Morning journal and courier., 1882-06-26
The Disappearing shirt.
From the New York Times.l


 There can be no doubt that the human shirt is doomed to extinction. The process has been going on for years and by no means slowly, and it extremely probable that in the course of another generation the shirt will have become as obsolete as the toga.
 Originally the shirt possessed three dis tinct and always visible festures-the wrist bands, the collar and the bosom. These were integral parts of the shirt and were never found wanting. Of course reference is here made exclusively to the white shirt The so called shirt made of red or blue fan nel and worn as an outside garment is not recognized by any learned tailor as a true shirt The fact that it never has had either wristbands or collar Is therefore not incon- sistent with the assertion that the typical shirt, which is essentially an undergarment, was originally provided with wristbands, col lar and bosom.
 The first step in the decline and fall of the human shirt was the separation of the wrist bands from the sleeves of the garment The wristbands became wholly independent arti cles of dress, and could be changed as often as seemed good to the wearer without neces sitating any disturbance of the shirt. The collar soon after underwent the same process of separation, and it is impossible to deny that both of these important notifications of the original shirt were improvements. They lessened the cost of washing, and they enabled men to appear daily with fresh col lars and wristbands who would otherwise have been unable to indulge in such luxu1ies.
 There was time when the separa ion of the bosom from the shirt seemed to be at hand A Frenchman of an ingenious turn of mind invented detachable bosom, which could be removed and fresh one put on in it's place as easily as a collar could be changed With the help of this invention, the thrifty King Louis Philippe was albs to sell all his shirts except two and nevertheless to appear with fresh shirt bosom every morning. It so happened, however, that the Englishmen, with their habitual detestation of everything French, refused to adopt the detachable bosom and denounced 1t with so much energy that 1t was never adopted to any extent outside of France, and even in that country it gradually fell into disuse.
 At the time that the flowing necktie was invented the shirt still retained the bosom, although 1t had long since lost both wrist bands and collar. The necktie in qnestion, and which is now in general use, was so con structed at its first appearance as to nearly conceal the bosom. No sooner did it become popular than an upward movement on the part of the buttons of the waistcoat began. This movement continued until the waistcoat and the necktie together buried the bosom out of sight. It Is now some time since visible shirt bosom has been worn by young man dressed in his usual clothes, and it is evident that in a very short time the last visible vestige of the shirt will have wholly disappeared
 Will the shirt itself survive the disappear ance of the bosom from public view? There is every reason to believe that it will not. The independence of the collar and wrist bands did not affect the existence of the shirt, because the bosom was still displayed and was regarded as d necessary part of every gentle mans dress. But now that not single par ticle of shirt is exposed to view, is it not reasonable to suppose that the garment will be cast aside as something which has sur vived it's own usefulness and has no longer an excuse for existing?
 It must be remembered that when the hu-