Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1920-04-13
Care WIN proloog Life Ct Shoes.
foorwxAB REQUIRES GOOD TREATMENT
Oh IT GROWS sHABBY.

When pair Of dress shoes could be
bought with . 5-dollar bill most people
vere not greatly concerned - to how
long they would wear. But now nearly
every body is taking better care of bis
shoes in an endeavor to prolong their
usefulness.
For those who are not ''shoe- wise" the
following advice on the care Of shoes,
given BY clothing specialists In the
United States Department Of Agricul-
ture, may provo helpful.
WALK RIGHT TO SAVE SHOES
Careful poise of the body In walking
prolongs the life OF shoes. A careless.
slipshod gait wears shoes unevenly,
while IN erect carriage tends to keep the
soles and heels level.
Shoes, even more than most other arti-
Giles of clothing, need to be aired after
wearing In order to prevent the perspira-
ton from rotting the lining. It is .
good plan to keep them on shoe trees or
stuffed With tissue paper, because in this
way the wrinkles are forced out and the
original shape is preserved.
Wetting tends to spoil the appearance
of shoes and to shorten their period Of
service; therefore, overshoes should be
worn in bad weather.
Wet shoes should be dried slowly and
carefully, for heat tends to crack the
leather. 1t Ii especially important to re-
store the shape of wet shoes by shoe
trees or paper stufipg. Even with the
most careful drying, moisture tends to
rot the threads with which . shoe 10
sewn, and ian ounce of prevention 10
worth pound Of cure"
All types of rubber overshoes are now
80 expensive that they should be treated
as carefully as the shoes they protect.
They should be kept away from great
heat, and set fright side up with care"
to prevent their losing shape. They
should also be washed or brushed so that
the grit on them may not wear down the
surface.
REST Is GOOD FOB THEM
1t is economy to keep two pairs of
shoes In use and wear them on alternate
days; the thorough airing on shoe-trees
or stuffed with paper keeps them frssber
and more shapely so that each pair gives
longer service. All shoes should be kept
clean and we'll brushed. Leather shoes
may be rubbed with vaseline to keep
them soft, and also to keep moisture
from passing quickly through the leatb-
or. Only good polisbes should be used.
In using paste polishes, q brush 10
preferable to . cloth, as IL will force the
paste into all crevices. The shoes should
stand few minutes after the paste 10
applied; then they should be brushed
with fat stiff brush and polished with
. cloth or buffer, . brush made of layers
of cloth having . mapped surface. A
glove made of sheepskin with the wool
on, such a. 10 used for rubbing furniture,
10 also very good for polishing shoes.
White canvas shoes are usually cleaned
with . commercial preparation. II water
10 used, no more than necessary should
be applied on the shoes and they must
be cleaned on shoe-trses or stuffed with
paper to prevent the canvas from shrink.
ing. If they are badly soiled they may
be washed with . soap that contains
whiting, dried, and II necessary treated
with q commercial cleaner. All traces
Of the cleaner should be carefully wiped
from the edges Of q colored sole; other.
wise the shoe will have . slovenly sp.
pearsnce. White suede and buckskin
shoes are cleaned In much the same gen.
eral way, but with special cleaners made
for the purpose.
CHEST Or BAGS CONSERVE SPACE
Where conservation of space is not
necessary, shall chest for holding shoes
may be added to the furnishing OF the
bedroom; or shoe bags hung on the In.
side Of the closet door are good. Pairs
Of bags in different colors are very use
full for packing shoes when travelling;
they keep the shoes from being scratch.
ed, prevent them from soiling other arti-
cles, and make Il possible to sort ont q
particular pair quickly.
Shoe repairing has become such an art
that shoes must be of very poor leather
indeed, II they will not stand repairs.
Rundown heels spoil the shape of shoes
and should be leveled at once. If the
shoes are Of good leather, we'll shaped,
and well made, II 10 worth while to have
full soles hand sewed on them and new
heels put on when the first set wears
through. Shoes thus mended will out
wear those repaired with ordinary half
soles, and also have . much better ap-
pearance. Brass nails In the heels make
less noise than iron nails In walking.
Rubber heels prevent jsrrIng and for
some persons they seem to wear longer
han leather heels.