The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1904-09-22

order to heighten the claims OF the
shoemaker. "There is no man, neither
high nor low however greedy and
avaricious he may be, but he must
have shoes, unless he is of such an or
der of monks or a hermit or holy man
who for the sake of God will go bare
footed, for no nan who is without
shoes would ever carry with him the
appearance of much work. Ii he had
at his will a robe of Scarlet or of silk,
If he should be barefoot in the middle
of the way, whether be be handsome
or genteel, he would not be valued at
all by the people"
The shoemaker is better than gold or
silver, since princes, clerks and knights
must be shod and since there is no
priest, archdeacon or bishop, or car
dinal, or archbishop, or white monk, or
black monk, who dare on any account
perform the sacrament in holy church
or chant mass in any manner if he had
not first put shoes on" The shoe
maker poet declares that for his own
part he thinks it would ''be better to
good Shoes" HE who made this
story" he ends, ''prays and requests
of all SOutars-when they hear any one
say satires against them, for the sake
of God and for their own honor, let
them give him nothing of theirs with
which he can cause his shoes to be
mended if he have need of it."
AS limited in the shoemaker's perora-
ton, there were, besides the songs Of
the tradesmen, ballads and satires by
outsiders concerning their various pro-
fessions. A very curious "SOng Upon
the Tailors," written in Latin, belongs
to the time of Henry III. 81 have said
We are GODS" says the humorist. "Why
should omit the service which should
be said on festival days? Gods GER
tainly We are who can transform an old
garment into the shape OF new one.
The cloth, while fresh and new, is
made either cape or a mantle, but in
order of time first it is a cape After
a little space this is transformed into
the other Thus We change bodies"
For a new mantle, first of all, are
new cloth and new fur. When the fur
begins to be worn off the two ma.
terials are divided. The cloth "after
being separated from it's former hus-
band passes in reparatiOn to marriage
with a second husband. What will
you say is a greater crime? 1t is nei-
Their canOnic nor wise to marry two
cloths to one fur, and so we judge 1t.
At length, when the skin is devoid of
hair, having from Esau become Jacob,
it is turned, the old part concealed in
wardly being bare of hair, the good
part being still displayed" And to
end it's history, "the hypocritical man
tie, in order that there may be nothing
lost, is given to the servant for his
wages" ~ -
The Scottish poets show a strange
dislike of tailors and shoemakers, or
soutars, as they are called William
Dunbar at the end Of the fifteenth CEN
fury ironically apostrophizes them as
worthy of the highest place in heaven.
People are born Of God with deformi-
ties, he says, but it Is the business Of
the tailor and soutar with sly craft to
conceal their disf1gurements:
Soutars with shoon we'll made and meet,
Ye mend the faults of Ill made feet,
Wherefore to heaven your souls will flee
Tailors and soutars, blessed be We!
And tailoris with well made claes
Can mend the worst made man that gaes
And make him seemly for to see
Tailors and soutars. blessed be We!
In earth we can such miracles heir
In heaven We shall be saints full clear,
Though We be knaves in this countree,
Tailors and soutars, blessed be We!
London Standard.