Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1886-12-22
CANES AND LoRdsEFHEaL
Fashions Ficklcness i'm the Matter
of Walking Canes.

sit is really quite a marvel, this mat
ter of fashion is" observed dealer in
varieties as he stood looking through
his glass door and talking to news re-
porter: 'CaneSi Now you would think
there was any room for a change of
fashion? No! Well, there are few
things in which fashions change more
frequently. You didn't know that.
Certainly not: you are carrying a silver
head. That's last years. What you
ought to have to he in proper form is a
natural wood stick, with crook to it.
1t should be large; just as large as you
can carry. As big round as your arm
would be Just the thing, if you could
carry it gracefully. Our latest stock
are little smaller than sawlogS.
SIN years gone by the dandies they
are called dudes now) used to carry lit
tie rattanS, which gave gracefully when
they touched the ground. They used
to stand and tap them nervously against
their boot heels, and handle them with
a quick motion like a foil. Some of
them, too, had swords or knives in their
handles. They were all slick and slen-
der. Older men carried heavier sticks
of ebony or rosewood, with fancy gold
and silver handles. Or sometimes they
carried hickory or cane with buckhorn
handles. The hickory with buckhorn
was very popular in JacksOn'S time, and
the buckhorn handle was popular again
when Buchanan was in the white
House.
"a year ago the heavy rattan with a
silver head, hammered or antique, got
to be very fashionable. Then followed
the buckhorn handle with silver head,
which is just now running out. An
immense number of each of these styles
have been sold during the past two or
three years. Some of them were very
extravagant in their style and sold as
high as IS or $40. A man who really
keeps up to the fashion in these things
will not carry either now. He changes
his cane almost as often as the style of
his coat, or as woman does her bonnet.
Some young men have a great collection
of canes, in which they take pride.
''The style now is, as l have said,
natural wood and very large. 1t must
also be cut in England or be of some
foreign wood and of English manufac-
ture. Most of them of course are made
in New York, but they have got to be
English, you know. Now, maybe you
would not believe it, but We have
always no thanks, changing and keep
ing up with the fashion; a stock of from
700 to 1000 canes. They range in price
from S1.50 to SIS. Now that. think,
is pretty good trade in sticks. Proba-
bly, $4,000 or 5000 worth.
1.-THE manner of carrying cane
changes often, also. Sometimes it is
carried straight up and down, some
times under the arm, and sometimes as
it was a year ago, grasped tight in the
middle and never touched to the ground.
The latest cane, being so heavy, IS lifted
laboriously and placed solidly on the
pavement directly in front OF the dude,
who then walks around it, leaving his
hand on its head. 1t looks little as II
he were winding himself up to it. Some
get very dexterous at it, and learn to
walk around their sticks with grace and
a dignified deliberation.
s'People have great many fancies,"
continued the dealer after short pause,
during which an underground smile
crept down from the corners of his eyes
to his chin, without ever quite coming
to the surface. sit is my business to
follow these fancies. / am vender OF
varieties, so to speak. cultivate them.
There a league of us. Some are invent
ing and contriving them, always looking
and thinking up something lew, while
the rest of US sell them.
'sThere is one of the latest things In
the ladies' line." He took from the
case a piece of carved tortoise shell,
shaped something like Q fancy paper