The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-09-12

by nuendo one of the bitterest Of satires upon the
system of repression which was formerly in vogue
in Paris turns upon the adventures end fluctuations
of country gentleman in consequence of wearing
innocently, one after another, a series of hats
which the police of that day were in the habit OF
regarding as symbols Of sedition. The French
man in question had come up from the Provinces
he was an ofice-hoder by the bye-for the pur-
pose of being married TO q lady to whom he had
been previously atiianced by her parents. Fondly
imagining that new hat would render him more
presentable he purchases one and, proud Of his
acquisition, sets out to visit his betrothed. He
does not proceed very far on his way before he
finds himself an object Of marked scrutiny. Some
way-arers smile upon him significantly as he
passes them; some look at him with n scowl,
whilst others regard him with gances quite as
suspicious as the adherents of an administration
much nearer home may be supposed to cast upon
person wearing white and red neck tie, or upon
a seiitious baby whose tiny feet are casei in red
and white socks, or the sleeves of whose white
| frock are tied with shoulder knot of red
| ribbon. In the midst of these perplexities, the
police pounce upon him, just exactly
as the police do upon young men, and
women and children hera; but more polite
and considerate than our Federal guardians, are
disposed to listen to explanations, which being
made, they release their unhappy captive, tell him
that the hat he is wearing lays him open to sus-
picion of Napoleonism, and bid him 90 and change
it for one that is not under an interdict SO far
as the change of hats is concerned, the advice is
followed to the letter; but, unfortunately for our
Provincial, he selects another seditious hat and
finds himself once in the clutches of the po-
lice, on the charge of being friendly to the Orlean
lists. Explanations follow in due course, and he
is admonished, on being again set free, to be more
careful in the choice of his headgear the next time
He accordingly returns to the hatter's, rails pet
tishly at the latter for having suffered him to be
Compromised by pressing upon him two hats, both
of which were under the ban of the police, and
determines to accept no more suggestions,
but TO pick out such hat for himself as
in his opinion, cannot possibly be obnoxious to
the authorities Relying upon his own Judgment,
and chuckling over the sagacity he displays he Sc
lects communicating hat which he i'm
plictly believes will give no offense to any
one, and saes out, for the third time
In quest of his betrothed. Alas! for him.
The hat he now wears is the most obnox-
ious of all to the Powers that be- for in
their eyes it is the symbol of Rel Republicanism.
His troubles and perplexities now begin to assume
very grave aspect. He has queer pieces of paper
covered with strange devices, thrust into his
hands by unknown persons. He is annoyed
by Bonapartists; the Oreaniss endeavor to
| tasten quarrel upon him, and finally he is COM
PEELED to take refuge in house, where he is pres
sently besieged by the dreaded police, to whom,
after holding parley from an upper window, he
| surrenders at discretion. The upshot of the mat
ter is that he loses his wife that was to be; is in
danger of losing his office also, and is only per-
mitted to escape Imprisonment by promising to re-
turn Mt once to the country, where he may medi-
tate at leisure the perils which beset him in
the capital, and the paterna solictude exhibited
by the Government in regard to sedit0us cha
peaux. Of course all this is laughable enough
when represented on the stage of q theatre; but
the object of the author o. the farce lies far
deeper than mere mirth His plot and it's incl
dents, amusing as they are do but serve as
means TO an end; that end being to sar-
ize, with his sharp biting wit, the folly
of Government which descends so low
as TO imagine that every interdcted hat covers
the head of conspirator, or that it can crush ont
popular opinion by preventing the public display
of what it assumes to be symbols of disaffection.
Here with u.s. we have not as yet been held
amenable TO the police for wearing q suspected
hat Their inqnisitorial Investigations are re-
Strpta1 n fnp in Of raJ
and white being odious in their eyes. But the
motives of the Federal authorities in denouncing
the wearing Of red and white neck-ties; of red
and white children's socks, and even of paper
kites in which these two coors are contrasted,
are precisely the same that actuated the French
Government in prohibiting the wearing of certain
forms of hats, and may well give rise to equally
sarcastic comments. We do not know whether
even skifu dramatis could use such trivial Incl
dents as ours with salutary effect; but we can well
imagine the sort of emotion with which some
curious scholar of the next generation might read
of the daring exploits of the Federal police of
Baltimore in the year 1861. How they bravely
captured two rebel infants in their nurses arms,
and confscated their socks as articles contraband
''of war" How, in a brilliant street-skirmish,
they made prize of a neck-tie. How, on another
occasion, they CALAMITY charged upon a ladys
breastpin and bore it off in triumph; and how, by
n display of almost superhuman courage and ac-
tivity, they succeeded in cutting boys kite
string and thus herocally caused to founder, after
many reflections and gyratons-his most sedi-
tious kite This is, at best but the pettiest sort
of local war; and is, of course, altogether episod-
ical to the boodier struggle in which the Federal
Government is engaged; but if as appears to be
probable, it should chance TO prove the only
war wherein triumphs to be cheaply won,
the achievements will certainly be accomplished
in safe direction, though it may well be doubted