New Britain herald., 1928-10-17
PORTUGAL ENAC1S
 PECULIAR STATUTE
nLs It Illegal to Go Without
 Shoes

Washington, U. L.. Oct. lt.-rd dh- ing to wear shoes will be against the law in Portugal after October 1, Because of the many adults who have been in the habit of going barefoot, in the cities as well as III the country districts. the authori- ties. according to dispatches. are expecting diff'c lities in enforcing the new statute.
 This unusual law draws atten- ton to the great number of people in the world who still go unshod, says a bulletin from the Washing ton, D. C. headquarters of the Ma tional Geograpnic Society. and to the varied kinds of footwear in use from the Polar regions to the Tropics.
 'The tropical countries are the strongholds of the great unshod. In Africa, parts of Central America the northern portion of south America, and in southern Asia. the majority of the human feet are de- void of any covering through the seasons and from the cradle to the grave. In the cooler parts of the earth both rigorous weather and the greater activity of the people have made foot coverings necessary dur ing the winter months at least.
 Tt is in the warm regions just outside the Tropics such as Egypt and Mesopotamia that We can trace civilization farthest into the past. There the slaves and lower classes could go comfortably throughout the year without protecting their feet, but the use of shoes for the upper classes developed at an early date, The primary consideration was to protect the bottoms of the feet. therefore the sandal was the first type of shoe to be invenetd. It was merely 2 flat piece of some protec- tive material bound loosely to the foot. Since wood was difficult to ob- tain both in the Nile and in the T- xris- -Euphrates valleys, sandals Of crudely plaited straw and reeds were first used. Later the Egyptians made sandals and light shoes of beautiful workmanship from leather and kid.
 "In Palestine the ancient He- hrews wore sandals made of heavy piece of leather, of cloth, or less freouently of wood. A few of the latter, for rough use, were shod with iron. The Greeks and Romans. starting with simple sandal, im- proved on it in time by adding edges that turned up along the sides and at the back. A network of thongs passed over the top of the foot and around the ankle, fore- shadowing the closed shoe. The thongs became sheets of leather. and 70 shoes and boots were born in Europe.
 Cold Climate Gave Birth to Boots
 Tn Central and Northern Europe the cold winters made 1t necessary of course. to cover the feet and legs when out of doors. In early times, crude sacks of skins were made. Grass was stuffed in under the sole of the feet and around them to add warmth. Later well made boots of leather replaced this crude footwear. A parallel evolution took place among the American h. dians and the Eskimos where moc- casins and soft close-fitting boots of skins came into use.
 The CrusAdes, which affected the habits and customs of Europe 50 signally, marked the appearance Af 1nothnp ahnuS on that continent. Soon style began to play tts part in shoe evolution Toes were heightened and curved upward until, among the fops. fl became necessary to attach them te the knees-sometimes by golder chains. 6umpturary laws put an end to this development, and the fash ion makers turned to heels. These wers increased until forms like those of women's modern dress slip pers were reached.
 Although shoes of leather anG other tanned hides of substantial! the same form. are now the gener ally accepted footwear of the West millions of people both in EasterI and Western Hemisphere still wea more primitive types In India fla wooden sandals are worn by many as we'll as sandals of leather ant straw. In Japan sandals-chiefly o straw and wood-greatly outnumbe shoes. Sandals are also worn b. millions of feet in Mexico, Centra America and northern South Africa In the Near East grass and fabri coverings are still worn, and in Hoi land, Belgium, and northern France sabots, hollowed out of soli' blocks of wood, are the shoes o hundreds of thousands of people.
 Shoes from Old Tires
 "1n parts of the Near East tn automobile age has brought a quee by-product shoe. Thousands of cas- off American automobile tires ar imported. cut into pieces. and use' as the soles for crude sandals. Tn synthetic shoe has also made t appearance. Cloth shoes with rubbe soles have long been in use on ten his courts and in gymnasiums. | recent years patented materials riv allng sole leather in toughness haV been used as soles for some of tn ordinary shoes made in America.
 ''The greatest single factor in th development of modern shoes wa the invention of shoe making m chinery. United states inventor were first in this field. and as a re suit the United States leads th world in shoe production. In 192 more than 224 million pairs of boot and shoes were turned out hy th factories of the United States. Thi enc years production was wort nearly a billion dollars"
 BANK ALARM DRAWS CROWD
 A large number of passers-h h
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