The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-11-17
ONLY A MEMORY NOW
The Copper-Toed Shoe Has Gone>the
Way Of the Spinning
, Wheel. 4
Small Boy Toes Are Now Protected
by a Box Tip of Hard
Leather.

Did you ever wear copper toes on your
boots or shoes?
What, never? WE'LL you must have
been a very good boy. - Z
But a quarter of a century ago most
boys were bad. Small boys then were
hard on their shoes and clothes and big
is more cultured and athletic, the small
boy plays football and falls down upon
a plump and padded comrade instead Of
tumbling in the mud. The present day
boy also "stomps'' his shoes into a dear
friends. countenance,; a custom that is
of leather. ....
But when the boy of 1877 went forth
to enjoy life, he was presumed to STUN
BILE over well-nigh every object In his
path. He was supposed to fill up idle
by trying to- kick the curb stone
off the street. It was we'll known, in
summer time, that he used the toe of his
shoe or boot to lay out fitting circles for a
the fact that he could always strike his
own or. his neighbours, feet with shin
n.y. club that usually missed the ball,
golf at that time being a vulgar game.
On winter days, as no mother could for
get, the boys lay PROSTATE for hours upon
sleds and hobs" digging their toes into
some icy hill. Therefore the boy of the
Centennial period entered his daily war
fare armed "a-pied,'' if not cap-a-pie. He
was defended against his own toes by
copper armor. He wore
copper-toed shoes or copper toed boots.
The copper toe for boys footwear was
invented by the Chinese, who
first thought Of gunpoWder, and Of kiss
ing goodbye over the front gate, and of
other things that have advanced civiliza-
ton. But that hallowed continuance, the
copper anti-kick, Is said to have been re-
vived for the uplifting of America by the
father of a, large family in western New
York.
This was about 1868. Having a large
family, he was always paying bills. The
exactions Of his shoemaker drove him to
despair and dreams.
why, those boots worn out?" he'd de-
mand; willie only got 'em six weeks
ago!"
Yes, but the dear little fellows scuffed
the toes all OUT
And SO the harassed father dreamed
one night that he had brought home four
pairs of cast iron boots and that he had
cruelty defied his loving sons to "scuff'
the iron toes out.
The next morning he gloated over his
dream at the breakfast table, He even
threatened that "he had notion to get
some boots ironplated for the boys" And
then his wife, in all the ingenuousness of
to make the toes Of 1ron!' She laughed
at her own queer fancy-as some women
will, added a Boston shoe man who was
telling the story to- trade paper cor
respondent the other day.
But the, husband didn't laugh. He
looked, serious. He began to think Next
he experimental with the aid Of shoe
maker friend. They tried cast iron toes
in a high "box" shape. Subsequently they
thought Of using copper instead. 1t would
be more flexible and it wouldn't rust.
Finally they inserted, "a strip of copper in
the front part Of the sole. This strip
projected forwards sapd turned up hori-
zontally above the sole and in front of the
toe end Of the upper so as to form an
an inch high and two inches wide, thor
oughly protecting the soft leather upper
just behind the plate and just in front of
the bad boys toes.
And the incentives father paid no more
big bills to shoemakers-not,a at least, for
scuffed-out toes. The toes of his boys
shoes lasted thereafter much longer than
the rest of their shoes. Not that 1t was
still a matter. Of CONCERN to the fortunate
the royalties from his his. wife's-
invention, which afforded one Of the
largest fortunes ever secured from a de-
vice apparently trivial.
The copper toe was a brilliant sue
cess, the only portion Of a boys boot, in
fact, that ever shone brightly after the
first three days. Nevertheless, although
copper toes were manufactured by the
million throughout this and other coun-
tries during a score of years, the metallic
money saver was always open to two OBJ
jections-it suggested that the wearer was
a bad boy (good boys never scuff their
shoes out) and 1t also limited that the
wearer's father didn't enjoy buying new
shoes every month.
Hence the copper toe has been wholly
supplanted by an Improvement free from
such defects. This is the leather box
toe" which, being used, for artistic rea-
sons upon all varieties of shoes, does not
indict the wear upon charge OF grand or
petit scuffinfi. Neither does the box toe
tell Of economy.
At present, therefore, the copper toe is
as extinct as blushing. No copper toed'
shoes could be bought in Minneapolis
to-day by an earnest seeker through
the local shoe shops. The big department
stores; which are comparatf lively new, had
scarcely heard of the article desired. Sew
eral Of the older stores had once carried
copper toes, but that was years ago. ut
has been at least five years." said the
manager Of a Washington avenue store,
Since we got rid Of our last pair Of cop
per toes-sold 'em to a farmers boy. Be
lieve he understood that they were sonle-
thing new"
The. copper toe has not been, ""handled''
by jobbers for much longer period. 1--WE
used to sell some Of them" said the North
Star Shoe company to-day, about f1f-
teen or eighteen years ago. But there's
no demand for that toe now. The box
toe Of sole leather is practically as good
protection, and this is often aided on
boys shoes by the extension sole, which
also keeps the toes from wearing"
YES, the copper toes used to be worn
great deal on boys boots. L mean real
top boots, not walking shoes. It was
considered manly and proper for boys to
wear boots, Only girls had shoes. But
children's boots went out nearly twenty
years ago. In these days, as the club
ladies tell us, any boy should be glad to be
taken for GIRL, 49, ->... v.~'~-- 80.