The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-27
Passing of the Cobbler, Once
A Most Important Parsonage
Mendins but Shoe Factories with Their Cheap
nd Rapid Proce Have Destroyed His Usefulness

cobblers buy cut soles In this we are
ahead of the East. / understand that the
shoemakers of the East do not progress as
fast as they do in this part of the country
and it is said that very often you come
across cobblers there who are still pursuing
the old methods of cutting out all parts of
shoes they use in repairing.
1.-THE reason that the West progresses
faster than the East is accounted for, I
suppose, said the cobbler by the fact
that there are more new communities here
and towns starting afresh are likely TO be-
gin with everything modern. If you were
going TO install new plant of any sort it
stands to reason that you would put in the
latest styles of machinery, while in the
older communities they cling more to the
old ways
DO THEIR OWN COBBLING.
There is not much of home mending
done around here. for everybody lives for
the most part within driving distance of
some city or town which has a cobbler's
shop. but in the far West cut soles are
sold to people who mend their own shoes
Taking il altogether there are a great
many people in all parts of the country who
do this, but they are TO be found mostly
in the sections where they are near no
settlement. There are plenty OF people
scattered throughout the West who would
have to go twenty-five, fifty and seventy
miles to get to a cobbler and this wouldn't
pay. Many farmers. however. mend their
own shoes for economy's sake"
"A good deal of this was done long ago.
wasn't there?"
''Oh, yes: in the old times the farmer or
other head of family who did this work
had for il an illasSorted kit of tools and
L may say that ii in this way that L
learned my trade. My father lived on a
farm and of course in those days he had
to do all OF the bootma king, for were
nowhere near a settlement and he was
rather handy at that kind of work. he
did all of the boot and shoemaking for the
family. When / became old enough L
took it up and as 1 inherited his aptness
in handling tools 1 stayed with it. 1 liked
this kind of work much better than L did
farming. so it was not long until l left
home to go to the city. where L became a
fuIl-fedged shoemaker. In these days the
nah who repairs his own shoes does not
have to make his own tools as he did
then; he simply buys what is called 4
household set of cobbler's tools"
Some one at this juncture of the CONVEX
sation wondered if there were many
sets of these cobbler's tools sold.
Yes answered the old cobbler, there
are a good many of them. 1 know this
from what / have heard people say. There
is one big Western concern that makes
nothing but kits of cobbler's tools, turning
out household sets and other sorts at the
is a big country and with lots OF people in
it. and there are other lands to supply, but
when you consider that one set of these
tools will last a man who gives them good
care a lifetime IL shows that there are
getting to be quite a number who do their
own shoe repairing
I'm no trade has there been a greater ad-
vance than in that of making shoes. And
no trade has been more highly specialized
For example, there are concerns that make
nothing but shoe counters and another
manufacturer turns out nothing but boot
and shoe heels; then with the cut soles
man has nothing to do but assemble them
and he has his shoe.
We'll" said the old cobbler, bringing his
talk to close by knocking the ashes from
his pipe and picking up another old shoe
which needed a patch across the toe, the
business is not what it was a few years
ago and anybody who has sense enough
TO drive a nail can fix pair of shoes"