Arizona republican., 1916-01-15
Arizona Republicans Editorial Page

Therefore the boot jack industry should not have entirely passed.
 But forget that writing for later, if not degenerate generation. There persons in Phoenix in their teens and some who have lately emerged, who have never seen and maybe, have heard of boot t-jack. A boot jack is an implement for pulling off boots. The common wooden jack made of board about eighteen inches in length and five six inches wide There cleat the under side of the board about one-f fourth the distance from end that When the boot jack laid the floor the one end was elevated two or three inches In this end a deep angle. salient
 The boot jack operated by placing one it while the boot the other foot, just above heel, driven wedged into the angle and held tight that the foot might be withdrawn from the boot. There ornate boot jacks made of iron in which there some attempt at artistic design. But they were expensive to be thrown at cats We trust that have made the mechanism and operation of this contrivance plain to the youth of today.
 They may ask though, Why the bootjack all?' Hence we delve further antiquity. A few years ago, say late a generation, boots were exclusively. by people who lived in cities
  rural districts where .may be deep in the winter time and mud in the early spring. But a generation ago say, forty years only women shoes and they by means handsome The first shoes for men, that is factory shoes unsghtly objects which by no chance ever happened to fit the foot.
 But bootmaking was a fine art Boots were always made to measure and the measure a m Of There were no boot and shoe stores and no shoe factories Boot and shoe making was in the hands of small shoemakers of whom there was one in every hamlet and at every cross roads. In the larger towns shoemakers sometimes employed hands and they called "jours" journeymen.
 Tine products of boot and shoemaking shops fine boots of French calf; sem-"fne' boots of American calf, kip" "stogy" or cowhide boots Shoes of ealfskin or kip were made for and girls We will pass the first fac made products consisting of copper boots with bright red blue morocco tops with an ornate design in silver for boys. Fine boots were made skin tight tight that the stitches that held the half lining of leather in place along sides of the foot left their impression plainly on the leather Without an effect the wearer of the boots might had doubts about their
 
 boots could be put The operation always accompanied by herculean pulling great puffing and, sometimes, profanity. That there much outbreaking profanity in those days we have always regarded a tribute the deep under ent of religion in that period. The fine" boots could be separated from their tortured victims only through the instrumentaty of the boot jack.
 Fine" boots cost from sS to SIP pair and were usually worn only on Sundays, holidays and court ing expeditions in the neighborhoods for years There leather in those days; the tanning pro- covered period of months. Coarse boots lasted season and often longer.
 The cowhide boot frozen stiff a winter morn ing is believed to have been responsible for the desertion of the farm by the youth of the generation than the attractive bright lights and wickedness of the cities.
 We trust, dear children that have shed some light peculiarly dark and distressing period of country's history