, 1879-12-01
The Hat.

In England, and particularly in Lon
don, the hat is considered much more
important part of gentleman's attire
than it is in any other portion OF the
world-certainlv more important than
here in America, where a gentleman
may wear any style of hat that is moi
positively shabby. A silk Lat is the
only dress article of head wear allowed
in London, at least SO far as an Eng
lishman is concerned ; for the increase
of cosmopolitan feeling in London per.
mits strangers and foreigners to enjoy
considerable degree of latitude with
out unpleasant comment, which would
not be tolerated among Londoners.
During half hour 8 stroll up and down
Regent street you will notice nearly a
dozen varieties of hats, manufactured
in as many countries, and all of them
distinctively characteristic of the vari-
GUS nationalties but you will not see
representative English gentleman,
who pays any attention to propriety in
dress. wearing any other than the reg
ulation silk hat of the proper height,
shape and curl 4; though fifty years ago
he could not have worn silk hat with
ont being considered vulgar, the beaver
hat being The only one favored or al
lowed in fashionable circles. The slouch
hat, so much admired by artists and
men whose hair is allowed to grow to
an uncommon length, the Derby, with
either round Or square crown. and any
of the numerous shapes which for years
t,ocf hauo hoon rnr,r1lar A
all known by the name " billy-cock, u
and the wearers of these styles of hats
are all supposed to be Americans. In
a letter written some time ago friend
stated:
''As 1 was coming out of the Ma
tional Gallery in Trafalgar Square the
other day met party of three gentle
men, whom l should not have hesitated
to hazard something were Americans.
They were very nice looking. especially
the youngest-one of those handsome
New York boys of ours neat as a
pin, his immaculate clothing fitting
him as if ne had been nodded in it, his
shapely hands freshly gloveL and car
rying handsome light walking switch.
But, alas for the etiquette of London
streets and clubs he wore slouch
hat-one of those brigadier- general af
fairs which equals the brigadier-gener-
ais themselves in number in war times,
and have never entirely lost their pop
ularity since. Our gentlemen like
them because they are convenient to
wear. soft to the head, are generally be-
coming, and are not 80 quickly spoiled
as the silk hat. But here they are pos
itively not the G. r. correct thing). 1t
is rather curious that Americans dislike
the high hat SO much. l know a New
York gentleman who buys silk hat
every year-to make his New Years
calls in-and never wears it again.
When the next year comes around he
buys another aud repeats the expert
ence. Yet when 1 conjure his image
in my minds eye ION every day but
New Years. must confess l summon
the vision Of rowdy in a billy-cock
hat. This may be due to the influence
which surrounds me just now. No
doubt if I were in New York again I
should be shocked at the idea of con-
Meeting the word "rowdy" with the
gentleman in question, and l dare say
his 'billy-cock hat would seem all
right. But l know if I we're a man and
came to London from New York, my
first purchase would be high silk hat.
An essential cannon of good breeding
Is to efface (outwardly, at least too
prominent provincialism, localism,
nationalism or personalism of any sort.
In walking the streets, or in a drawing
room, one should not be too manifestly
an American, Frenchman, Russian
or an Englishman !; one is a gentleman
that is enough"
Hats are alluded to by the earliest
English authors of whom we have any
knowledge, and hats, by whatsoever
name they may have been called, have
been in use from the remotest periods
of human existence. When the Romans
gave freedom to their slaves they be-
slowed upon them a hat, in token OF
their enfranchisement, and the hat has
been ever since symbol of freedom,
except where the dictates of fashion
have to be obeyed.