Sandal

a sort of covering for the sole of the foot. The sandal was worn by the ancients,--Jew, Greek, and Roman. It is consisted of a piece of flat sole leather shaped to the foot, or else of a similarly shaped piece of cork covered with leather, both above and below, and stitched around the edge. The sandal was held to the foot by thongs. In the days of Roman luxury the sandal and its straps were ornamented with large buckles of gold and silver, and were adorned even with jewels. It was a comfortless sort of foot gear, that excluded neither rain, mud, nor dust. One of the first courtesies offered a guest, in fact, one of the first rites of hospitality, was that of foot washing. It would seem ridiculous enough now-a-days to usher a guest into the best apartment and then rush away for a basin of water to wash his feet. Of modern people the Japanese and Chinese still wear sandals. At entertainments they check their sandals as Europeans do their wraps. The oriental sock is divided. The great toe is provided with a separate compartment like the thumb of a mitten, so that it may be inserted under the strap of the sandal.

Sandalwood. the fragrant heart wood of several species of evergreen trees, chiefly oriental. The principal supply of sandalwood comes from India and the Malay Archipelago. Foresters fell the trees when they are about a foot in diameter. The trunks are left lying in the forest for a season. The white ants strip off the bark and sap wood. The heart wood is then cut into lengths of thirty inches and trimmed for market. Sandalwood makes excellent material for fans, toilet boxes, carved work, and articles of fine furniture. It not only works up well, but it is fragrant and free from the attacks of insects. When polished, it has a fine glossy appearance. The devotees of India consider sandalwood the most suitable fuel with which to cremate the bodies of their friends. Large sums are expended for the purpose. Oil of sandalwood has a place in medicine.