The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1885-11-28
BUTTONS.
Insignia Of Rank Which rs of Con
sequence in China.
Great Men in Countries Measured by Brass
Butfons--Tle Bachelors and Married
Mans Buttona-7A Fortune By
Rica Manufacturer.


button, he means TO convey the idea
that the subject under consideration is
Of no value and he is entirely indifier-
ent 10 ii, but if he lived ia China he
would not use that figure Of speech.
There button Of some Importance,
for there man is known by the but
ton be wears, Show Chinaman a
mans button and he will tell you what
lie is. For buttons he viii work, and
intrigue, and fight, ambitious to be
translated from white to red, and from
red to blue. while for the yellow but
tom the imperial yellow, which makes
"a man brother to the sun and uncle to
the moon what will he not do for
!. thatp Everything. anything. In
China public servants are divided into
nine ranks, each of which has two
classes, thus forming eighteen classes
Of oiiiceholders. They are distinguished
BY the. peculiaritics in form and sub
stance of the buttons they wear,
which range from precious stones down
throngh various grades Of yalae to bits
Of glass.
Nor are buttons SO Indifferent to us
as the common saying might imply.
Have fair readers ever seen West
Point cadet return home afraYed in
blue and brass to bask in the smiles OF
a fond mother and admiring sisteTsF
Have they noticed the enthusiasm his
buttons awaken2 Nothing could in
duce shat youth to part with his but
tons. except to gain the buttons of a
Lieutenant The Lieutenant aspires to
s the Captains, and the Captain to the
Majors and SO on up through all the
army grades, until at last there are no
moro buttons TO conquer So in the
Navy from naval cadet to Admiral,
button worship goes on, and we
have but little 70 boast ourselves over
the Celestial children of the almond
eyes and alanting brow. There was,
indeed, our great General, who has
been laid 10 rest amid the tears of the
Nation, who did not seem to have the
button mania and never looked very
bright or glaring n the eyes Of his fell
low soldiers; but there were numerous
others, who, surrounded by gorgeous
escorts. shone brightly in tinsel, and
not infrequenily looked like brass
foundry with the front door open. II
is no reproach to them. Some OF the
world y bravest men had this pardon.
able vanity Murat shone respondent
when he headed a cavalry charge.
Scott. at Lundy's Lane, and in all his
battles, was arrayed in full-dress uni.
form Nelson, az Trafalgar. had on
all This buttons and badges. Doubtless
they felt better and they fought better,
and the world may smile little, vel
hpnors them none the loss. A blue
coat with brass buttons was part of the
habitnA costume Of Daniel Webster.
1t seemed Dis If 1T would be unc0ns hitu-
tional for him to wear ANYTHING else,
and he stuck 10 brass and blue. and
biiH waistcoat to the end Of his life.
The members of the famous Pickwich
Club wore brass button on tlieii
coats, bearing the initials P. C.-pe
cnlIar coat, as Mr.. Jingle translated i
and ii was that button that nearly
involved Mr.. Winkle in duel. So, il
fiction, In politics, in war, andin his
tory the button holds a prominent. i
moi d foremost place, and the man wht
uses the phrase II don't care a button
doesn know what he is talking about
He would care, If he would only thinI
for a moment on what the button ha
done fof the world. If the loss of
single suspender button win make
man feel mean and uncomfortable al
day what wo0ld the loss of all his but
tons entail upon Imp It is the buttol
that marks the a Inference between TIL
ancient and the modern styles 0
dress between the old and th
new civilizations Take away but
tons and yon take away steamboats,
teIegraphs' railroads, the newspapers
and an the wonderful appliances thu
make lie pleasant IA Che ninete I'd
century Buttons had to he llrst III
vented, and were The foreruuners Of Al
these. for until one could button hl
clothes snuglg about him ne could no
work IL These great problems Thin
Of him 9ying he do anythin tgat
handy u can { be done. aud when
n4an mind is necessafilY Qoe0{ie
With crying 10 hold lis clothes oli
{ ean not be occupied With much elss