WOMAN SHOEMAKER,

Timaru Herald, Volume XC, Issue 13300, 31 May 1907, Page 3 (Supplement)

WOMAN SHOEMAKER,

50 YEARS A£:TH£ IBADE. A ■woman who has earned her living for fifty years as a boot and shoe maker is rather an unusual figure in the field of labour. Such a. worker is now ending her days peacefully in Bethnal-green. Workhouse infirmary, too crippled "with rheumatism at seventy years of age to -work any' longer afr- her trade. A representative of the ''Daily Chronicle" had an interesting talk with her. The aged "cobbler" -spoke gleefully of her achievements', and declared enthusiastically that shte. recommended boot and shoe" making- abd' repairing as a trade suitable in everv yftny for women who would "take the trouble toleara it properly. "There isn't anythinginthe boob and shoe making that a woman, can't do just as well as- a ; man/', she said. " Certainly,; it wants a pretty stiff hand to hold an ' awl properly,"' and she held up a- gnarled, right hand, with its third finger bent: crookedly into the palm; That's hot | rheumatism/' she said; " its from 'the con- i slant pressure of my awl, and my hus-1 band's 'finger was bent in just the same! way; " - "How did I come to be a shoemaker? j My father was a cordwainer, as we called j it," when I was a girl, and I made my first pair of shoes at his bench when I was j fifteen, just fifty-five . years ago. They j wa-sn't extra fine, of course: just common leather ones; but I felt very proud of them, and father sold them and gave me j the money. I helped him after that for some years, and became expert in all the t party of the trade'. Then I married a j shoemaker, and still went on with my I work. ,My husband and I had.a workshop j in Bctlmal-gresn t and worked for years for i one" master,' and earned a good bit be- ! tween us*. ; "My husband fell ill, when we were! both forty, and lay a helpless invalid for months. We had. five children, and 1 soon decided what to do. I was just as •skilful as mv husband,- so I just worked hard and sent out each week the same amount of Work that' my husband and 1 had done between us, mostly soles and uppers*, all ready to be sewn rnlo boots and shoes. , . . "Bv and bv ' master asked me who wa. the work, as my husband was ill He would scarcely believe me when I sau I was. and he told me he thought tb work was wonderful for a women- - xhen my- husband died.' t rhe oh lad-c--wiped her, eyes, with the corner of he blue and white checked apron, and thei went on.) " I was arfraid 'master wonk take the work away from me, but ho sau I was 4 one of his best hands, and h would go on giving me the same amount o work at the same price as long as I- caret to do it. I brought- up the five children end was n- shoemaker and mender till came here, six-years' ago.' my "hands -to.

crippled -with the rheumatics to hold the j awl any longer. "What could.l make at it? The pay ; was Is lOd for a pair of double thickness soles, and Is for single thickness soles; I could sew two pairs of singles and one pair of double- in a day, and. I earned 25s most -weeks, and sometimes as much as 30s, as. I got- 2d extra a pair when they were made to measure. I used to wish I could earn enough money to start a little business of my own, -but the-.children bad to be looked after, and all the housework had to bs done, too. '• I did men's and ladies' and children's boots. I liked doing the little children's j tiny boots best, and used to do these right-1 out —\ finishing.' you know, that irteans. i Then I'd 'set 'em on my bench and lookj at 'em, and think all the ways some little i feet would have to go in they shoes—" j The old shoemaker paused, anS then said apologetically—- " I got. funny fancies in my head working all alone liours and hours, like I does now." ! "The hardest part- of the work for a; women is hammering the leather into | shape. You've got to hammer and hammer I 1 till it sets all the nerves in your head j ; jumping. j " There isn t such snoco turned out now- j i adays as I used to make," she said proudly, j I•' They were all band-sewn, every inch ■of j j them* and the leather smelt beautiful." I The interviewer ventured to suggest that :it was considered proper for all good modern footwear to be handsewn. But the ancient shoemaker shook her head doubtfully and rather obstinately. " They may label 'em ' hand-sewn," she said, "but I don't believe they're so good leather or so good stitching-as fifty years ago." ; She cordiallv agreed with the suggestion ! that boot, and" shoe making might be put ! on the curriculum of girls' technical school j classes with advantage, and then, at this j i point, slic finished a little wearily, for f>l>e lis very frail even foT •seventy. '' You tell j l the ladies," she said. " that the stitches j !a woman puts, whether into embroiclry i or leather, is-better'n. a man s; any day. j I'd rather sew leather, hard as it js, than ; make buttonholes- at Id. a. dozen.