Weekly Trinity journal., 1879-01-25
TIE HULIAE SHIRT.
It's Origin and History from I'pre.
IS Scientific standpoint.

passed through "a series Of notifications.
The shirt of Tie Stone Age did not open
in The sense that The upper part Of the
neutrality-suspicious. shirt opens--eiller in
front or behind. 1t bad simply a large
hole for the reception of The head and
neck. and was devoid Of either studs or
buttons. Alta later period the shirt de-
veloned ana opening in front, and little
later stud. wherewitE to close this open
ing appeared. This type Of shirt was
remarkably persistent, and, in fact, be-
came exlinct>st or about the same time
as the great ark Of New Foundlaud or
in other worcs, as late as the beginning
Of the present century. IN the existing
shirt, which ia one Of The most widely
diTused Of human garments, the froat
opening is closed, and an opening in the
back has taken IL. place. Studs, which
are now useless, exist merely 10 the ruli
meu.ary form, ana what was once the
horn button Of the stud is now merely a
frail growth Of spinal wire. What has
produced these successive deyciapme
is one OF the most interesting inquiries
which the Darwiuian investigation can
undertake..
The first appearance Of the shirt with
an opening IN front was contemporary,
according 90 palcootologists, with the
first efforts Of man to navigate the water.
In the stone Are, boats Of any kind
from logs up to Cunard Steamers were
unknown ; bat in course Of time man
began to paddle across rivers, say from
Albany to New York, on the simple log
now in use among Australians. Natsr-
ally he frequently got very wet, and
hence it became an object 10 him 30
romoYe his shirt with oese and rnpidiiy.
Hence the front opening was developed
substantially rs it appears in the shirts Of
the period Immediately preceding the
stone Age.
1t is agreed by all iLo authropologisis
that the Iron Age, or the ago when fat
irons came into use as domestic weapons,
succeeded the Stone Ago. The shirt
bosom naturally followed The Introduction
Of Aat irons Ilis Obvious that no woman
OF the period could have possessed a fiat
iron without wishing TO iron sometliug
with it, and the Stint bo.oms wore in
vented to supply this want About the
same timo studs appeared. They were
needed to Keep tho shirt bosom closed, 20
thrt the owner could shut him inside
Of it with view 10 privacy, and were
the device oi people among whom
needles and thread and, as % consequence,
buttons, We're unknown. Thus we trace,
By success i've and wen defined steps, the
development Of tho rude, uu.Ormed shitt
Of the stone Age, which was usually
made Of the coarse cloths manufactured
Of mail bags and cotton bales, until toe
shirt with an opening in front, an ironcd
bosom and three stud.-in short, the
species classified by Western paleon'alo-
gis.s under the name Of billed shirt"
because theIuIing tyro.
One Of our mos: profound washorwo-
men, who has devoted a liftme to the
study Of .jilis, is Of Tho opinion That the
opening at tie back Of The neck was first
developed either ia Scotland, at about the
period when the Duhe of Argyle erecte
his famous posts, or in Ataeriva, soon
after the oaIy co,oait5 made iLe ac-
quaintance Of the mosquito Thi. theory
is ingenious and plausible, but IL is open
to the objection that 1t is not true. The
modem species Of shit is older than the
Duke Of Arsyle's posts or tho early set.
tlemont Of America Doubtless it was
found to be peculiarly adapted for Scottish
and WosQuito purposes, and lis rapid IN
crease may very possibly have been cf-
fected by counter iuitaat considerations,
but the latter Were not ,ue cause Of the
great change which We are now iaye.u-
eating. We can, however, conEdentilly
assert that this charge took place in lhis
country soon after lis settlement, and Ia
England soon after the passage Of the first
great reform bin. That is to say, Il took
Place When tho dcmoeogues began to bid
for the popular yoto, Now, tho dama-
gogue, with nice ir1ncd shirt bosom,
could not with any plau,ibiiity represent
himselfasa plain worhiugmau. In order
to do this it was necessary that he Should
wear a shirt bosom devoid of starch and
made OF coarse materials. Iouca it oc-
CURED to linn that were he TO wear his
shirt wrong side before, and eat slit IN
it to simiiate an uuitoned and unorna-
mented bosom, he would strengthen his
popularity. This, them is the origin Of
the shirt with an opening behind. With
the growth Of popular intelligence lis
original pose has been forgotten. and
no one now attempts to wear his shirt
wrong side before. The silt made by the
ingeniots demagogae stills remains.
howeYer;and two Sits being unnecessary.
nature has closed the front opening and
decorated it with radimeutary studs.
Theseprofound inyestigetiuns,invol
RS they do prolonged processes of subtle
reasoning, are ine4haustiog but, IN cause
OF science, it is oar duty to sacrifice
everything in pursuit OF uuL.-N. n
IUAeS.
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IE had returned to New York with
his wife from a Summer vacation at the
seaside, and he stood in front Of the house
giving a friend a graphic account of the