New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-05-17
LIE SILK LIT IND CHIME.

A touching story comes from jersey City, y J.
Application was made there by certain Mrs
Louisa Norris for divorce from one Hamilton ).
Norris and no defence being made. It has been
granted In her complaint Mrs. Norris says that
her husband did not contribute anything toward
her support Tor i've years. on the eiounG that he
coull not Afford IT, as he desired 10 continue wear
ing silk hat. p1tcui. Hatlcr shoes and a gold
headed cane For iyc years Mrs. Norris lived
principally On her admiration 81 her husband rs
Lee started downtown each morning attlrcl IN TIE
aforementioned articles and other things 10
match. but NJ the end Of the time she found that
Sic was losin. physically and applied for the
divorce
When a man falls into evil ways and. without
being able 10 help himself. comes under the eye
OF that peculiar individual known os the social
rcformcr his must be- very peculiar ease indeed
which tie rrformrr cannot trace 20 drink or sam-
bling Bat wc desire 10 put forward the claim
that more mcn especially voun- men. are ruined
by The silk Lat than hy strong drink or tie gam
inetablc SILK hats should not hc delivered to
Young men with moderate salaries. even in the
ori-ual package. We hold that more of tie de
multrrs in canada could. If they would. trace
their downfall back 10 the silk hat than 10 all
other vice, combined In the reports of dci1ca-
iiou, We often read that Lee taught Sunday
school class. and va, not known 10 have amy
vices, wien perhaps for half dozen years hc had
been trying to dress up 10 o silk lat.
10 tine man with the large and permanent i'm
come there are, perhaps, few dangers IN the silk
hat, bat upon the man with the small or moderate
salary IT comes like blight. Sometimes the
young man walks IN boldly and buy, his first sin,
hat. Nom likely he wins IL on bet In either
case hc lcars H. home in It's box proudly and cN-
hih.ts II 10 The aduriug gaze OF bis wife, casually
mentioning that IT cost s. She examines II
critically. Tubs the fur the wrong way. and men
tally decides that it Will give ter AN excuse Tor
getting a. batter bat herself the uc\t time. There
J., now no escape for the young man-no man ever
broke himself OF the silk-hat habit He may strus-
lie against IT, hc may fight like the members of
an athletic association, bul lac Will never escape.
The next morning when the Young man wears his
new hat downtown. he notices tor the first time
that hl, shoes are getting a little worn. He had
| intended 10 make them do for tie summer. but
that sort Of shoes never 90 with sill, hat. 50
hr stops ia and gets a new pair The next day
! the fact that his clothes are not quite up 10 tie
! lat and shoes dawns upon him and he orders a
| new SUIT NcAt he comes out with gold headed
| cane: then a gold-handed silk umbrella is added
Some high priccd jcwciry necessarily follows He
! keeps up the struggle Tor a year or two. more
| less, finds that he cannot live on his wages robS
| his cnpo,cr and finally goes 10 Canada and again
much-abtscd Strong Drink and poor. mallgncd
Horse Racing are denounced for two weeks by pull
| pit and press. when the only trouble with the UNI
fortunate young man was that hc was trying to
'rcss up To his silk hat
| Tine ease of the Jersey CITY man. 10 which We
| have referred, we'll illustrates what we have said
lie bce.n with silk hat. added expensive
cane ptcnt-lcahcr shoes. and so on. and the re-
suit is ruin To be- sure, he has not dclaultcd.
hut his wife has got - divorce and his mothcr-n-
| law has told him her opinion of him i'm good set
| terms. And vino can say that he may not have
STRUGGLED against the habit with all his might
A Young man should he required to make hnan-
! cal statemcnt 20 the proper authorities and take
/ ont a license before he Is allowed 10 wear n sill,
| hat Ne hereby call our friends. the Pro
| hibitionis,s. to attend to the silk hat in their
next National Platform. \ Platform which al
ready dcnOunces many things, ranging from
cigarettes 10 the Russian penal system, ought not
10 neglect of the greatest curses of the day