shoes are equally unattractive and the slippers are cheaply made affairs. The "alpargatas" are simply closely woven soles of fibre, with a white or colored canvas upper, roughly stitched on. A very general article of wear among women is a hand-made knitted slipper, elaborately and expensively made of wool and silk. Similar slippers are worn by men for house use.

Every one knows, of course, that feet vary considerably in different countries. Climatic conditions, average size of the race, manners, habits and customs all have influence in regulating size and shape of the feet.

There are some features and peculiarities of the Puerto Rican trade which the manufacturer or exporter should observe to insure success, and to understand this it must be noted that the average Puerto Rican is of short stature, with feet correspondingly short, as well as thick and wide, with a high instep. Consequently, the market requires a broad last, high instep and a shoe roomy and full over the ball of the foot, immediately forward of the instep and extending thus all over the front part of the upper to the toe, or tip. This is applicable to both sexes. Shoes made long and tapering, to give a shapely effect, can rarely be sold. The shoe required is short, wide and very full in the upper, being stubby in appearance, without having the wide toe. Shoes made by the local factories are badly made, of the lowest quality of leather, poorly tanned and of linings, trimmings, etc., still worse. All prices are high, considering the quality received. Some of the higher priced goods are all leather, but the cheaper grade are made with paper soles, covered with a thin layer of leather, and are the faulty putting together of the cheapest materials. Men's congress gaiters are much in use and more popular than the lace or button shoe. There is a market for cheap canvas shoes and for a cheap low-cut patent leather shoe. Lace shoes for women are not so popular as a button, but a shoe fastened on the side with a series of hooks is much in favor. There is a good demand for neat, cheaply made and fancy lines of ladies' and misses' slippers.

A few modern up-to-date shoes would make a good object lesson for the Cubans. Nearly all the women's shoes formerly sold in Havana were awkward looking affairs imported from Spain. They were crudely finished and high in price.

The leather in Cuban-made shoes is badly tanned and of little value. It is impossible that it should be otherwise, as the cattle. from which the hides are obtained are poor and almost worthless. The native shoe factories are one-story buildings, badly constructed of brick and plaster, with the whole front open to the street. The workmen, few in number, sit on low benches and do their work

of the men work in the front part of the building and others in the room next to the little court-yard in the rear, but no skilled labor is in evidence anywhere. Most of the factories have a kitchen connected with them, the proprietor boarding his men. Work begins at seven in the morning, the men starting in on a light repast, consisting of a small cup of coffee and a roll. At 10.30 o'clock they have their breakfast and then nothing again until 6 in the evening, when dinner is served. After that, those who have homes go to them and the other sleep where they can on the premises. In addition to the workshop, kitchen and sleeping rooms, in the limited space occupied by the factory, a horse is usually stabled in the small court-yard in close proximity to the kitchen. What a revelation to the full-fledged Cuban shoemaker would be a model Pennsylvania factory, with its perfect sanitary construction and abundance of light, the machinery and ingenious mechanical appliances presided over by hundreds of expert operators, with sound minds and bodies, reflected by cheerful countenances and having comfortable, happy homes to go to after the labor of the day.

It is important to know that Cuban feet are generally short and have a high instep. Those of the women are small and somewhat narrow, but like the men have the Spanish arch. Shoes in general use are Congress and laced shoes, glazed kid and calf skin of both black and russet being the favorite materials. Women's and misses' shoes are button and laced or Congress gaiters imitation button. Laborers in city and country wear cheap and very poorly made shoes, but the article most generally used among them is the sandal, with a hemp rope sole and white cotton duck upper.

Respecting the outlook of the shoe and leather trade in the Philippines. The leather used is of poor quality and the shoes worn have been almost exclusively of local manufacture, very little having been imported up to the time of acquisition by the United States. The supply of shoes under Spanish dominion was drawn from Spain, France, Austria and the local shoemakers mostly Chinese. Owing to the inferior quality of the shoes worn, the consumption is greater than is general in some other sections. The shoe most commonly worn by the natives, consists of a rough wooden sole and heel, with carved leather toe piece attached to the sole with small nails. The toe is open at the end and the shoe is laced with a thong of leather. Natives also wear a slipper without a heel, which is made by the Chinese. The trade is divided into two grades. The better grades are sometimes sold in conjunction with other goods and the inferior grades are found in native and Chinese shops.

With the influx of European population that has followed American conquest and occupancy of the islands and the number of Ameri

can feet belonging to the army of occupation that will require change from the regulation army shoe, there has naturally arisen quite a demand for American made boots and shoes of the better grades, and footwear similar to that in general use in other parts of the United States will, ere long, be the rule.

Present-Day American Styles.

Contrasted with shoes of other nations, the American shoe is a thing of beauty and originality. It is not copied after any foreign design. The American shoe manufacturer is an originator. Style after style, improvement upon improvement, new features and new ideas have steadily evolved from the minds of the manufacturers, to give comfort, ease and grace to the feet.

The highest perfection in shoe manufacturing has been attained in the United States, largely owing to the ingenuity and enterprise of mechanical genius, and it should be a source of much national pride that such is the case and that American shoes have become the standard of footwear the world over. A shoe like the American made article can not be had manufactured anywhere outside of the United States. Well-shaped shoes are not made except in this country, and the reason is that there are no operators like the American and no shoe machinery in the world so ingeniously contrived to lessen the labor and reduce the cost of production, at the same time add grace and finish as the American shoe machinery. Operators in other countries may be taught by Americans, it is true, but they some how fail to get the knack of it. An American workman is a genius in every sense of the word; he understands his machine and makes it a part of himself. The average workman abroad cannot easily adapt himself and the shoes he turns out have a crude, clumsy appearance.

American enterprise and ingenuity have brought the products of American labor to the forefront the world over. The skill of the American workman is universally recognized and the reliability of his work accepted, as is shown by the fact that our exports of delicately adjusted and complicated machinery are constantly increasing. Many machines are sent each year to more distant localities, where they would only be acceptable upon the assurance gained by actual experience that they can be relied upon to perform their functions in unfamiliar hands. The markets of the world are being pre-empted by American rivals, the superiority of American goods. being clearly recognized.

It is not because of their cheapness alone that American shoes have been favorably received abroad, but because of their style

the goods made outside the United States that contrasts unfavorably with the sharp, clean-cut, contour of American products.

The importance of a well-fitting shoe is great and cannot be over estimated. The modern American shoe, rightly fitted to the foot, is not only comfortable and sensible, but presents a neat appearance. The foot of the wearer rests solidly and comfortably and is far better adapted for walking than the slipshod sandal or many of the badly shaped specimens we have attempted to describe. Our shoe has several features provided in it so that the pressure in walking is equally distributed over the foot, first by the top, in the lace, button or Congress shoe, next by the instep and the incurving counter for keeping the heel in place, without chafing, and lastly by the ball of the shoe. By a nice adjustment of these various points to meet the requirements of the individual foot, ease, comfort and adaptation unexcelled by foot-covering of ancient or medieval times is assured.

One of the most interesting trade features is the development of changing styles. Changes are no longer radical as of yore, but come about almost imperceptibly to those not actively engaged in the industry, and glide from one to another until a style has become thoroughly established.

A good many people who are not conversant with the inner secret of such matters, no doubt imagine that styles originate solely with the public, and that manufacturers and dealers only cater to the demand after it has been created. To some extent this may be true, but usually quite the contrary is the case. Months before the public has any intimation of it, ingenious manufacturers and dealers are settling the question as to what the style shall be the next season or the following one. Of course, these nicely laid plans as to styles sometimes go amiss, because the public doesn't take to them.

Shoe buyers have a powerful influence in establishing styles too. The expert buyer will examine newest samples displayed by salesmen and critically analyze and inspect the latest things produced by manufacturers, but does not necessarily accept the shoe as per sample. He invariably has such changes made as shall better suit the known taste of his trade and what, in his judgment, will have a tendency to bring out the shoe in detail to the best advantage. He also designates tips and extensions, such as he believes will produce an harmonious shoe.

Any special events out of the ordinary often influence the trend of styles. This was noticeable during the Spanish-American war, which gave a military turn to taste in dressing, and we had the military cape, hat, shoes, etc. Athletic sports gave us the "outing"

the death of the "razor and needle-toe" shoe in high favor a few years ago, and the universal adoption of comfortable sensible and natural shaped footwear. In fact, it is impossible to associate outdoor sports with narrow-toed or high-heeled shoes.

At one time it must have been almost impossible for women to walk correctly, for they persisted in putting their feet into shoes so narrow, with heels so high, as to throw the body out of position and prevent a graceful carriage. This was changed in time, however, and it became no longer correct to wear high-heeled shoes. In consequence, women who were wise enough to conform to this sensible edict of fashion became healthier and more graceful.

Take, for instance, a ladies' ball slipper of sixty years ago. It is unique and exceedingly interesting. One shown to the writer recently was a turn, strictly hand-made throughout and was exceed. ingly light. It had fine silk lasting top, silk bound by hand. It was drill lined, with lamb bottom lining. There was a side seam, but no seam at the back. The soles were straight, with square toe and no heel. A long, slender silk lace served as tie over the instep.

Another relic of the past generation is a shoe made in 1832. It is a ladies' hand-sewed, turned shoe and laced at the side. The topping is of the finest serge, with morocco foxing. The toe is square, and the sole is the same width from toe to heel. The chief features of this shoe are the extreme thinness and flexability of the sole and the peculiar shaped spring-heel, the bottom of the latter being covered externally and on the inside concave to fit the heel of the foot. The eyelets are hand worked and are ten in number on each side of the opening, which extends to within one-half inch of the sole. Altogether, this is as queer a specimen of footwear as any one can imagine, accustomed, as we are, to high-cut, laced or buttoned boots, with their usual accessories of heavy soles and comparatively broad heels. Nevertheless, this shoe possesses a beauty of its own, and there is a character in its lines.

Another specimen which has recently come under the writer's observation, is a woman's hand-made welt, with cloth top and patent calf slipper foxing. It has cone buttons and figured silk lining, and was made on a straight last. It has short gauged heel and is bridge stitched. Although a welt, the sole is as light as a thin edge turn.

One of the most interesting changes in ladies' footwear is not in style but in size. The average size of women's shoes to-day is larger than formerly. One reason is the common sense of presentday mothers, and the favor with which all out-door sports are received.