Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-09-06
THE BUTTON.
The Insignia Of Rank IN China 4
Fortune in their Man.
ufacturc.
variety 90 Great Men ia Az Countries
Measured by buttons iiochc,ors
nnd Married Mems nr,tcns.

tom he means 60 convey the Idea that
the sublcc, under consideration is Of no
value aud he Is entirely Indifferent 10 IL,
hui " he lived IN China he would M, use
that figure oi speech. There 4 button is
Of some Importance, for there 4 man N
known by the buttons he wears
show ChlnamNn man's hutton
aud he VIII tell you what he H. For hut.
tons he will work aud intrinnc,
aud Fight, ambitious to be translated from
white to rcd, and from rcd TO blue, while
for the yellow butlon.-the imperial vel.
low, which makes u man brother 60 the
sun and uncle TO the moon what viii he
not do Tor thaty Everything, anything.
In China public servants are divided Into
nine ranks, each OF which has two classes,
thus forming eighteen classes Of Office.
holders. They are distinguished by the
peculiarltcs IN form aud Substance oi the
buttons they wear, which range FROM
precious stones down through various
grades of value TO bits OF giass
Nor are buttons SO Indifferent tOuS ~
the common saying might Imply. Have
the fair readers ui the Herald ever seen a
West Point cadet return home ariaycd IN
blue and brass to bnsk IN the smiles oi Il
fond mother aud admirnu slstorsY Have
they noticed the enthusiasm his buttons
awaken Nothing could induce that
youth to part with his buttons.
except TO gain the buttons of llcutcn.
ant. The lieutenant aspircs to the
captains, aud the captain 10 the MINORS
and so ON up through all the army grades,
until at last there are NO more buttons 20
conquer. SO IN the navy, from naval
cadet 20 admiral button worship woes ON
and we have but little 20 roast ourselves
over tho Celestial children of the almond
eyes and slnntlng brow, There was,
indeed, our great general, who has lust
been laid 60 rest amid the tears OF the
nation, who did not seem To have The
button mania, and never looked very
bright or gmring IN the eyes OF his fellow
soldiers; but there wcm nuinrronR
others, who, surrounded hy gorgeous cs.
corts, Shono brightly In tinscl, and not
iniWqupntly looked like brass foundry
with the front door opcn II Is no re.
preach 10 them Some uf the worlds
bNpcst mcu had this pardonnhlc
vanity. MurOi Shono resplcndcnt
when he headed a cavalry charge
scott, at Lundy's Lane, aud IN an his hat.
Hes, was arrayed IN iulldress uniform
Nelson, nj Trafalgar had pn all hls but.
tons and badges. Doubtless thcy felt
better and they fought better aud the
world may smile q lit,lr YET honors them
mono the less. 4 blue cont with brass
buttons was part OF the labitnal costume
OF nanlW Webster II seemed as Il
II would loo unconstitutional for him
10 wear anything elise, aud he stuck TO
brass and blue, and bu1 walsttoat go the
end OF his Tile. The members of the ia
m0us PickWick clUb wore n brass button
on their coat, heating the initials T. c.
peculiar coat, as Mr. Jingle translated It.
aud II was that button that nearly In
vowed Mr., Wrinkle m q duel. So,
IN fiction, IN politics, la war! aud
IN history the button holds a
prominent, II not foremost place, and
the mau who uses the phrase ~ don't
care button don't know what he Is
talking about lie would cnTr, II he
would unly thiuk for moment on what
the button has done for the world n The
loss oi q single sOspcndcr button win
mako a nan feel mean and uneoiniuri-
able an day, what would the loss
OF all his buttons entail upon hlmy
II Is the button that marks the difference
between the ancient aud The modern
styles OF dress, between tlr old and the
new civilizations Take away buttons
aud you take away steamboats,, tplc-
graphs. railroads, the newspaper, aud All
The wonderful appliances that make life
pleasant Ia the nineteenth century Hat.
tons had To be- FIRST Invented, aud were
tho torrunner nl an these, ior
until one could button hts clothes snugly
about him h0 could not work at these
gtrat problems Thiuk nf man on the
board of trade, for Instance, holding u
tnaa around him With one baud and Try.
Ing 10 sell q "bN OF what With the other,
Think ni him trying 20 no anything that
+ handy II can't hc done, and when u
mans mind Is necessarily occupied with
trying TO hold lis clothes
on u cannot be occupied with
much else. The evolution oi clothes
iastunlngs was something like this |
Thunr, tsh.bonrs, strings metal clasps |
pins and buttons, aud the buttons did moi /
come nntll about the timc Columbus dis /
covered America. Hut buttons alone Werr
not quito sufficient, aud Il took Our good 1
ancestors two centuries longer Ia lnNCu, 4
the button hole, That u "a SAY, buttons 4
werc nrst used entirely for ornament. /
and lt was moi until the close nt QnrCn 4
Kllfahoth's rpign that the great convent /
en0n Of huitoninR ono's clothes, Instead !
~ pmning thpm or fastening them With 4
clasps, WAS discovered
Tho ornamental purpose % The hutton I
II stlil ~ vogue Ia ladies costumes, aud I
Ia mems survives Ia those two helpless /
butgons on the hack u thelI coats some /
dreaming enthusiast has calculated that /
4 W. would only loero tho use 81 those
two buttons the amount saved Ia few |
years would pas the national duht, (
or would found charitable /
Institution that would provide i0r ivory I
hi,,ly. substantially hsnishlag pnyVriy !
irnin the earth. iiut issli0n ,lcmands Nc
should ytil tvtaln there, and "a The ua
ilonul debt must take carr al itself aud I
tho mllicnnian stlll delay ~ counting /
East came the feliiaslrninr button, trrS
rocOni. a. We an khow, beua a. hsche
1ufs aud lone, born witlowrrs Iipc I
WAS when vito WIS au lrdlspcns
able npctssitl Ga every gentleman Z
far his hntiou.' satp. studs anu spli, /
fasteners haze cliangcd an that, apd new
a man need uui niaftY unlrss be wants lp. I
Indeed. marryinK iaah may w SHOWN dy 1
tho buttons ht wears, n he wears studs I
aud srlfiastrnefe be- h hopclpssly inlie.
pendent II b. SIN cllngs q pearl hui. /
tons and the an Of sewing Do Is SURF to