54 



CHAPTER VIII. 



THE ' CHARLIER ' SHOE—' IMPECUNI08FS ' AND ' KANGAROO ' 

 ON THE CHARLIER SYSTEM — SOLE PRESSURE — INDIA RUBBER 

 CUSHIONS AND PADS — PUMICE FOOT — ST. BELL ON 'IMITA- 

 TION OF nature' IN SHOEING MAYHEW, ' NATURE IS A 



STRICT ECONOMIST ' — DOUGLAS ON THE SHORT AVERAGE 

 LIFE OF OUR HORSES — ' ONE HORSE COULD WEAR OUT FOUR 

 PAIRS OF FEET ' — PHILIP ASTLEY, ' HE WHO PREVENTS DOES 

 MORE THAN HE WHO CURES ' — THE CHARLIER ' SHORT ' 

 SHOE, AND THE CHARLIER ' TIP ' — STANLEY SAYS NAVICULAR 

 DISEASE IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH THE CHARLIER SYSTEM — 

 EXPERIENCE OF MESSRS. SMITHER WITH CHARLIER SHOES 

 — AMERICAN EXPERIENCE OF CHARLIER ^ TIPS ' — * FOUB 

 INCHES OF IRON CURLED ROUND THE TOE.' 



One of the modem inventions, in the shape of shoes, 

 has been that of M. Charlier ; and ' Impecuniosus,' 

 in his ardent desire to find something that would, or 

 might, be any kind of improvement at all on what 

 he looked upon as the prevalent and barbarous mode 

 of shoeing, gave it a trial in a most enlightened 

 and unprejudiced style, and approved of it. The 

 shoe and the system do not appear generally known ; 

 and so it may be well, for those unacquainted with 

 them, to describe both. Charlier started with the 

 assumption that Nature had intended the horse to 



