The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-10-09
THE old BOOTJACK
Time Was When It Proved a Real
Friend In Every Home.
JOYS OF A PAIR OF BOOTS.

Hard and Wrinkled Was a Struggle,
but Getting Them on Was Often
Test Of Strength and Endurance.
Many boys and young men of these
days who have heard more or less
about the old time bootjacks have
probably never seen one, because with
the abandonment of the wearing of
boots by men and boys the bootjack
went out of fashion In the old days.
especially in the winters, the man or
boy who wore anything but boots was
rare and the bootjack was a necessary
article in every house.
Boots were worn without rubbers,
and frequently to keep out the snow
and the slnsh they were treated to an
application of mutton tallow or some
other greasy substance, but these APP
plicatiOns did not always keep the feet
dry nor the leather soft. The leg of
the boot in the vicinity of the ankles
was sure TO have deep. heavy wrinkles,
and when the boots got wet and then
dried on the owners feet the wrinkles
became hard. and il was 10 easy mat
ter to get those boots OFF 1t generally
required considerable labor over the
bootjack. 1t required Juggling and tug
eing. and after the job was finally ac-
compIshed the boots would generally
be left near the stove for the night TO
get thorough drying out for the
morning.
Getting the hard boots on in the
mornings was always more of a job
than getting them Off the night before.
IL the wrinkles Mt the ankles were
bard at the time the boots were taken
off they were even harder and sitter
in the morning and that added to the
task OF getting them on. The owner
would shove his foot down into the leg
Of the boot. the foretingers would be
showed through the straps, and the
haul at getting the boots on would he
gin.
At first the haul would be n straight
one. with the boot resting on the floor.
and while the hauling was i'm process
the weight of the body would lie eycr-
cised in showing the foot into the boot.
The counters of the old time leather
boots were naturally hard. but after
the leather had become wet and had
dried out they were still harder and in
variably 1t was hard task To yet the
heel down. lt was always a tremen-
dous relief to get the edge of stock
inged heel over the inside Of the coun-
ter. because with that the great dill
Guilty was overcome. and then the foot
would slip naturally into rs rest ne
place in the boot.
Invarlar'v rest vNs desired after
the first boo, was on before the task of
getting on the second was tackled. and
often the practice of kicking the boots
on WAS rcsprtcd To. The man or boy
would first get his forchngers into
the straps of his boot. and as he
pulled he would kick the toe Of tine
boot against the wall or Dashboard. In
houses where there were boys the
marks made by kicking on the boots
were always to be seen. OF course. this
had tendency Ia wear ont the toes.
but then many of the boots were built
10 meet this "kicking" game.
Some of the boots were REINFORCED
with brass toe pieces. n tribe over n
quarter of m inch in depth. and these
were fastened into the boot between
the upper and the welt and shaped
something after horseshoe. Roots
supplied with these brass pieces and
they mnde this kind for men rs well as
boys would always stand more kick
ing before the leather was worn
through and visit 10 the cobblers
was made necessary.
The booiiack. though 1t has disap-
pcared now. was then TO he found in
every home. Booiiacks generally We're
of home manufacture. and one would
last FOR many years. They were so easy
10 make that some families would have
n number of them. SO that there woHld
be no occasion for waiting should one
member of the family want the boot
Jack while another member was using
IL. A hammer. some nails, lumber and
a saw were the requisites.
To make a bootiack piece of board
about twelve or fifteen inches long and
four or five inches wide YVES obtained.
4 piece the shape Of V would be
sawed from one end OF the board and
then lit consisting Of a piece of
board about an inch In width and an
inch high would be nailed on the I'M
dcrside short distance below the
small point OF the V. That raised the
V end from the foor and gave place
10 put the heel in when Il was desired
10 pub of the boot. This in effect
completed the bootjack. with the ex-
ccption Of the hole by which TO hang
IL up.
In the days when boots wC~e so gen
orally worn augurs were nos rs com
mon i'm the homes as they are nova
DAYS. when about every household has
n small Kit ~ carpenters tors. but
getting n hole In the bootiack y IS an
easy natter II was done by h. ting
the stoke poker I'm the kitchen s.ove
until Il became red hot. and with Il
10 burn e hole through the bootia <