The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1885-03-19
THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 1885.
KEEPING UP APPEARANCES.


from high or low motive. Few
people can afford to disregard APP
pearances. A man must be very
rich, very clever, or very useful, to
be privileged to wear an old familiar
coat and a shocking bad hat.
Ordinary people by being shabby
may lose hundred times the cost
of a good suit of clothes. Employ
ers like the people in their employ
ment to keep up appearances by
dressing well. If you are anxious
to keep in good situation, dress
well.
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy
But not expressed in fancy: rich, not
gaudy.
When man in receipt of good
salary dresses badly, it excites sus-
picion as much as extravaganza in
his amusements and great display in
dress. In one case he is suspected
of spending his own money i'll, in
the other of using that of his en-
ploysr. Those who keep up appear
ances get more assistance Of every
kind. 1t is easier to borrow ten or
twenty pounds in a good suit of
clothes than five shillings in an old
coat and shabby hat. ''The apparel
oft proclaims the man." Strangers
must form their opinion Of strangers
from outward and visible signs. We
may reconsider our verdicts upon
further acquaintance; but in the alb
sence of this, what can we think
when first introduced to man ex-
cept appearances are against him."
or II like his look?"
An old colonel who once COM
manded a crack cavalry regiment
told the writer with pride that his
men used to look as. if they be-
lieved that the whole town belonged
to them. This was keeping up the
appearance of the regiment. If you
carry yourself as if you had thou
sand pounds at your command,
many defects and blemishes will re-
main unnoticed. Here is an Incl
dent taken from "Six Months in
the Ranks; or, The Gentleman Pri-
vate," which illustrates the effect,
or want of effect, of not keeping up
appearances. zone evening"" writes
the Gentleman Private, 81 had gone
into shop at Sheerness to make
some purchases, when saw mild
looking, elderly gentleman standing
by the counter, while two young
ladies, evidently his daughters, were
buying something. l paid no par
ticular attention to. him, and he
made no remark to me. When he
had gone out with his daughters the
shopwoman laughed and asked me if
I did not know my own colonel.
WAS that the colonel? / never saw
him before. ] shouldn't have taken
him for an officer, though, by his
shabby hat and old Inverness Il
wondered why you didn't salute
him. He doesn't dress very well,
but he's a very nice gentleman.'''
The same writer relates how a
well-conducted fellow soldier who
had fallen from the position of an
officer never got the chance of again
rising, because she always hanged
down his head, and people are accus-
toned to treat man much accord
ing to the respect which he shows
for himself" "Why the deuce do
he hold lis 'ead down like that?"
asked the sergeant-major, angrily.
LAS he's been an officer he ought to
know how to behave ITSELF better.
What use I'D he be as a non-com-
missioned officer if he didn't dare
look is men in the face? If man
wants to be a soldier, say let him
cock his chin up, switch his stick
about bit, and give a crack over
the cad to anybody who comes
foolin' round i'm, else he might just
as we'll be Methodist parson."
The chorus of well-knewn song
describes class of people who
deserve not little sympathy and
respect:
Too proud to beg, too honest to steal, 8
We know what 1t Is to be wanting
meal;
Our tatters and rags we try to conceal
We belong to the shabby genteel."
The struggles of such persons to
conceal their tatters and rags, an6
generally to keep up appearances, are
very pathetic and very praise.
worthy; and yet they receive but
little encouragement, for so-called
philanthropists and careless aims.
givers are frequently guilty of the
cruelty of fostering the good-for-
nothing at the expense of the good.
When they enter a house empty O.
everything but filth, or see beggal
in rags, their hearts and purses open
Professional mendicants, understand
ing this, keep up the appearance O
poyerty-the "trappings and sign
of VICE." Not so the hard workint