Daily south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1881-18??, 1885-10-03

When man says 81 don't care a
button, he means to convey the idea
that the subject under consideration is
of no value and he is entirely indiiler-
ent to II, but if he lived in China he
would not use that figure Of speech
There a button is of some Importance,
for there man is known by the but.
ton he wears. Show Chinaman n
mans button and ho will tell YOU what
he is. For buttons he will work, and
intrigue, and fight ambitious to be
translated from white to red, and from
red to blue, while for the yellow but.
ton-thc imperial yellow, which makes
man brother to the sun and uncle to
the moon-what will he not do for
that? Everything. anything. In
China public servants are divided into
nine ranks, each of which has two
classes, thus forming eighteen classes
of olliceholders. They are distinguished
by the peculiaritics in form and sub
stance Of the buttons they wear.
which range from precious stones down
through various grades Of value to bits
of glass.
Nor are buttons so Indifferent TO us
rs the common saving might imply.
Have fair readers ever seen q West
Point cadet return home arrayed in
blue and brass to bask in the smiles of
fond mother and admirng sistcrsp
Have they noticed the enthusiasm his
buttons awaken? Nothing could in
duce that youth to part with his but
tons, except to gain the buttons of a
Lieutenant, The Lieutenant aspircs 10
the Captains, and the Captain to the
Majors and so on up through all the
army grades, until at last there are no
more buttons to conquer. SO in the
navy, from naval cadet to Admiral.
button worship goes on, and we
have but little to boast ourselves over
the Celestial children of the almond
eyes and slanting brow. There was,
indeed, our great General, who has
been laid to rest amid the tears OF the
Nation, who did not seem to have the
button mania and never looked very
bright or glaring in the eyes Of his fell
low soldiers; but there were numerous
others, who, surrounded by gorgeous
escorts, shonc brightly in tinscl, and
not infrcqucntly looked like brass
foundry with The front door open. 1t
is no rcproach to them. Some Of the
worlds bravest men had this pardon
able vanity, Murat shone resplcndent
when he headed n cavalry charge,
Scott, at Lundy's Lane, and in all his
battles, was arrayed in full-dress uni
form, Nelson, at Trafalgar had on
all his buttons and badges. Doubtless
they felt better and they fought better,
and the world may smile Il little, yet
honors them none the loss. A blue
coat with brass buttons was part of the
habitual costume of Daniel Webster.
1t seemed as II ii would be unconstitu-
tional for him to wear anything else,
and he stuck 10 brass and blue, and
buff waistcoat TO the end of his life.
The members of the famous Pickwick
Club wore brass button on their
coats, bearing the initials p. C.-pe-
ouliar coat, as Mr.. Jingle translated it
and II was that button that nearly
involved Mr.. Winklc in duel. So, in
fiction, in politics, in war, and in his
tory the button holds prominent, if
not foremost place, and the man who
uses the phrase II don't care button"
doesn't know what he is talking about.
He would care, if he would only think
for moment ON what the button has
done for the world. If the loss of n
single suspender button will make u
man feel mean and uncomfortable all
day, what would the loss of all his but
tons entail upon hmp 1t is the button
that marks the difference between the
ancient and the modern styles of
dress, between the old and the
new civilizations. Take away but
tons and you take away steamboats,,
telegraphs, railroads, the newspapers,
and all the wonderful appliances that
make life pleasant in the nineteenth
century. Buttons had to be first in
vented, and were the forerunners of all
these, for until one could button bis
clothes snugly about him he could not
work at these great problems. Think
of him trying to do anything that is
handy. 1t can't be done, and when a
mans mind is necessarily occupied
with trying to hold his clothes on, it
can not be occapied With much else.