The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1884-11-13
SERIAL SHIRT FRONTS.
An Amazing Invention Lately Pat
ented by q Pennsylvania.

"If anybody thinks that the inventive
genius OF the American people is on the
wane, he's hopelessly left, that's ALL"
remarked one Of the leading patent law
yers of Philadelphia yesterday after
noon, as he sat with his feet on the office
table and smoked a patent Connecticut
cigar, warranted to deceive the most
expert Judge OF Havana tobacco.
"James," he continued, addressing the
Office boy, "bring me that package that
came from Washington yesterday"
The lad produced large paper parcel
from which the lawyer took what was
TO all appearances an ordinary colored
shirt, being apparently Of white linen,
with small design In the shape Of o
over the bosom and cuffs.
~ have just taken out patent on this
for man In Laskawanna county, who
calls II the Excelsior Patent Paper Shirt
and Novelette," Here the speaker in
serted his thumb nail at the bottom Of
the shirt bosom and proceeded to tear
of layer Of paper OF which the shirt
was made. fIe then tore off another
layer, and then another and another, un.
til six separate sheets In the shape OF
the bosom lay on the table, and he still
held what looked like the original shirt
In his hand. "You see it's really re-
markable idea. Here Is the shirt, made
OF very tough paper, that won't tear
without good deal OF pressure, and the
bosom is made up of seven layers, one
for each day in the week, IL man
chooses to lavish with his linen, or, If he
likes to be an out-and-out swell, he can
change half dozen times a day.
Now, on this sample, all the
fronts are the same. but they Will
be made in all sorts Of styles, so that a
fellow can wear this horseshoe figure IL
he wants to go to Coney Island to the
races, or a crossed base ball bat design
II he Is going out to see the Philadel-
phia play the Athletic, or a neat little
design In dots or bars, or something Of
that sort, If he is going off with his girl
to Atlantic City or the matinee. That'll
be all fixed by giving card with each
shirt telling the pattern on each Of the
seven fronts, which will be numbered
from one to seven. Enough collars and
cuffs will go with each shirt for the
seven fronts, and the whole outfit will
be sold for the small sum of 30 cents for
the assorted patterns and 80 cents for
the all white. Why, Its the biggest
thing that has been struck since the
telephone was patented"
"But what about the novelette, part Of
the scheme?"
"Ah, had forgotten to show you; see
this, and the lawyer handed over one
of the torn of shirt fronts on the back
Of which was printed in fine type one
chapter of story entitled, "The Phan-
tom Jockey, a Romance of Sheepshead
Bay" "There you are, chapter of a
sporting novelette,, and it's continued
and finished on the other six fronts. OF
course, sometimes you will run across
the same yarn twice on two shirts, but
some thousands Of different stories will
be printed, and the lots made up so as
to give each city and town as few dupli-
Gates as possible. Anyhow, the card
will tell you what story is on the shirt,
and you can be careful not to buy the
same one twice. Some men will get so
interested in the story when they rip of
Mondays front that they will tear the
whole week of, SO as to learn the hero's
fate, but that will be all the better, and
is, indeed, part Of the scheme In print
ing them at all. oh, tell you this in
vention is going to be great go, and,
aside from Its other virtues, will do more
toward driving the Chinese laundrymen
back to their native land than all the po-
lltical howls that ever were heard"