Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-05-08
WEARING WOODEN SHOES.
Germans Being Forced to Adopt Aol
lands Style of Footwear.

Correspondence of Associated Press.l
Berlin, April 1.--After more than a
century and half Of relative unpop-
ularity and disuse, except among the
peasantry. wooden shoes are becoming
the vogue with school children once
more, and their use is being actively
and practically encouraged by school
authorities.
The reason. of course, is the scarcity
and unprecedented expensiveness OF
leather shoes which gradually have
caused people to forget the old-time
dislike Of and stigma attaching to
wooden shoes. Hundreds of school
children in the past few weeks have
taken, either to leather shoes with
wooden soles, or to the old all-wooden
"pantine."
The first move in favor of a resump-
ton of wooden shoes was taken by the
school authorities in notifying teachers
that they should countenance the use
of such things in spite Of all the noise
made when the children clattered
about the bare floors in them.
Then the authorities OF the suburb
of Lichterfelde went a step farther and
offered a premium Of one mark to all
children being in part or>entirely sup
ported who would wear wooden shoes
with wooden soles' for period of four
weeks. Those authorities who have
charge of supporting the families OF
soldiers spent a considerable sum OF
money in the purchase of several hum
dred pairs Of shoes, which We're Of
fered to the public at prices ranging
from a little over q dollar to q dollar
and half a pair.
At first only the boys took to the
new shoes, but gradually the girls to0
have adopted them, and hundreds Of
children Of both sexes wear them 70
school daily and save their expensive
leather shoes foraSundays and special
| occasions. Gradually they are winning
vogue in other parts or Berlin, and,
Of course, are widely worn in the
country districts. *
! The history Of the "pantine" or
wooden slipper. generally without heels
of any sort. goes back for centuries,
Along in the early years Of the eight
zenith century an edict was issued In
Prussia against their use. and not only
We're persons who disobeyed punished,
but communities which permitted their
use were fined heavily. For long
| time, however they continued to be 81
popular CNdl lAe eulCt udo " Nc iO-
newed more than once.
People really stopped wearing them
only when they became q sort OF badge
of poverty, and their use has nevef
entirely disappeared in country dis
tricts where they are far better pro-
lection than leather against mud and
wet, and where their durability natur-
| ally commends itself to the peasants.
| Paper shortage, like the leather
shortage, is also having it's effects III
/ the Prussian schools in the decree by
| the minister Of education that from
now on states shall to the fullest posi-
BILE extent replace the old time paper
booklets in which the children have
! been accustomed to do their lessons.
In issuing his decree, Minister Won
Trott Zu Solz called the attention OF
teachers to the fact that because OF
/ the shortage Of paper children who
still have to use the bound books must
be made to use up every available
space. and that the books no longer
need to be enclosed In a heavy paper
cover, all of which goes to waste.