Evening star., 1933-01-01
HUNDREDS NEED|NG|
|. OLD SHOES BADLY
Old Lady Who Lives in Shoe
Hard Put to Find
Enough Pairs.

The Old Lady Who Lives in Shoe at
727 seventeenth street Is hard put to 1t
to get enough shoes to take care of the
hundreds who every day come to see
her, their feet literally on the ground,
beseeching her for help.
Yesterday morning there were more
than 100 waiting outside the back alley
entrence Of the Old Lady's shop, the
rain running in rivulets past their bare.
partly bare and n some cases raw ano
bleeding feet, waiting for shoes. There
were white and coloSed men, white and
colored women, and children, most OF
the latter in the remains of last Sum-
mer's sneakers, standing in the rain
waiting for their turn to get into the
Old Lady's shop End see az some kind
person had left a pair of shoes they
could get on their feet.
The Old Lady is depending upon the
people who have shoes to give their
scuffed but otherwise serviceable foot
gear to those who haven't shoes and
yet who have the weary task of plod-
ding the streets day after day in futile
search Of work.
Appeal Brings Results.
Yesterday morning was a special
morning at the Old Lady's shop. Fri
day night Gideon A. Lyon, one of those
interested in the welfare of the Old
Lady, had delivered an appeal over
the radio for shoes for the shoeless
The Old Lady's cupboard had been bare
the night before, and except for lot
OF women's .shoes that it was hard to
ind wearers for. there was no service
IN Ian
But the radio talk did the trick, and
by the time George Emerson, World
War aviator and a member of the Dis
trict bar, who is helping out the Old
Lady, arrived at the shop there were
great bundles of shoes to be looked
over, some to be put on The shelves for
immediate distribution and others to
be sent OF to shoemakers to be recon-
ditioned and distributed when new
soles end heels had been fitted.
And all morning long sleek limousines,
little coupes and people afoot stopped
before the Old Lady's shop and de-
posted bundles of shoes, until by the
time the crowd OF men, women and
children seeking shoes was allowed into
the little shop, there was selection OF
shoes that bade fair to take care of the
morning rush, at least.
staff Kept Busy.
All morning Mr.. Emerson and his
staf Of helpers IVES kept busy rushing
out to cars and taxicabs delivering
shoes, sorting tn m as to size and con-
dition, and at the same time taking
care of the score or more men, women
and children who at all times huddled
In the back of the shop waiting their
turn to try on shoes.
All the applicants for shoes bore
notes from charitable organizations or
from some friend of the Old Lady Who
Lives in Shoe. And they were given
shoes il any could be found to fit them
The great need is for big mems
shoes" said Mr.. Emerson yesterday
We seem to be getting about enough
women's shoes to meet the demand, but
the men who work in the fields and
bitches, who have no work to do now,
wear large shoes. and the people who
are giving us shoes don't seem to be the
kind OF people who have big feet. Men
come back day after day, their big feet
literally on the ground, in the hope
some one will bring in a size IL or IL
or even larger, that they can wear"
There are some pitiful tales to be
found in the daily routing of the Old
Lady Who Lives in a Shoe.
Last Friday night Mr. Emerson was
about to close up shop after an espe-
cially busy day-it's always busy for the
Old Lady when it rains-when five
small children came into the shop
There was not q shoe on a single one
OF the 10 little feet. Their feet were
as bare as the day they were born.
We want some shoes. A friend told
US we could get them here" manly
little youngster spoke up.
And SO you shall" replied Mr. Emer-
son. after reading scribbled note from
friend of the Old Lady.
Receive Stockings Also.
1t just happened that some money
had been turned over few days ago tc
the Old Lady, and for the first time
in many days there were children.
shoes in the shop They were new
shoes, shoes that were old stock of q
shoe dealer here. some that had beer
given outright to the Old Lady. ano
Others that had been sold for far less
thar their cost
Each of the five children who haC
been walking the streets barefoot ir
Christmas week was fitted with a pail
OF new, serviceable shoes. And Mr.
Emerson even managed to scrape to.
gether stockings for the youngsters anc
sent home to. their mother about q
dozen pairs of stockings that some kline
friend of the Old Lady had sent to the
shop.
Mr.. Emerson has requested that al
school teachers and school principal.
who find children in their schools iI
need of shoes, and whose parents can
not supply them, t. send the children
to the Old Lady and have them fitted
up while the supply of children's shoes
lasts. He also issued a call for person:
Of means with children who are out.
growing their shoes, to send in the ole
shoes, so they can be repaired and dis
tributed.
1T doesn't matter" he said. "if the
childrens shoes have soles that are toe
thin. If they can be repaired. We can
get it done for nothing, and can dis
tribute them to children who might not
otherwise be able to go to school, OF
who might be in danger OF becoming
seriously i'll through exposure of their
feet in Winter"
The Old Lady Who Lives in Shoe
is not really an old lady, but a commit
tee of public spirited citizens which is
sponsoring the work F. Regis Noel is
chairman Of the committee.
MlNNES0ThNS tn STAGE