Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-02-02


Adam wore no cuffs, and to Solomon
700 wives were denied the delight of see
ing their liegc lord decked out in cleai
shirt and collar How the dandies o
those days managed to look respectable
is matter of melancholy conjecture
The history of the modern cuff, says tho
Philadelphia Press, is n startling con
firmation of Mr.. Darwins theory o
creation. 1t was evolved from nothing
What awful and fantastic shapes it NAV
yet assume no man can tell. Fifty years
ago the cuff was as much curiosity as
was linen shirt fifty years before. The
gentlemen Of the Revolution wore rutfes
or rlltls OF lace or crinpcd linen about
their wrists. 1t was about thirty years
ago that the first linen cuff was made. 1t
was plain band of linen sewed to tn,
shirt sleeve and was fastened by an ordi
nary porcelain button. It's use grew
rapidly i'll public favor, and int few years
there appeared iii the market cuff, but
toning separately TO the wristband. There
had been still no provision made for the
ornamental button. but several wears
after n cuff was made having in one en- d
the much coveted hole, and from that day
the success of the invention was assured
x.
but piece of linen and n chunk of gold,
and the iist sleeve buttons were coined
Of that precious metal, combining as they
did utility and beauty, comfort and ele-
gance, at once found their way into per-
manent popular notice.
The linen cuff of to-day is rs unlike
that OF twenty years ago as is man and
the monkey. There are now sold by the
trade three classes Of cuffs, respectively
made of linen, percale and celluloid. The
celluloid cuff, when first it made it's ap-
pearance, created genuine furore but
now it is worn as a rule only by travelling
statesmen, who have to do their washing
on the fly, and poor people in the sum
mer time. The percale cuff likewise
once high III the estimation of the wealthy
and the aesthetic, has gone into at least n
temporary oblivion, although wholesale
jobbers say they find ready sales for both
the percaic and cclluloid cuffs in the ex.
treme South and West. The cuff which
laps over and buttons at one end is now
considered barbarous. The ultra fashion
able kind is the cuff which is bound to-
gether by Il link button. 1t should be
attached to the shirt sleeve by two deli
cate slips, extensions from that part of
the cuff which sailor would call "amid-
ships. One reason why the percale cuff
went out of fashion was because they cost
more than good linen article, and were
not nearly so decent in appearance About
fifteen years ago the paper cuff, likewise
the paper collar, were held up to the nd.
miring gaze of consumers. Millions
were manufactured and it was thought
the desideratum had at last been found,
but the paper cuff, like the pcrcale, ii
now only used in the South and in the ex
treme West around Galveston, and
among the Black Hills. Nine-tenths OF
all the cuffs sold in this country are man
ufacturcd at Troy, n. Y. Some years
ago great many were imported from
England. Now none are brought acros.
the ocean, On the other hand, American
cuffs are finding large sale in Londor
and Paris.
Some idea of the Importance Of the in
dustry may be given when ii is stated thai
over 800, 900 pairs are sold annually il
New York alone. Six years ago cuff,
were made i'll two or three pieces, ant
one style III particular, was abont nint
inches long and then doubled over t,
within n half-inch of the starting-point
All of the cuffs Of to-day are what il
known as four-ply that is, they are mad,
of four thickne,ses Of linen, with the in
terlining Of cotton. All linen cuffs ar,
but little worn. They cost from sixty t,
seventy-tive ccntspe pairand have not hal
the capacity for holding starch and keep
ing stiff that the "adulterated" goods pos
sess. There are three general shapes il
cuffs, square corners, round corners an,
chopped-otf corners. In New York an,
Boston the round corners are fashiona
BILE, in Philadelphia the square corner
are the go, and i'll Washington and Balti
more one sees nothing but chopped cuffs
In Chicago they like big cuff, as bi
MS they can get it, In New Orleans tn
bon ton wear diminutive wrist bands, AM
out in the boundlcss West they wear any
thing that happens to be handy, from
dish rag to pair of nippers. The latte
is all the prevailing style in some place
in Colorado and New Mexico Then
again, there are both single and doubl
cuffs. The former are now but littl
worn, and never by fashionable people
Different denominations wear diiferen
kinds OF cuffs. Quakers want small sin
gle cuffs that lap over and button at til
end. Actors wear big cuffs, and largel
patronize the gaudy ,pcrcale with polk
dots and rainbow stripes, like bill post
ers. 1t is permissible to wear tight
fitting cuff in the winter, although tn
present style favors roomy one that wi
come down clcverly over the wrist and W
not stick in the coat sleeve, like fat ma
in IN alley. None but fops wear the