
day is fair average at a busy shop.
The industry has grown to such an ex-
tent that there are few shine shops that do
not have at least one chair reserved for
women. The women do not seem to ap-
preciate this reservation, for the chairs
are seldom occupied and the crowd goes
|
i, more private corner is possible.
/. 1T really isn't the publicity mind,
confessed one woman. "but you see We
!. all have tickets that entities us to shines
at the shoe shops. At2the shine shops one
has to pay or 10 cents, and penny
, | saved Is a penny earned.
II am not so sure of that" hesitatet
her companion, 81 never felt SO tough IL
. my life as when was perched in chair
in shine shop. We were going out t,
dinner, and managed to get my shoe
!. muddy when left the car. Tom insiste1
on my going into a shine shop, and did
but felt as though were in the publ
eye every second
!. Most women are really not very nea
!, in caring for footwear, and they will I'll
a WORKOUT shoe lace together until Their
:. is not lace enough left between the knot
< to tie, regardless of the fact that lace
are given away at every shoe store. The
J. run down their heels much more than
!, man, and they have trusted to their skirt
to hide any deficiency. The skirt ha
:. basely betrayed their confidence and i
J. creeping away until the untidy shoe can
not be hidden. The short skirt shoul
;. receive as much credit for the shine habi
as the heavy shoes
It Is not an uncommon sight in a larg
!, office building 20 see the bootblack pol
S fishing the women's shoes, as we'll as thos
I. of the men. when he makes his rounds
For some reason a woman cannot keep he
3, foot steady on an ordinary shoe box an
7 # invariably tits up on the heel with th
toe in the air, adding to the difficultie
3. lot the boetblack. "a
RI The bootblack In the shoe shop is paid
l. regular salary for his, work and he earn
y it. HIS shines are criticized unmerci
al fully and IL he does not remember that,