The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-02-27
RENAISSANCE OF
CLOG FOOTWEAR
Old - Fashioned "Shoon'
Taken Seriously North
Of England

In the days before the war in
England the stranger from the
south" who. travelling nOrthward,
broke his Journey for a day or two
at any one Of the small manufnc-
turing towns which spread them
selves 50 innumerablv over the hills
and dalcs Of West Riding Of York
shire and over the pennines in Lam
cashire, was sure to he struck by
one thing, the clogs saws the Chris
tian Science Monitor. For clogs are
never seen or heard in the south
unless In a stable yard. Now, any
one who did not know may readily
find out for himself just exactly
what a clog is. The dictionary will
tell him that II is a kind OF stout
shoe with n thick. usually wooden.
sole" But unless he has been in
the north Of England he will al
most inevitably associate clogs with
dancing. Well. tho clog Is used by
the clog dancer in all parts
OF the world. but that is, Of
course, only playing at It."
Clogs in York or Lancaster take
themselves very seriously, and very
much for granted They have all
the dignity Of an institution. Many
Of them, OF course, have always
come from abroad, but still there
ever has been and still is the expert
clog maker and clog mender, the
man who knows just how TO fash
ion a sole with Just the right curve;
who can whittle n heel with the
cunning OF n true craftsman; who
fixes his iron shoes, his brass toe
cap in style most approved. and
who knows how TO set out his wares
in his little shop window 80 that
they will attract the passer by.
For there were fashions in clogs
in the days before the war. At any
rate, a new pair OF clogs, with the
sides Of the deep wooden solcs still
white with the freshness OF new
wood, with the leather we'll pol
ishcd and the brass toe-cap re-
isched and the brass toe-cap re-
splendeut, such clogs had something
moro than a mere utilitarian value.
For the most part however. II must
be confessed, clogs were out for
work, pure and simple, and not for
play. They clattered and they clap
pored TO the mines and to tie work.
shops. and II they slithercd and slid
under small boys and small girls
on the way TO school. they were
siil very much the trappings OF the
working day. For men and women
in recent years the clog, indeed, has
tended more and more to become
exclusively the gear for working
days, the leather shoe being worn
only for high days and holidays.
Then. all the time, OF course, there
has been the view that to wear
leather boots and shoes at all times
was sign Of great Advancement.
was IL not n worthy mayor Of
great manufacturing town in York
shire who was wont to declare on
many occasions "Ah come to town
wi clogs on, and now Alive gotten
shn0n?'
To-day, however, clogs are coming
into their own again Indeed, they
are doing much more than that.
At one bound, il would appear, they
are leaving their utterly utilitarian
condition and are claiming TO be-
come something pcrllouslv like "a
fashion" At any rate that is the
inLprcssion anyone would gain from
reading tho report Of the Interna-
tional Shoe and Leather Fair, held
recently at the Royal agricultural
hail in London, Here IL no hum
drum meeting the barest needs.
The genuine Lancashire clog" saws
one account OF the matter, lis still
10 he seen, but the Clattcr ~ wooden
shoes IL no longer essential tho
silent clog with rubber sole and
heel having made its appearance.
Clogs for children are n n special
line, and there are other types,
such as the specially heavy variety
with l-4-inch sole, tho fclt-lined
wellington and the high leg lace
clog for farm work"