The Osceola times., 1884-12-20
SERIAL SHIRT FRONTS.
An Amazing Invention Lately Patented
by PennsylvaniAn.


"If anybody thinks that the inventive
genius of the American people is on the
wane he's hopelessly left, that's al, ," re-
marked one of the leading patent law
yers of Philadelphia yesterday afternoon
as he sat with his feet on the office table
and smoked patent Connecticut cigar
warranted to deceive the most expert
Judge of Havana tobacco. James," be
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 a
small design in the form of a horseshoe
and jockey cap stamped all over the
bosom and cuffs.
81 have just taken out patent on this
for man in Lackawanna County, who
calls il 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
off layer of pap.r of which the shirt
wa made He then tore of another
LAYER, and then another and another,
until 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 this 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, if man
chooses to be lavish with his linen. or,
if he like to be an out-and-out swell, he
can change half a dozen times a day
No, on this sample. all The fronts are
the sane, but they will be made in all
sorts of styles, so that fellow can wear
this horseshoe figure if he wants to 90
to Coney Island to the races, or a crossed
base ball bat design if he is going out to
see the Philadelphia play the Athletic,
or a neat little design in dots or bars, or
some thing of that sort, if he is going of
with his girl to Atlantic City or the matt
nee. That'll be all fixed by giving a
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 fifty cents for the assorted pat
terms and thirty-fve cents for the all
white. Why it it's the biggest thing
that has been struck since the telephone
was patented"
"But what about the novelette, part of
the scheme?"
"Ah, [ lad forgotten to show you see
this" and the lawyer handed over one
of the torn off shirt fronts on the back of
which was printed in fine type one chap
ter of story entitled, THE Phantom
Jockey, Romance of Sheepshead bay"
There you are, chapter l of a sporting
novelette,, and it's continued and finish
ed on the other six fronts. OF course,
sometimes YOU will run across the same
yarn twice ON two shirts, but some thou
sands of different stories will be printed,
and the lots made up so as to give each
city and town as few duplicates as pos
sible. 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 off Mondays front that
they will tear the whole week off, so as
to learn the hero's fate, but that will be
all the better, and is, indeed, part of the
scheme in printing them at all. Oh, /
tell YOU this invention is going to be 2
great go, and, aside from its other vir-
tues, will do more toward driving the
Chinese laundrymen back to their native
land than all the political howls that
ever were heard"