The sun., 1910-02-06
@MADE ON A SHOESTRING'
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT 4
NECESSARY ARTICLE.
why Some shOestrlnss Are Too Long and
some Turn BrOwn-Thc Secure Knot
PROFITS I'm Their Manufacture and
SaIe-NGark or tho Good sh0estrlng.

saIe-Mark or tho Good shOestrlng.
About as long as a string" is an In
definite expression unless it refers to q
shoestring. A shoestring is six-fourths
long when you do not specify the length
required. Further research would most
likely answer the question. six-fourths
OF what? gs'
When a man buys a new pair OF shoes
the strings in them are just long enough.
When he buys the next pair OF shoestrings
they are too long. The strings that come
with the shoes arc four-fourths long;
the next pair will be six-fourths unless
you ask for and can get four-fourths.
These lengths have to do with mems
high shoes. There is not the same trou-
BILE as to low shoes.
Some shoestrings are very strong
and will wear long time, but they will
turn brown. Others will not wear so
long, but they will retain their original
blackness. The strong strings that turn
brown are Of linen or very strong cotton.
The others are Of mixed fbres that hold
their color. 4'
Many persons prefer the less durable
shoestFing, not only because 1t holds
IJ5 lLS COtOf DQb OtCducCs bchAhk VI a ACoc
hard fibre, it stays tied better than the
other. A few OF the millions OF shoe
string wearers know how to tie a bow
knot that won't come united. The method
can be explained without diagram.
Instead of tucking the bow once over
before drawing the knot tight. tuck 1t
twice over. A fiddes tring used for a shoe
lace would not come united il the knot
were made in that way. This knot can
be united in the same way as the other,
by pulling at the ends.
The hoo KS above the eyelets were a
very profitable invention, but not for the
inventor. the shoe manufacturer or the
| consumer. The story OF that invention
has been printed many times, II it were
not fairly accurate it would nave been
contradicted.
The story has IL that the hook was de-
vised by a man somewhere In the West
and that the ideaw sold for a song to q
/ travelling salesman who happened TO
come along. Various versions Of che
/ story give the amount paid as from $50
to sl5O. The story says that the salesman
patented the device and that 20 = few
years after its introduction and before
the patent ran out the profit from il was
about $50. 600 a year.
The invention was Improbable for
manufacturers OF shoes, because all had
TO use it, none could charge more for their
shoes with It than without IL, and 1t did
not increase the demand for shoes- It.
added to the cost OF their outpHt the
amount Of their royalties and It brought
no return.
A man patented a hook to be used as
the last at the top Of the shoe. which
did away with the knot in tho shoestring.
II was like the jam cleat for fastening
small lines on sailing canoes and the
string would never slip, but manufacturers
would not adopt IL. They said that IL one
would add a little TO the cost OF every pair
of shoes with no return.
The hook that was adopted was I'M
profitable for the consumer because his
lshoestrings wore out faeter after, Il was
\ introduced. but IL his time was vaiuable
time saver. The salesman of the story
and the shOestrlng makers reaped the
harvest from the invention.
IL was not long ago that high top shoes
were invariably laced fshbone fashion
all the way UP. Then came the over
I the toe TO the hooks, with the fishbone
| lacing from hook TO hook. "A later device
was TO lace over and over to within two
eyelets Of the hooks and begin the fish
bone lacing there. because the latter is
more easily opened than the former.
A few young men who have prided
themselves on their display OF footgear.
wearing fancy hose with low cut shoes
and trousers turned up. have affected
lacing their shoes with br Dad laces from
the top OF the shoe downward and maxi
ing the bow at the point nearest the toe.
There are many merchants OF wealth
who started out in business peddling
shoestrings. Perhaps one OF them 10 the