The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1883-02-25
The Crush Hat.

The Boston ddrcrfiScr, while expressing
entire agreement with the position we have taken
With regard To bouquet REFORM suggests that there
opportunity to Join In another movement for social
Improvement IN which II thinks would have an
Immense amount u female support. II quotes nm
d" anxious mother IA representative OF large and
important class whose good opinion u II counts for
little with girls, Is of the utmost moment to young
men-as demanding that men shall stop bringing
crush hats TO balls Tho she gives Is that the
dresses Of girls are backened and injured by them.
The german dancer places his folded hat held In his
right hand, upon "the back breadth OF the delicate
waist, and "poshes II about until the destruction
Is complete The anxious mother therefore de-
mands that crush hats be ''banlshod. 1t IL palm
ful Illustration Of how little OF the real heaven OF re-
form ns the hearts Of some Ut those who take 1t up,
that the Advertiser nppantly hints that tho crush
hat abuse as practiced by men may bea good plea
Ivy way OF " set-off against the bouquet abuse as
practlcod by women, This Is the old Idea so
commonly met with In politics, that tho way TO
meet an abuse countenanced by party Is to show
that quite as bad is tolerated 10y the other II
Is not In any such spirit OF evty that we can discuss
matters which the social interests OF two great
historic sexes however usual the practice may DO be-
tween Republicans and Democrats.
hut cannot Join In any crusade against tho crush
hat, because Instead OF regarding 1t an evil It. is to
our minds one OF the greatest boons vouchsafed by
civilization TO man. Whether there is any truth In
the idea that the german dancer spells dresses by
'polishhg ~ them with IL we 10 not know; but ad-
uniting that such may he the case, the conclusion
drawn that 1t should not be allowed at parties Is fora
variety OF reasons unsound. First, some men still
tn parties not to Dance but for the purpose of engag
Ing In what they like to think Is conversations and
dancing man cannot mako such ause OF hisopera-
hat as 10 spoil ladys dress. Besides this, dancing
men themselves can dance without tho assistance OF
operi-hat, aud thus IL u movement against the
hat was set afoo they could meet 1t at by simply
abandoning the practice, without giving up Its use
for other purposes. The anxious mothers complaint
recalls the old story Of Sir Ashley Cooper reply to
lady who told him she had dreadful headache when
not to put 1t there. If crush hats do really biacken
ladies' dresses ladies easily prevent their being
used In dancng but to ask this account to give
up using crush hats shows rather an anxious than
rational state OF mind.
We have within the past few years noticed symp-
toms OF hostility to the crush hat In society," but
the explanation generally offered has not been
nected In any way with ladies' dress. The move
ment started In England, where society IL In the
hands of rich and Idle class, OF whose amuse-
ments Is the Introduction OF fashions for the sake
of variety In this society the fashion suddenly
started OF bringing 10 oalls anu parties instead Oh
crush hat, the ordinary tall black hat which Is known
among gentlemen AS n beaver, among others as u
SILK hat.'' The hollow prelence OF reason given
for this was that cads had got Into the habit OF
carrying crush hats, and that gentlemen ought TO
break loose from caidish custom. Everybody
knows, however, that whatever gentlemen do, cads
copy, and that In fact, cads recognized such
by their habit OF copying and not copying well. Be-
sides this, If the cad is beginning some people
think to produce dangerously good copy OF the orig
nal, the still hat would lie poor barrier. lie can
carry stiff hat, and IL gentlemen, In terror of him.
to baud together, and come to parties provided
not only with beaver, but with umbrella, over
coat, and arctcs BESIDES he would be there also In
costume AS he got wind OF the change. For
these reasons say that the practice of carrying
stiff hat Introduced without any cause but love
of Variety In foreign, frivolous, and aristocratic
society; and 1t Is Il fashion which we are not bound
to adopt here unless for reasons which commend
themselves to our judgment. Anglomaniacs may
maintain that because there Is n movement against
the crush hat In England Is reason enough for oar
falling Ia with 1t, but for those who look into social
questions with calm, steady, impartial scrutiny,
this viii not do. In this country we can consider the
crush hat II really Is without the slightest regard
for "abTOad.n
Now. we venture to say that for convenience,
economy and utility, article of dress has been In
vented Ivy Tor man IS which AT all compares
with the crush hat The blessings 1t has conferred
on us can best be appreciated by rejecting what
position would be II the foolish movement against II
gathered Roadway and 1t were really banshed. and we
condemned to the use OF the stin hat instead
In the first place. the expense OF hats would he greatly
Increased because exposure 10 a very small number
of balls would completely destroy not only the appear
ance but the form and identity of tall hat. II 1t Is
not 10 be used In dancing IL must be lett about and
the temptation to sit on hats exposed In this way Is
we'll nigh universal The only other alternative is TO
leave IL In charge of the hosts servants, who would,
of course, make compact bundle OF 1t, In conf nnC
ton with arctics and overCoat the effect being prob
ably as serious the first case. Besides All this,
there is natural difficulty of distinguishing between
the hats of different persons, which, If they were left
about ballroom, would lead to unpleasant charges
OF Misrepresentation, such as In the case of umbrellas,
continually create hard feeling, smile and Jest about
them may. At tho theatre opera, tho case OF
the stiff hat is even worse; for there is literally
place provided for 1t except The floor. where, IL not
constantly watched over, II is kicked tramped
pieces in an incredibly short time. There is
distressing and anxious situation In life than that OF
man whose attention Is continually distracted from
music absorbing drama by the we'll known, sick
ening sound produced by the contact Of his
foot with the hat which he tried to put out OF his
reach by depostng 1t beneath his seat or IN
OF his box and we can imagine nothing less likely to
destroy popular interest among men In the theatre
than the thought Of the spectacle which therstif hats
would present at the end of tho performance. These
things that women and mothers know nothing OF.
That a crush hat has Its moral uses In giving
fdence to and aiding the conversation OF the stupid
and embarrassed who constitute so large proportion
of "sOciety men, - any candid win confess.
The hands In society the great obstacle to the
preston OF thought, and II something given them
do the diculty Is got over. For this purpose this
shape of a folded brush hat Is convenience itself.
tall hat would defeat the object, and itself create
barrassment, for, owing 10 Its cnmbros shape, hold
ing 1t and conyersing agrecably is very dihcult
fear, which only long practice renders possible.
II is reasons like these which, probably originally
led 10 the Introduction OF the crash hat. They are
reformatory reasons. They show that instead OF
] Joining IN movement against the crush hat We
should do all In our power To resist anything OF tbt
| - EugUiuU Post,