Waterbury Democrat., 1902-02-11
ABOUT WOMEN'S SHOES.


 
 "Thirty-five years ago when went into this business" said white-nair- ed shoemaker, the woman who was obliged to wear No shoe always whispered the fact in my ear after swearing me to secrecy, and either or dered the objectionable numeral oblit- erated from the shoe lining or had one that indicated a much smaller size put in it's place.
 "Thirty-five years ago we sold what we called here in the shop large and small 3S, because then as now there existed pleasant and carefully cher ished belief that the American woman possessed an extremely small and slender foot. To-day instead of those 3s we sell As, 5s and 6s, in place of lasts made in the A, B and c widths we sell c, D and B. Though the pride in the Arabian deIicacy of the Amer ican womans foot is as much a mat ter of national boast as ever, the fact remains that all things consid cred Uncle Sam's handsome daugh- ters have uncommonly big feet, and the worst phase of the condition is that their feet are steadily growing bigger.
 Since time irnmemorial," the shoe man continued, tour women have smiled in gentle pity over the size of the English woman's foot, and tender ly commiserated her on the ownership of awkwardly extensive extremities, but the American shoe manufactures who exports ties, slippers and laced boots can readily testify that the de- mand from the English importers is for shoe from one to two sizes short CT 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 i'll 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 wear.
 Among my customers are several whose progenitors were signers of the Declaration of Independence, and though the question of actual size and 1 letter is never discussed between us, all the clerks in my place know that nothing less than No of width will fit either mother or daughter.
 'Those, of course, are rather excep- tional cases, but to prove my assertion l 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 2s. 3s and 3 1-2s I find it ab- solutely necessary to order and keep on hand 9 to 60 pairs of 5s, 6s and 6 1-2s, running in width from Q to E.
 sAn honest No. 6 is what the aver age woman wears in a walking shoe whether it is tie or a high-laced boot 1 while in a slipper she will usually pur- chase a 57a. if she is going to use ii for dancing and walking. Should she be sensitive about her feet and eager to minimize 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 stret
 "Such slippers, of course, are not practical nor in the least hygienic; the weight is thrown on the ankle and or the delicate joints at the root of the toes, with the inevitable result of increas ing bulk and breadth at both of these points. When, however, has woman ever listened to reason if fashion ol vanity got her ear first? Another very lamentable fact, from the standpoint I of comfort and common sense, is the increasing demand for a shoe and slip per with a narrowing toe.
 Happily, though, there is a saving remnant of our American women who insist first of all on wearing stout and easy shoes, and who this winter re fuse to endure the heat and weight of rubber overshoes. Among the very smart women, who walk and golf 2 good deal, the overshOe is regarded as .I an evidence of feeble intellect or pit fully inadequate constitution, and tC meet the requirements of the robust class the shoemakers have brought out rainproof butcher walking boots.
 'The soles of these are quarter o1 an inch in thickness and full exten. sion; the vamps are made of the bes1 ] American calf and the tops of grained English leather. All day long over sodden fields or streaming streets, g woman can tramp in these withou knowing a damp stocking. and if after a thorough wetting the shoes are dried on trees and treated with proper dress ing and polish the leather will be per fectly pleasant and flexible for further use.
 Perhaps it is only fair to admit, , confessed the shoe dealer, 'that the steady increase in the size of our wo mems feet is very largely due to the undeniable increase in the size of the women themselves. It is matter oi common knowledge to anyone who has travelled abroad, that the American woman of to-day is built on far amplel lines than her sisters of any other na tion. The average American gir stands almost head and shoulders above the women at an English garden par ty, her shoulders are broader and al the London and Paris glove shops where Americans resort they will tel you that they are tho lar@est womer in the world-and the best.''