The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-08-06

anu tNtn VI SUInG Vi lAlt iuttI hlhS 49,
Plantagenet line, every person, whether man or
woman, who made any particular pretenslons
to respeCtability, wore about his or her throat
an enormous irill or rufile. The only purposes
which these fantastic f1rbelows are suppose1 TO
have answered, we're TO put the throat and neck
Of the wearer in violent perspira1on, and TO
render his appearance as ridiculous as possible.
From gazing long and intently at the pictures
in Knight'e pictorial History Of England" we
can imagine that they we're entirely successful
in both respects.
But the rufiles IN which the "admirablep Crich-
ton took such excessive pains to arrange him.
self before venturing into the presence ofroyaty,
had their ackno wlcdged Inconvenience. This
we imagine to be the reason why Shakespeare,
man whose allgrasping comprehension could
condesoend even to the prescribing of tasteful
article of dress, is generally represented without
the huge frills of his contemporaries-wea
instead, an extensive surface of plain linen,
which descended on either side Of his chin to
the distance Of half foot or 80, and ending in a
point and tassel.
The Shakespeare collar was equally incOnve-
nient on account of size, although free from the
smO herring tendencies of the other pattern.
Fortunately for the present generation, they
were both out of vogue century ago. And
since their day we have had multitude OF
fashions, OF dimensions large and small, and
cut into shapes which bordered more or less on
the fantastic. Of all these, the ordinary 'stand-
up" and the plain turn-Gown Byron" styles
have enjoyed deserycdy the longest and greatest
popularity.
THE QUESTION OF MATERIAL.
these Elizabethan trills were formed was similar
TO that light and fmsy stuff which few years
ago was held IN such high favor by the gentler
sex. But for the shakespeare" and all sue.
ceeding and similar styles a linen fabric has
been found most convenient. A modicum of
starch and sizing was also involved in their
proper getting.up, together with the weekly
bill OF the washcrwoman, which last in the
case of person OF exquisite, or even of senteel
habits, was found to result in no small increase
to the item of running expenses.
1t is surprising that some genius Of the Brum-
mcll stamp, who was considered immacl llate on
the subject of shlrtfrOuts and all that apper-
tanned thereto did not discover substitute for
linen, starch, and wash bills. Brummeil him
SELF in his later days, was re luced 10 the most
abiect dependence upon the bounty of his friends
and the fruits or his elastic ingenuity; and
many and clever we're the devices to which he
resorted in endeavoring to live up to the stand
ing rule OF his career-to change his shirt every
afternoon az O'Clock, whether he had taken
anything wherewithal 20 appeaje the pangs OF
hunger or hot Still, neither Brummel nor
DOrsay invented paper collars; aud, therefore,
as the two men who OF all others were the ones
to devote their whole time and energies to the
subject Of dress, their lives may be considered
failures OF the most aggravated type.
THE INVENTION or PAPER COLLARS.
As early as 1887 the IDEA of using oaper as a
substitute for linen in the manufacture or col
lars was conceived by an ingenious Frenchmdn.
But alrer repeated auemots, he found that the
only quality of paper then known and mauufac-
tured was entirely too weak 10 stand the strain
upon it when applied to this pErpose, and con
ceQuently the idea was abandoned.
In 1853 a gentleman by the name OF Walter
Hunt, residing in the city of New York, had his
attention accidentally turned in this direction.
Having been foiled in a la Wsuit concerning his
claim to the invention OF new sewIng-machine
STITCH he declared to a friend that he would
invent a stitch which would supersede the ma
chine stitch altogether. Working upon this
| idea, he soon alter wards produced a collar,
| formed of two strips of paper Cemented toge-
ther Along the edge of this he propelled a
| notched or serrated Wheel which produced an
| impression similar to stitching. Finding that
be could procure no paper of sufficient strength
! and elasticity to answer the purpose satisiac-
| torily, he afterwards inserted between the two
strips LAYER of coarse, stout muslin, which
| impaired the requisite qualities.
| ON the 25th of July, 1854, he received from
the Government letters-patent for this new
article of manufacture and the process oil
making It, ''The object of my invention" =" says
Mr.. Hunt, in his original application, ais to
produce a shirt collar that shall not be easily
broken, whilst il shall have sufficient elasticity
TO bend to the motions of the head; that shall
possess the beauty and whiteness OF the most
carefully dressed linen collar, and at the same
time shall preserve itself unsoiled for q much
greater length OF time and shall cost originally
less than the washing and dressing of a liner
| collar; and my invention consists in making the
collars of a fabric composed of both paper anC
cloth, and subsequently polishing the same bS
enameIling or furnishing or in any suitable ol
efficient manner" Strange TO say, the origina
idea which had direcTed his experiments-tht
desire to invent a stitch resembling and super
seding the machine stitch-was entirely los
sight of; and 1t was not until several years after
wards that his assignee, in obtaining a ressu
of the original patent, included this feature il
his claims and specifications, as he was entities
by the present state OF the patent law to do
THE NEW COLLAR ENCOUNTERS RIDIoULE AM
OPPOSITION.
| When Calico declared his holiaf hat ha s1,