THE COBBLER Shoemaker, Indeed



Divide the group into four smaller groups and assign each group one of the words listed below. Read the story. After each of the words is read pause for the group to make the appropriate response.
COBBLER "Tap, Tap" (Quickly & abruptly)
BLACKSMITH "Bang, Bang!" (Slowly with ringing effect)
CARPENTER "Sa-a-aw, sa-a-aw" (Drawn out)
WAGON TRAIN "Move along" (Spoken quickly)

Back in the days of the trailblazers, each WAGON TRAIN___ had to make everything it needed by hand. Those men who set up a trade making shoes were known as COBBLERS ___. Other men of the WAGON TRAIN ___ who were good at working with iron were called BLACKSMITHS ___. Still others were good at making things from wood, and were called CARPENTERS ___. All of the things that were needed on the WAGON TRAIN ___ were made by all the talents of the men put together.

They traded their services back and forth, helping each other and their families. The COBBLER ___ would keep all the families in shoes. Trailblazers in the old west were very hard on their shoes -- just as Cub Scout Trailblazers are today. The BLACKSMITH ___ would make useful items from iron and the CARPENTER ___ would get the services from these men on the WAGON TRAIN ___ by making wooden items of great use to them.

They had to work hard to make all of the things needed by the families on the WAGON TRAIN ___. One day, however, it was noted that some of the families were badly in need of shoes and the COBBLER ___ wasn't making the shoes as fast as he was before.

The CARPENTER ___ was still turning out his work and the BLACKSMITH ___ was keeping his work done. So some of the men in the WAGON TRAIN ___ decided it was time to pay a visit to the COBBLER ___ and find out what his problem could be. As they entered his place of work, outside his wagon, they saw him busily working on something -- but it didn't look like a shoe! When they inquired why he had not been keeping up with his work like the CARPENTER ___ and the BLACKSMITH ___ had been doing, he replied, "Is a COBBLER ___ not a shoemaker?" When they agreed he was indeed a shoemaker, he held up an object which looked like a flat square of leather nailed onto a stick. "What kind of shoe could this be?" they all thought.

Then the COBBLER ___ replied, "Since I've been having trouble with flies bothering me while I am working, I took time out to make something to shoo the flies away with. Is that not being a "shoe-maker?" While the other men of the WAGON TRAIN ___ held their sides in laughter, the little old COBBLER ___ happily swatted at the flies with his newly made contraption. The COBBLER ___ then offered to make one of his new inventions for the BLACKSMITH ___ and CARPENTER ___ and others on the WAGON TRAIN ___. Of course, he first promised them that he would catch up on his other work and get the shoes made for the families that needed new shoes. Thus was the beginning of the fly swatter by none other than a shoe-maker.

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