CASE OF BOOTS AND SHOES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 39, 15 February 1905, Page 10

CASE OF BOOTS AND SHOES.

It is bad usage as much as hard wear : \ that is responsible for the short Uvea !of many boots and shoes, and a few hints as to their proper usage ihay not be out of place. In the first place it ■will be found true economy to have a pair of ;t trecs" for your shoes, especially for the heavy ones used for everyday wear. Ijese may be bought very cheaply, and + hey length easily adjusted to* the size of the shoes and boots for which they are to be used. The value of these -trees" in preserving the shape of one's shoes is very great, as they prevent heavy creases which so often brealc and cause splits in the leather. Shoes and boots as soon as they are taken off should be placed on the "trees."' I A very common habit, and one that is a. great mistake, is the placing of wet boots and shoes close to the fire to dry; when wet they should "iways be allowed to dry slowly in a warm place.. but not. near any great heat, as excessive heat cracks* damp leather. It is disastrons to the shape of all boots, and shoes to take them oft" carelessly when they arc wet and to dry them rapidly or without placing "trees" in them.* When, however, shoes have been dried earelessty, and when —under these circumstance."—they have become stiff, rub them with a little vaseline, applying it with a piece of soft cloth. After rubbing them all over with one coat of vaseline, let them dry in a warm place, and theu rub them once more, repeating this process until the leather is soft and pliable. The very heavy, double-soled shoes, made especially for rainy-day wear, and also the many other kiijds of heavy boots, may ba made almost waterproof by rubbing them with castor oil. All boots and eftoes. before being rubbed wjV» either castor oil or vaseline, should be thoroughly cleaned and frend from dust and dirt. 'When east*.? oil is used, it should be put on hot and well nibbe,-' in until all the grease has been thoroughly absorbed by the leather. Patent leather boot? and shoes are the hardest ones to keep in proper order. These of course, should never be touched with a Marking brush, but polished and cleaned with dressings which come especially for the purpose. A good liome-madp polish for these shoe imilk, applied lightly with a soft cloth. After using tho milk upon the shoes, j>o!i.-li them with an old silk pockethandkerchief. SOME VALUABLE ADVICE ON POSTING LETTERS. It is amazing how careless we are generally as tc the time at which we post letters. You write one when you feel inclined, and drop it into the letter-box when you remember it, forgetting that by doing so you may be raining a man's daily work, or disturbing his night's rest. li your letter is of the ordinary kind— "Dear Sir, I beg to acknowledge your lettor," and so on—it does not matter in the least ltow, when or where you post it. Bit 1 , il it contains something of an exceptional nature, you should be very careful. Take love-letters, for instance; if you write half a dozen a day, of course, it does not in the least matter when you post them. But if you only write one daily, or. say, not more than two or three a week, the thing wants watching. A man should never receive a really moving love-letter in the morning. He is not in the humour for it, If he b'as to swallow his breakfast and catch si train. Besides, no man is improved for his daily duties if the sweet words go cooing through his brain all day long. He is sure to make a mistake, or add up a column wrongly, or forget something. A man should receive his daily love letter in the evening. It should be his nightly hobby, lie would hasten home as early as possible, and not waste his time on the way, as so many do. He would have ample leisure to read it, and drink in every word. Iv addition to this, having it? sweet purport burning within him, hi would write a far more beautiful answer than if he had to do it at his oflice when nobody was looking. Unless you are a born humorist avoid sending to a clerk in receipt of .weekly wages the urgent request for a "cheek" on Wednesday certain. Hit him on Friday or Saturday, if the deed must be done. Don't worry a man drawing a miserable salary by dunning him in the middle of the month. Let the letter fall a day or so before ho draws his salary. If some of these simple rules were observed by letter writers the miseries of life might be very much relieved. In sending subscriptions for the newspaper, however, any post will do: Every rule has exceptions. SAYINGS ABOUT WOMEN. Here are a few of the sayings of clever men about the ''eternal query": Woman "is the masterpiece.—Confucius. Women always speak the truth, but not the whole truth. Women and music should never be dated.—Goldsmith. There is a woman at the beginning of all great thing?.—Damartine. A woman is easily governed if a man takes her hand.—La Bruyere. A woman is like your shadow; follow her, she flies; fly from her, she follows. Love lessens the woman's refinement and strengthens the man's.—Richter. Women are a now race recreated since the world received Christianity.— Bcccher. Woman's happiness is in obeying. She objects to men who abdicate too much.— Michelet. If all women's faces were cast in the same mould, that mould would be the grave of love.—Bichat. Neither in adversity nor in the joys of prosj>erity let mo be associated with womankind.— .^echylus. The. lienrt of a 'woman never grows J old: when it has erased to love it has c-eaecd to live.— Roebepedre. ■Nothing is more difficult to choose than a good husband—unices it be to choose a good wife.—Eoussesu J .here will always remain something to be said of womnn a* long as there is one on the earth.—De Boufler?. Ibore. are three things I have always loved and-hnvc never understood—paintm<r.muftfc, and woman.-KoirfcneHi. ■ ™omon have n-.oro strength in thrir looks ihan we have in our laws, and more powr by tl.cn- tears than we hove Uv our arguments.—Saville. J V ™eifs hauls aro made of stout leatW, w*£v a P la S* e y sight of wear in tiiem.—Hahburton. T^! eCted J° Vers need never despair! ihere are four-and-twenty hours in a w - an ?°\ a mom «nt i'a the fcwentvfour in which a woman taflgr hot change her mmd.-De Finod